National Strategy Documents

"On the eve of its 50th anniversary, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has evolved into a much different institution than when it was established. Since 1961, DIA contributions have been instrumental in shaping significant events in U.S. history--from the first major challenges it faced during the Cuban Missile Crisis to the current perils presented by rising state challengers, global terrorist movements, insurgencies, and arms proliferation. Today, the Agency's challenges are further complicated by the convergence of the advanced pace of available technology, a complex and rapidly shifting international political environment, and increasing competition for global resources. To remain in front of these challenges and provide decision confidence to our customers, DIA will strive to continually strengthen our intelligence operations, rely on enhanced intelligence integration, foster greater public-private sector dependencies, and provide unparalleled leadership across the Defense Intelligence Enterprise and the Intelligence Community. The 2012--2017 DIA Strategy is founded on who we are and what we do best--a national-level combat support agency expert in all-source analysis focused on foreign military and defense-related matters. Further, this strategy is about what we stand for: unwavering service to those fighting our Nation's wars, effective partnering, innovation, and care for our brave and dedicated workforce, without whom the Agency cannot accomplish its core missions."

"In this report, we conclude that we will continue to adhere to the five basic homeland security missions set forth in the first Quadrennial Homeland Security Review report in 2010, but that these missions must be refined to reflect the evolving landscape of homeland security threats and hazards. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 illustrate these evolving threats and hazards. We must constantly learn from them and adapt. The terrorist threat is increasingly decentralized and may be harder to detect. Cyber threats are growing and pose ever-greater concern to our critical infrastructure systems as they become increasingly interdependent. Natural hazards are becoming more costly to address, with increasingly variable consequences due in part to drivers such as climate change and interdependent and aging infrastructure. Meanwhile, this Nation's homeland security architecture has matured over the past four years, and we are determined that this progress continue. For example, our law enforcement and intelligence communities are becoming increasingly adept at identifying and disrupting terrorist plotting in this country. Programs such as TSA [Transportation Security Administration] Pre�"™ and Global Entry demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of risk-based security that can be achieved within budget constraints. It is also worth noting that, in late 2013, DHS received its first unqualified or 'clean' audit opinion; this occurred just 10 years after the Department's formation, which was the largest realignment and consolidation of Federal Government agencies and functions since the creation of the Department of Defense in 1947."

From the "Organization of this plan" section: "This revised strategic plan sets the direction for ASPR [Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response] over the next two years. The mission and vision lay out ASPR's purpose and how it envisions success. The values are the guiding principles for the organizational culture and should be part of the fabric of day-to-day life in the office. Six strategic goals define the highest-level aims of ASPR, and each one is supported by a set of strategies for accomplishing that goal. [...] Though they are presented separately for the sake of a coherent organizing framework, the goals and strategies are very much interrelated and dependent on each other, exemplified here: ensuring that communities and its stakeholders have the resiliency to withstand and recover from public health emergencies (goal 1) as we collaborate and integrate systems, is done by strengthening leadership capabilities (goal 2), thus strengthening our healthcare system (goal 5); first responders (goal 2) are a critically important part of an integrated, prepared health care system (goal 5); To be effective in its advisory role to the Secretary (goal 4), ASPR must incorporate policy development with lessons learned and operational decision making (goals 2, 3, and 5); The work that ASPR staff members do to improve administration of the organization (goal 6) is a cornerstone for the success of every other goal."

"The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was formed in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as part of a deliberate and determined national effort to safeguard the United States against terrorism. […] The submission of the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) Report to Congress on February 1, 2010 marked an important first step in a multi-step process to examine and address fundamental issues that concern homeland security. The QHSR Report described the Nation's homeland security interests, identified the critical homeland security missions, and defined a strategic approach to those missions by laying out the principal goals, essential objectives, and key strategic outcomes necessary for that approach to succeed. A bottom-up review (BUR) of the Department of Homeland Security was initiated in November 2009 as an immediate follow-on and complement to the congressionally mandated QHSR with the aim to align the Department's programmatic activities and organizational structure with the broader mission sets and goal identified in the QHSR. This report reflects that endeavor and represents an intermediate step between the QHSR Report and the DHS FY 2012-2016 Future Years Homeland Security Program (FYHSP), which will propose specific programmatic adjustments based on the QHSR strategic framework. Together, these three elements--the QHSR, the BUR, and the DHS FY 2012-2016 FYHSP--will address the primary legislative requirements set forth in Section 707 of the Homeland Security Act."

"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2012-2016 presents the Department's goals, derived from the conclusions of the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) and the Bottom-Up Review (BUR). The goals include objectives and key performance indicators that are essential for implementation and execution of the Department's responsibilities. This Plan, like the QHSR process that preceded it, reflects the core principles identified in the Open Government Plan. These three principles--transparency, public participation, and collaboration--are the basic tenets of Open Government. This Strategic Plan describes the Department's Strategic Performance Plan Measures in the context of the QHSR and the homeland security missions. The Plan continues the Department's efforts to prioritize frontline operations while maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of every taxpayer dollar the Department receives. The Plan also describes the Department's efforts to provide essential support to national and economic security, and to mature and strengthen DHS [Department of Homeland Security] as an institution."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Strategic Plan outlines five "Strategic Priorities" which intend to produce "16 Key Outcomes." From the Executive Summary: "The 2014-2018 FEMA Strategic Plan advances the Agency's mission to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. For 2014 to 2018, FEMA will focus on five strategic priorities, institutionalizing key improvements while building Agency capacity and strengthening national capabilities for disaster preparedness. The five priorities outlined below, along with their associated outcomes, will spur cross-Agency collaboration, guide allocation of resources, and inform how all FEMA employees approach their work. These efforts will further integrate two strategic imperatives into the Agency's programs and operations: a whole community approach to emergency management and a culture that fosters innovation and learning."

"A pivotal outcome of the first FEMA Leadership Conference, held in the fall of 2006, was the identification of the following nine core competencies and two supporting strategies, which were then shared with employees throughout the agency. With keen focus and discipline, FEMA is strengthening these operational core competencies-they shape the agency's priorities, budget requests, and resource allocation. The FEMA Strategic Plan provides the bridge between the vision and the annual planning and budget process that support these core competencies. The core competencies represent key operational areas in which FEMA must excel to accomplish its mission; while the supporting strategies provide the foundation that underpins operational success. The cross-cutting goals and objectives in this Strategic Plan show how all components of FEMA must work together to strengthen core competencies, and the organization as a whole, to achieve the vision. […] The FEMA Strategic Plan supports FEMA's vision and provides the roadmap to the future by focusing on cross-cutting goals and objectives that allow FEMA to demonstrate how everyone at FEMA can work together-regardless of program area or geographic location-toward judicious allocation of resources and common strategic outcomes. In developing the strategic goals and objectives, several consistent overarching themes emerged that are central to FEMA's success as an agency and that define what the organization values. These themes drive how the people in FEMA conduct relations with each other, their customers, and their partners, as FEMA works to become the Nation's Preeminent Emergency Management and Preparedness Agency."

"This strategic plan was developed with an understanding of contemporary practices, lessons from past experience, and an appreciation for what the future may bring. The FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] 2011--2014 initiatives will make FEMA a more flexible and adaptive organization capable of responding to new situations, capitalizing on opportunities, and quickly adjusting to changing environments. The initiatives will foster greater community engagement, and unity of effort and purpose among all members of the emergency management team, with the goal of achieving more effective emergency management outcomes for the Nation."

"United States civilians ask one question again and again: How can we do a better job of advancing the interests of the American people? The answer should be the same for every agency and department: We can work smarter and better by setting clear priorities, managing for results, holding ourselves accountable, and unifying our efforts. The first-ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) aims to meet these goals by setting forth a sweeping reform agenda for the State Department and USAID, the lead agencies for foreign relations and development respectively. The QDDR follows in the footsteps of the quadrennial reviews by the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security in taking a comprehensive look at how we can spend our resources most efficiently, how we can achieve our priorities most effectively, what we should be doing differently, and how we should prepare ourselves for the world ahead."

"This FEMA strategic plan sets a course of action for FEMA over a six-year period and establishes the major programmatic, policy, and management goals of the Agency. It also provides the framework for the Agency's Annual Performance Plan and the management plans developed by each office and directorate. FEMA's mission is translated into action and results through its people. Whether assisting a family recovering from a disaster, helping a community become more disaster resistant, or partnering with the Nation's largest public and private institutions, FEMA's people are guided by the Core Values they have chosen for themselves. These Core Values define how FEMA's people will treat each other, their customers, and their partners as they work together to build A Nation Prepared."

This U. S. Department of Homeland Security Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2008-2013 discusses the department's vision, strategy and goals for the coming years listed. The following is taken from the report: "The 2008 Strategic Plan serves to focus the Department's mission and sharpen operational effectiveness, particularly in delivering services in support of Department-wide initiatives and the other mission goals. It identifies the goals and objectives by which we continually assess our performance. The Department uses performance measures at all levels to monitor our strategic progress and program success. This process also keeps the Department's priorities aligned, linking programs and operations to performance measures, mission goals, resource priorities, and strategic objectives. Faced with the challenge of strengthening the components to function as a unified Department, DHS must coordinate centralized, integrated activities across components that are distinct in their missions and operations. Thus, sound and cohesive management is the key to Department-wide and component-level strategic goals. We seek to harmonize our efforts as we work diligently to accomplish our mission each and every day."

The 2010 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) Report outlines "the strategic framework to guide the activities of participants in homeland security toward a common end. With respect to DHS [Department of Homeland Security] specifically, the QHSR has led directly to an examination of DHS's own activities from the bottom up in order to make recommendations regarding programs, assets, and capabilities, as well as policies, authorities, and organizational effectiveness, in its fiscal year 2012 budget submission. Thus, the QHSR will be followed by subsequent submissions to Congress that address programmatic, budgetary, and organizational alignment as called for by statute. The QHSR sets the stage by describing the breadth and depth of an enterprise-wide approach to homeland security." The report gives a brief overview of the security environment, defines and frames homeland security, and gives an overview of the missions, goals, and objectives of homeland security. These missions are: Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Security, Securing and Managing Our Borders, Enforcing and Administering Our Immigration Laws, Safeguarding and Security Cyberspace, and Ensuring Resilience to Disasters.

"The National Strategy for Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Act of 2002 served to mobilize and organize our nation to secure the homeland from terrorist attacks. This is an exceedingly complex mission that requires coordinated and focused effort from our entire society. To this end, the Department of Homeland Security was established to provide the unifying core of the vast national network of organizations and institutions involved in efforts to secure our homeland. Our first priority is to prevent further terrorist attacks within the United States. To reduce vulnerability without diminishing economic security, we gather intelligence and analyze threats, guard our nation's borders and airports, protect our critical infrastructure and coordinate response to the American people during times of disaster."

"This ASPR Strategic Plan represents the culmination of a six-month strategic planning process. Our goal is to provide direction for the entire ASPR Office over the next five years. This is a dynamic document, but it is built on a lasting foundation; our mission, vision, and core values. Our strategy map and portfolio of strategic measures and initiatives are evolving to meet the needs of a public health emergency and medical response environment that continues to change. Our path forward will be guided by this strategy, but our success will be driven by the people who make up the ASPR organization. I would like to thank ASPR's team of exceptional professionals for their commitment and hard work to date in meeting ASPR's mission, and for the leadership and vision they contributed to this Plan, It is these individuals, working with our partners and colleagues in public health emergency preparedness and response, who will determine the Plan's success."

"At DHS, we believe that cyberspace can be secure and resilient. We work every day across the Department and with key partners and stakeholders to identify and manage national cybersecurity risks. We do this by adopting a holistic risk management approach. [...] At the same time, we seek to reduce cyber threats by preventing and disrupting cyber crimes, and to lessen the consequences of cyber incidents by ensuring an effective federal response when appropriate. Finally, we work to create conditions for more effective cyber risk management through efforts to make the cyber ecosystem more fundamentally secure and resilient. This strategy sets forth our goals, objectives, and priorities to successfully execute the full range of the Secretary of Homeland Security's cybersecurity responsibilities. This strategy provides the Department with a framework to execute our cybersecurity responsibilities during the next five years to keep pace with the evolving cyber risk landscape by reducing vulnerabilities and building resilience; countering malicious actors in cyberspace; responding to incidents; and making the cyber ecosystem more secure and resilient."

"Air Domain awareness is the effective understanding of threats associated with the Air Domain that could impact the security, safety, or economy of the United States. Achieving such understanding requires close coordination across the United States Government to better integrate intelligence, information, and surveillance data, and analysis related to the Air Domain to facilitate a shared situational awareness across Federal, State, local, and tribal governments and private entities and foreign partners that have aviation security responsibilities. This Air Domain awareness supports a multitude of users across the full spectrum of aviation security and defense activities, including the prevention, response, and recovery activities described in the Aviation Transportation System Security, Aviation Operational Threat Response, and Aviation Transportation System Recovery plans. […] This Plan is an overarching U.S. Government plan that supports and enables the successful execution of the aviation security plans developed pursuant to NSPD-47/HSPD-16. This Plan serves to enhance the U.S. Government's capacity to possess effective knowledge of the threats to the United States and U.S. interests in the Air Domain, including the ability to detect and collect information on aviation threats, integrate and analyze that data in conjunction with associated intelligence information, and disseminate the resulting understanding to deter, prevent, and respond to attacks on the United States or its interests."

"The Aviation Operational Threat Response Plan (Plan) directs the coordination, as appropriate, of the United States Government operational response to terrorist, criminal, and hostile state threats to, or attacks against, the United States and its interests in the Air Domain. This Plan is part of an active, layered, aviation security and defense in-depth. This Plan enhances our existing capabilities by directing the coordination, collaboration, and integration of United States Government national-level agency command centers, which includes for the purposes of this plan, operations centers. It enhances our capability to achieve coordinated, unified, timely, and effective planning and mission accomplishment to counter those threats that require immediate aviation response actions. This Plan supports the strategic objectives listed in NSPD-47/HSPD-16. To execute the coordination requirements and response activities more effectively, this Plan directs lead and supporting Federal department and agency roles and responsibilities based on the following criteria: existing law, desired United States Government outcome, greatest potential impact of the threat, the response capabilities required, assets on-scene, and authority to act. This Plan directs immediate actions, generally short duration in nature, to counter the full range of airborne and ground-based aviation security threats. These threats include, but are not limited to, those identified in NSPD-47/HSPD-16: attacks using aircraft as weapons against ground-based targets; attacks against aircraft, including hijacking and air piracy; attacks using standoff weapons, including Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) or weapons of mass destruction (WMD); and attacks against Aviation Transportation System (ATS) infrastructure."

"The United States Government responded to the attacks of September 11, 2001, with an unambiguous, comprehensive increase in measures to enhance aviation security. Significant improvements were made to existing security methodologies, operations, and technologies through the creation of systems of security in each area of the Aviation Transportation System. The United States Government established a scalable, flexible aviation security system that is responsive to varying threat levels and to the range of current and future threats to the United States and effectively reduced vulnerabilities within the Aviation Transportation System. Greater scrutiny has been paid to individuals in the aviation system from pilots and crew to passengers and workers on the airside. Significant enhancements were made in the ability to detect threat objects and explosives that could be brought on or otherwise used against aircraft, and increases in the security posture of the entire Air Domain were made. […] The Aviation Transportation System Security Plan (Plan) continues, expands, and enhances efforts to further reduce vulnerabilities in all critical system areas. This Plan directs aggressive efforts to: (1) ensure that anyone entering or using the Aviation Transportation System has been identified and vetted or screened; (2) ensure the United States Government is taking all reasonable measures to detect and prevent the use of weapons against elements of the Air Domain, or to use the Aviation Transportation System to transport, become a weapon, or serve as a means of dispersal of weapons including Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, or High-Yield Explosives (CBRNE)2, as well as liquid explosives; and (3) harden the critical elements of the Aviation Transportation System infrastructure against other forms of attack, such as Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) and stand-off weapons or cyber attack."

"The United States Government responded to the attacks of September 11, 2001, with an unambiguous, comprehensive increase in measures to enhance aviation security. It was quickly apparent that the active, layered aviation security and defense in-depth, which was the ultimate goal, would rely to a great degree on participation by aviation security partners at the State, local, and tribal levels, as well as within the Federal and private sectors. While there have been efforts to-date to inform and gain support from these organizations to achieve aviation security goals, the Domestic Outreach Plan provides strategic level guidance that will synchronize these efforts. In addition to the primary objective of providing a plan for conducting outreach to implement the other plans developed pursuant to NSPD-47/HSPD-16 more effectively, this plan also provides guidance for outreach in the event of a threat to or attack on the United States or another incident that disrupts in the Aviation Transportation System. The recently established Aviation Government Coordinating Council (AGCC) and Aviation Sector Coordinating Council (ASCC) will be responsible for conducting outreach during the implementation process of the National Strategy for Aviation Security (National Strategy) and its supporting plans. In order to ensure that all appropriate stakeholders are involved as the plans move toward implementation, it will be important to use the AGCC and ASCC as fora for coordination. The Plan outlines a framework for incident communications during a potential threat or after an attack on the United States or another incident that disrupts the Aviation Transportation System. This plan provides guidance for communications during aviation incidents for which major elements of the National Response Plan (NRP) are not activated."

"The support of allies around the world is vital to the security of the nation, as events beyond our borders have an undeniable impact on United States' interests. These facts resonated loudly following the attacks of September 11, 2001 and in the wake of the foiled August 2006 plot against U.S.-bound flights departing from the United Kingdom. In accordance with NSPD-47/HSPD-16, the Secretary of State shall lead coordination of the United States' international outreach efforts to secure the Air Domain. The International Outreach Plan (Plan) sets forth a strategy to promote close cooperation with foreign partners, international and regional organizations, and the private sector to solicit international support for an improved global aviation security framework. This Plan advances the policies set forth by President Bush and will help to accomplish the President's vision of a fully coordinated United States Government effort to protect our interests in the Air Domain."

"The security and economic prosperity of the United States depend significantly upon the secure operation of its aviation system and use of the world's airspace by the Nation, its international partners, and legitimate commercial interests. Terrorists, criminals, and hostile nation-states have long viewed aviation as a target for attack and exploitation. The tragic events of September 11, 2001 and the Heathrow plot of August 2006 are telling reminders of the threats facing aviation and the intent and capabilities of adversaries that mean to do harm to the United States and its people. In June 2006, building upon the Administration's successful efforts since 9/11, the President directed the development of a comprehensive National Strategy for Aviation Security (hereafter referred to as 'the Strategy') to protect the Nation and its interests from threats in the Air Domain. The Secretary of Homeland Security, in accordance with National Security Presidential Directive 47/Homeland Security Presidential Directive 16 (NSPD-47/HSPD-16), will coordinate the operational implementation of the Strategy, including the integration and synchronization of related Federal programs and initiatives. […] Through a collaborative interagency effort and with input from aviation stakeholders, seven supporting plans will be developed to address the specific threats and challenges identified in NSPD-47/HSPD-16. Although the plans will address different aspects of aviation security, they will be mutually linked and reinforce each other. The supporting plans are: Aviation Transportation System Security Plan, Aviation Operational Threat Response Plan, Aviation Transportation System Recovery Plan, Air Domain Surveillance and Intelligence Integration Plan, International Aviation Threat Reduction Plan, Domestic Outreach Plan, and International Outreach Plan."

"The 2012-2016 Strategic Plan supports national-level strategies, such as the President's Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime and the National Drug Control Strategy; departmental strategies, in particular the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review; and CBP-wide [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] planning and integration efforts. The Strategic Plan uses a risk-based approach to securing the border; focusing enhanced capabilities against the highest threats and rapidly responding along the border. It involves a set of objectives, strategies, and programs that use 'Information, Integration and Rapid Response' to develop and deploy new and better tactics, techniques, and procedures to achieve the Border Patrol's strategic objectives. It means being more effective and efficient by using tools and methods like change-detection techniques to mitigate risks. It also means continued integration within CBP and working with Federal, state, local, tribal, and international partners. The Strategic Plan has two interrelated and interdependent goals. In the first goal, the Border Patrol will work with its Federal, state, local, tribal, and international partners to secure the border using 'Information, Integration and Rapid Response' in a risk-based manner. 'Information' provides situational awareness and intelligence developed by blending things such as reconnaissance, sign-cutting and tracking, and technology to understand the threats faced along the Nation's borders. 'Integration' denotes CBP corporate planning and execution of border-security operations while leveraging partnerships with other Federal, state, local, tribal, and international organizations. 'Rapid Response' means the Border Patrol and its partners can respond quickly and appropriately to changing threats. The second goal of the Strategic Plan represents an investment in people and organizational capabilities. This means improving the skills and abilities of personnel, optimizing organizational structures and processes, and becoming a more mature and sophisticated law enforcement organization."

"The National Border Patrol Strategy has an ambitious goal: operational control of our nations border, and particularly our borders with Mexico and Canada. This is a goal vital to our national security. The new National Strategy embraces and builds upon many elements of Operations Gatekeeper and Hold the Line; however, it goes beyond the deterrence strategy embodied in those operations and it is more than a strategy just for the southwest border. The Border Patrols new Strategy consists of six core elements: (1) securing the right combination of personnel, technology and infrastructure; (2) improving mobility and rapid deployment to quickly counter and interdict based on shifts in smuggling routes and tactical intelligence; (3) deploying defense-in-depth that makes full use of interior checkpoints and enforcement operations calculated to deny successful migration; (4) coordinating and partnering with other law enforcement agencies to achieve our goals; (5) improving border awareness and intelligence; and (6) strengthening the Headquarters command structure. Achieving the new Border Patrol Strategy requires having the right combination of highly trained and well-equipped Border Patrol agents, integrated detection and sensor technology and air and marine assets, and strategically placed tactical infrastructure."

"Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) operating on both sides of the United States and Canada border are exploiting the international boundary to move proceeds from illegal drugs sold in the United States and Canada and to transport drugs such as marijuana, Ecstasy, meth, and cocaine between the two countries. The border is the longest border between two countries in the world, spanning 5, 225 miles. The United States and Canada recognize that the threat from TCOs is a threat to regional security and stability of both countries. To increase each country's individual security and economic vitality, the United States and Canada must appropriately plan, train, and act together to address threats at the earliest point possible and work toward optimizing joint border management goals. On February 4, 2011, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper articulated this understanding of shared responsibility for our security in Beyond the Border: A Joint Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness (BTB) which, among other things, confirms that the United States and Canada are 'staunch allies, vital economic partners, and steadfast friends.' BTB identifies four key areas of cooperation through which Canada and the United States can 'pursue a perimeter approach to security, working together within, at, and away from the borders of our two countries.' The key areas of cooperation are: Addressing Threats Early; Trade Facilitation, Economic Growth, and Jobs; Integrated Cross-border Law Enforcement; and Critical Infrastructure and Cybersecurity. Through integrated cross-border law enforcement, the United States and Canada will build upon existing relationships, programs, and policies; seek further opportunities to pursue national security by disrupting transnational criminal organizations; and improve our information sharing, allowing us to use our resources more efficiently and effectively to curb the flow of illegal narcotics and money across the Northern border. This document, the 2012 National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy (Strategy), articulates the U.S.framework for the ongoing efforts to reduce the threats on both sides of the border […]."

"The National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy (Strategy) sets forth the Administration's plan to prevent the illegal trafficking of drugs across the U.S.-Canada border. This Strategy was mandated by the U.S. Congress in the Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act of 2010. This document builds upon the understanding of shared responsibility articulated in Beyond the Border: A Joint Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness (Beyond the Border). Undertaken by President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2011, this agreement acknowledges the unique relationship shared by the United States and Canada, which share a 5,225-mile border that is the longest in the world between two countries. […] Beyond the Border identifies four key areas of cooperation through which Canada and the United States can pursue a perimeter approach to security, working together within, at, and away from the borders of our two countries. The key areas of cooperation are: Addressing Threats Early; Trade Facilitation, Economic Growth, and Jobs; Integrated Cross-border Law Enforcement; and Critical Infrastructure and Cybersecurity. Through integrated cross-border law enforcement, the United States and Canada are building upon existing relationships, programs, and policies; seeking further opportunities to pursue national security by disrupting TCOs; and improving our information sharing, allowing us to use our resources more efficiently and effectively to curb the flow of illegal narcotics and money across the Northern border."

This document is the June 2009 updated U.S. National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy from the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy. "The original National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy was published in 2007 and focused primarily on what the entities of the U.S. Federal Government could do to prevent the illegal trafficking of drugs across the border with Mexico. In the time since, Mexican President Felipe Calderon has embarked on a courageous campaign to break the power of the drug cartels operating in his country. Through the Merida Initiative, the United States is supporting Mexico's efforts and helping to strengthen law enforcement and judicial capacities in the region. As the cartels battle the Mexican Government and one another, we have seen significant disruptions in the availability of such drugs as cocaine and methamphetamine in U.S. markets. There has also been a significant increase in violence within Mexico, making the need for a revised National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy all the more important as part of a comprehensive national response. As a result of the changing situation on the border, the 2009 National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy has expanded its focus beyond stemming the inbound flow of illegal drugs from Mexico. It also recognizes the role that the outbound flow of illegal cash and weapons plays in sustaining the cartels and addresses this threat in two dedicated chapters. The strategy also is the result of an expanded consultation process, including more thorough coordination with Congress, State and local authorities, and the Government of Mexico."

"Illicit trafficking across the Southwest border continues to be a chronic threat to our Nation and one of the top homeland security priorities for the United States. Transnational criminal organizations in Mexico dominate the illegal drug supply chain, taking ownership of drug shipments after they depart South America and overseeing their transportation to market and distribution throughout the United States. It is estimated that approximately 90 percent of the cocaine that is destined for U.S. markets transits the Mexico/Central America corridor. Mexico is the primary foreign source of marijuana and methamphetamine destined for U.S. markets and is also a source and transit country for heroin. Transnational criminal organizations based in Mexico dominate the U.S. drug trade--not just in border areas, but throughout much of the Nation. These organizations also control the south-bound flow of drug-related bulk currency and illegal weapons."

"The United States, at the local, state, tribal, and Federal levels, has made a concerted effort to enhance, expand, and codify multiple measures designed to address the serious threats posed by illicit drug trafficking across the Southwest border and violence in Mexico Despite many successes, improved cooperation, coordination, unity of effort, and information sharing, illicit drug trafficking continues to be a multi-faceted threat to our national security which requires additional focus and effort Transnational criminal organizations based in Mexico with world-wide international connections continue to dominate the illegal drug supply chain and are continuing to expand their illegal activities throughout the United States Indeed, 90 to 95 percent of all cocaine that enters the United States continues to pass through the Mexico/Central America corridor from the cocaine source countries further south Mexico remains the primary foreign source of marijuana and methamphetamine destined for U S markets and is also a source and transit country for heroin The same organizations that traffic in drugs also control the south-bound flow of drug-related bulk currency and illegal weapons The smuggling and illegal export of weapons from the United States into Mexico is a threat to the overall safety and security of both countries and continues to fuel violence along the Southwest border and in the interior of Mexico Indeed, weapons smuggled into Mexico often end up in the hands of the Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) or other smuggling organizations where they can be employed against law enforcement officers and citizens in either country On its northern border with the United States, Mexico experienced a dramatic surge in border crime and violence in recent years due to intense competition between Mexican TCOs that employ predatory tactics to realize their profits."

"The U.S.-Canada border is the longest common border in the world, and it joins two nations that enjoy one of the world's strongest relationships. With communities and businesses that reach both sides of the border, the economies and security of the United States and Canada are inextricably linked. DHS is focused on securing the U.S. northern border while expediting the flow of lawful travel, trade, and immigration. Cross-border communities contain significant populations that commute across the border every day and whose water or electrical power comes from the other country. Recognizing the cross-border nature of infrastructure and commerce is critical to DHS's ability to effectively manage the northern border. This 2012 'DHS Northern Border Strategy (NBS)' takes a Department-wide look at the northern border, considering all of DHS's authorities, responsibilities, and capabilities in developing a cross-cutting all-missions approach. The Department's three goals for the Northern Border are: 1. Deter and Prevent Terrorism, Smuggling, Trafficking, and Illegal Immigration; 2. Safeguard and Encourage the Efficient Flow of Lawful Trade and Travel; 3. Ensure Community Safety and Resiliency Before, During, and After Terrorist Attacks and Natural Disasters. To achieve these Goals, DHS will utilize five key means and methods: A. Partnerships; B. Information, Intelligence, Interdictions, and Investigations; C. Technology; D. Infrastructure; E. Personnel."

"This FY 2005-2010 Strategic Plan sets out a vision for CBP. It delineates the strategic goals and objectives that CBP must achieve to be successful at carrying out its extraordinarily important mission while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel through our ports of entry." The Strategic plan consists of six goals; preventing terrorism at ports of entry; preventing terrorism between ports of entry; unifying as one border agency; facilitating legitimate trade and travel; protecting America and its citizens; and modernizing and managing. Each of these goals are detailed in the report. Also included is the strategic planning process, the threat and vulnerability and a series of appendices concerning the coordination with other agencies and the private sector, linking with business results and looking to the future.

"A number of factors have significantly influenced the content of this strategic plan. CBP [Customs and Border Protection] is the Nation's frontline border agency with the dual mission of securing the Nation's borders while facilitating legitimate trade and travel. This requires protecting the Nation against cross-border violations that threaten national security, the economy, and public safety. CBP must remain vigilant in addressing these challenges and threats. CBP faces the challenge of countering criminal and terrorist exploitation of international passenger and commercial cargo transportation systems at 327 official air, land, and sea ports of entry (POEs). CBP must also prevent the illegal flow of people and contraband across approximately 7,000 miles of land border and, in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, approximately 95,000 miles of shoreline."

"CBP's [Customs and Border Protection] cybersecurity challenge requires the right mix of technology, workforce resources, and procedures to improve its cyber defenses without impacting the operational speed and agility CBP requires to defend the Nation's borders. This strategy provides a framework for CBP to tackle this challenge head on by defining a vision for cybersecurity that provides objectives and initiatives that protects CBP's networks from outside attacks. The strategy also recognizes that each CBP mission area may require unique cybersecurity capabilities, but achieving a strong security baseline requires coordination and recognition that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility of all CBP employees. To that end, CBP has identified three strategic cybersecurity goals: [1.] Protect the CBP mission and people by integrating cybersecurity into the organization: CBP has a responsibility to ensure that cybersecurity measures are integrated throughout all of its mission areas through effective governance policies and procedures. [2.] Build a strong cybersecurity foundation and work toward sustainable mission integrity: CBP must achieve a proactive and vigilant cybersecurity posture, ready to quickly respond and recover from a cyber incident so that cyber attacks do not compromise CBP's ability to perform its mission. [3.] Develop and support a skilled workforce: Recruiting, developing, and retaining a cybersecurity workforce that is equipped to work with new technologies and address emerging threats is vital to protect CBP's ability to execute its mission."

"The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Vision and Strategy 2020 firmly establishes CBP's role as the national leader in safeguarding our borders and promoting economic prosperity. The strategy provides the foundation for a transformative course that will enhance CBP's foresight and agility to meet the increasingly global and complex challenges we face. While we continue to combat the threats of terrorism and transnational crime, safeguarding our economy by enabling lawful trade and travel remains an integral facet of our leadership role in national security. This balance between law enforcement and enhancing economic competitiveness requires a comprehensive understanding of all border threats and potential consequences; the establishment of a network of intelligence and law enforcement capabilities; and complete appreciation of our commercial partners' needs and operating protocols. CBP's innovative approaches to intelligence and targeting must anticipate and counter criminal networks that engage in diverse conspiracies that include terrorism, the importation of counterfeit or unsafe goods, drug smuggling, human smuggling and trafficking, as well as the outbound transfer of prohibited weapons and illicit bulk currency. CBP must continue its leadership role in integrating risk-informed, intelligence-based, agile and adoptable operations to advance public safety, national security, and economic prosperity. The border is a nexus to a continuum of activities that threaten the national interests of both security and prosperity. In response, CBP will lead collaborative efforts that apply multi-directional pressure on those seeking to do us harm; outside the U.S. borders, at the border, and into interior regions of the country."

"The Banking and Finance Sector accounts for more than 8 percent of the U.S. annual gross domestic product and is the backbone for the world economy. As direct attacks and public statements by terrorist organizations demonstrate, the sector is a high-value and symbolic target. Additionally, large-scale power outages, recent natural disasters, and a possible flu pandemic demonstrate the wide range of potential threats facing the sector. With this understanding, financial regulators and private sector owners and operators work collaboratively to maintain a high degree of resilience in the face of a myriad of potential disasters, be they intentional or unintentional, manmade or natural. This collaboration has led to a comprehensive framework for a strong public-private sector partnership. This partnership has developed several programs that currently provide protection and crisis management, which are continuously improving. Working through this public-private partnership, the Department of the Treasury, as the Sector-Specific Agency (SSA) for the Banking and Finance Sector, has developed this Sector-Specific Plan (SSP) in close collaboration with the Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee (FBIIC) and the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security (FSSCC). This SSP, along with the SSPs from the 16 other critical infrastructures identified in Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7), are part of the overall National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP). This SSP contains the Banking and Finance Sector's strategy for working collaboratively with public and private sector partners to identify, prioritize, and coordinate the protection of critical infrastructure. This SSP also summarizes the extensive activities the sector has undertaken already to reduce vulnerabilities and share information."

"We are writing to transmit the Banking and Finance Sector-Specific Plan (SSP), which was prepared and approved in 2010. The U.S. Department of the Treasury, as the Sector-Specific Agency for the Banking and Finance Sector, developed this SSP through close collaboration with the members of the Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee (FBIIC) and with the private sector members of the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security (FSSCC). Collectively, input was received from over 100 organizations representing all aspects of the sector. The Banking and Finance Sector is large in both the number of assets and the number of individual businesses. […] Collectively, these organizations form the backbone of the Nation's economy and a vital component of the global economy. They are tied together through a network of electronic systems with innumerable entry points. A successful attack on these systems would have detrimental effects on the entire economy. To help manage this risk, the Department of the Treasury and its government and private sector partners have developed this Banking and Finance SSP. The Banking and Finance SSP provides the unifying structure for the integration of sector protection efforts into a single national program to help achieve the goal of a safe, secure, and resilient America through enhanced protection of the Nation's critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR). As an annex to the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), the Banking and Finance SSP describes how the NIPP risk management framework is being implemented in and integrated across the Banking and Finance Sector. This release of the 2010 Banking and Finance SSP reflects the maturation of the sector partnership and the progress of the sector programs first outlined in the 2007 SSP."

"The Chemical Sector-Specific Plan provides the unifying structure for the integration of Chemical Sector protection efforts into a single national program to help achieve the goal of a safe, secure, and resilient America through enhanced protection of the Nation's critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR). As an annex to the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), the Chemical Sector-Specific Plan describes how the NIPP risk management framework is being implemented in and integrated with both the voluntary programs already underway in the Chemical Sector and the promulgated regulatory standards for chemical facility security."

In the context of this report, NIPP stands for National Infrastructure Protection Plan. From the Executive Summary: "The Chemical Sector converts raw materials into more than 70,000 diverse products and is a major component of the U.S. economy, contributing approximately 25 percent of the Nation's gross domestic product (GDP). The Chemical Sector employs nearly 800,000 workers who manufacture, store, and transport chemicals to customers in multiple critical infrastructure sectors. About 96 percent of U.S. goods in 2013 were manufactured using Chemical Sector products, making uninterrupted chemical production and transportation essential for national and economic security. […] The majority of chemical manufacturing, transportation, storage, and warehousing facilities are privately owned and operated. Because of their potential health and safety hazards, chemicals must be carefully managed from manufacturing to end use in research, pharmaceutical, agricultural, petrochemical, and water treatment applications, to name a few. With facilities, suppliers, and end users located around the globe, Chemical Sector operations are vulnerable to a variety of disruptions stemming from natural disasters, extreme weather, cyberattacks, biohazards, and pandemics. Local or regional disruptions to critical suppliers can cause cascading disruptions across geographic regions and in multiple industries. Owners and operators should secure their products from theft and diversion for use in chemical or explosive weapons. The Chemical Sector now faces increasingly sophisticated cyber adversaries and a growing concern among operators of insider threats. Owners and operators also find it difficult to accurately characterize the likelihood of known threats to a specific facility, making it difficult to prioritize security measures."

"The Commercial Facilities (CF) Sector is widely diverse in both scope and function. A dominant influence on the Nation's economy, this sector includes retail centers, hotels, casinos, theme parks, motion picture production studios, office and apartment buildings, convention centers, sports stadiums, and other sites where large numbers of people congregate to pursue business activities, conduct personal commercial transactions, and enjoy recreational pastimes and accommodations. The sector is composed primarily of privately owned facilities that operate on the principle of open public access, meaning the public may move freely throughout these facilities without the deterrent of highly visible security barriers. Each owner and operator has distinct assets, operational processes, business environments, and risk management approaches that vary across all business lines because of the considerable diversity in their objectives. These characteristics require an integrated and comprehensive approach to protecting critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) in the sector. The CF Sector-Specific Plan (SSP) complements the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) by developing efforts to improve the protection of the CF Sector in an all-hazards environment. This SSP describes the processes used to identify, assess, and protect CIKR; and the plans to implement these processes and measure effectiveness. The SSP also helps define the partnership between the Commercial Facilities Sector-Specific Agency (CF SSA), other SSAs, and those additional partners protecting the sector through implementation of risk mitigation activities."

In the context of this report, NIPP stands for National Infrastructure Protection Plan. From the Executive Summary: "The Commercial Facilities (CF) Sector is made up of an extremely diverse range of sites and assets where large numbers of people congregate daily to conduct business, purchase retail products, and enjoy recreational events and accommodations. Given the national and international visibility and potential human and economic consequences associated with commercial facilities, it is important for the Federal Government and the CF Sector to work together to ensure the protection of our Nation's prominent business centers and gathering places. The majority of CF Sector facilities are privately owned, operate with minimal regulations, and house the business activities and commercial transactions that dominate the U.S. economy. The sector is divided into eight subsectors-Entertainment and Media, Gaming, Lodging, Outdoor Events, Public Assembly, Real Estate, Retail, and Sports Leagues-to facilitate coordination among facilities with similar functions, operations, and security issues. The Retail Subsector is further divided into two councils: the Shopping Center Subsector Council, which includes mall developers, and the Council of Retailers, which includes stores within malls and standalone retail establishments. While diverse, CF stakeholders, facing common existing and developing risks, must balance security priorities with their need for open access, public confidence, and economic vitality. Natural disasters, armed attacker and terrorist threats, pandemics, theft, supply chain, and geopolitical disruptions are persistent risks to the CF Sector. Risks associated with cyberattacks continue to grow, as CF Sector reliance on cyber systems, such as for online financial transactions and building management, rises. The use of social media has facilitated increasingly coordinated protest activities and has also allowed terrorist organizations to solicit support."

"This Communications Sector-Specific Plan (CSSP) is an update to the sector's 2010 Sector-Specific Plan (SSP) in accordance with the 'National Infrastructure Protection Plan 2013: Partnering for Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience' (NIPP 2013). The NIPP 2013 establishes a set of broad critical infrastructure security and resilience national goals, which the sector-specific priorities and planned activities outlined in this CSSP support. This update tailors the strategic guidance provided in the NIPP 2013 to the unique operating conditions and risk landscape of the Communications Sector."

"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Communications System (NCS) serves as the Sector-Specific Agency for the Communications Sector. Private sector owners and operators have enjoyed a close working relationship with NCS since its inception in 1963. NCS and its partners coordinate the development and the implementation of the Communications Sector-Specific Plan (CSSP) to reduce risk across the Communications Sector. The CSSP is intended to ensure that the Communications Sector effectively coordinates with sector partners, other sectors, and DHS to enhance protection and resilience in an all-hazards environment. The CSSP presents a vision of how the Communications Sector will manage risk utilizing both public and private resources, how partners will implement programs and practices to achieve sector goals, and how the sector will measure the success of protective activities. The CSSP is the result of close collaboration among NCS, the Communications Sector Coordinating Council, and the Communications Government Coordinating Council. It provides a framework through which industry and government partners can develop a coordinated protection strategy." This Sector-Specific Plan is an update to the 2007 plan, providing a summary of accomplishments since its initial publication and a framework for the future.

"The Critical Manufacturing Sector includes the manufacturing industries that are the most crucial for the continuity of other critical sectors and have significant national economic implications. Manufacturers in the sector process raw materials and primary metals; produce engines, turbines, and power transmission equipment; produce electrical equipment and components; and manufacture cars, trucks, commercial ships, aircraft, rail cars, and their supporting components. A failure or disruption in the Critical Manufacturing Sector could result in cascading disruptions to other critical infrastructure sectors in multiple regions."

"The Critical Manufacturing Sector was established by DHS [Department of Homeland Security] in 2008; this document represents the original Critical Manufacturing SSP [Sector-Specific Plan]. The SSP provides the unifying structure for the integration of sector protection efforts into a single national program to help achieve the goal of safer, more resilient infrastructure. As an annex to the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), the Critical Manufacturing SSP describes how the NIPP risk management framework-the six-step process for managing the risks associated with protecting the Nation's critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR)-is being implemented and integrated with voluntary programs already underway in the sector."

"The National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) provides the unifying structure for the integration of critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) protection and resilience efforts as part of a coordinated national program. The NIPP provides the overarching framework for integrating protective programs and activities underway in the various sectors, as well as new and developing CIKR protection efforts. Sector-Specific Plans detail the application of the overall risk management framework to each of the 18 specific sectors. The Dams Sector-Specific Plan (DSSP) was developed to complement the NIPP in achieving a safer, more secure, and more resilient Dams Sector by reducing vulnerabilities, deterring threats, and minimizing the consequences of terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and other incidents. Each year, the Dams Sector CIKR Protection Annual Report provides detailed updates on the efforts conducted by sector partners to identify, prioritize, and coordinate the protection of the sector's critical infrastructure. The Sector Annual Report describes the current priorities of the sector as well as the progress made during the past year in following the plans and strategies set out in the DSSP. This 2010 release of the DSSP updates the original plan issued in May 2007. As with the original plan, this document was developed through active collaboration and coordination with Dams Sector partners. This plan, and the public-private partnership that it represents, supports the Nation's all-hazards approach to homeland security preparedness and domestic incident management."

In the context of this report, NIPP stands for National Infrastructure Protection Plan. From the Executive Summary: "The Dams Sector delivers critical water retention and control services in the United States, including hydroelectric power generation, municipal and industrial water supplies, agricultural irrigation, sediment and flood control, river navigation for inland bulk shipping, industrial waste management, and recreation. Its key services support multiple critical infrastructure sectors and industries. Dams Sector assets irrigate at least 10 percent of U.S. cropland, help protect more than 43 percent of the U.S. population from flooding, and generate about 60 percent of electricity in the Pacific Northwest. The Dams Sector's significant economic and public safety benefits are countered by the magnitude of potential consequences associated with the failure, damage, or disruption of critical assets. […] Sector assets include dam projects, hydropower plants, navigation locks, levees, dikes, hurricane barriers, mine tailings, and other industrial waste impoundments. A large and diverse set of public and private entities own and operate these facilities under highly distributed regulatory oversight from Federal, State, and local entities. The National Inventory of Dams lists more than 87,000 dams, of which the private sector owns about 65 percent and State or local entities own about 31 percent. Individual State dam safety programs permit, inspect, and regulate about 80 percent of U.S. dams. The Federal Government owns and self-regulates only 4 percent of dams, yet these dams account for 80 percent of the largest and highest-consequence U.S. dams. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversees all navigation locks and about 10 percent of U.S. levees."

"This Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Sector-Specific Plan (SSP), developed in collaboration with industry and government security partners, provides sector-level critical infrastructure and key resources (CI/KR) protection guidance. The DIB SSP outlines the Department of Defense (DoD) approach to executing Sector-Specific Agency (SSA) responsibilities assigned by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7), Critical Infrastructure Identification, Prioritization, and Protection, December 17, 2003, and follows the 2006 CI/KR Protection SSP Guidance established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It complements other DoD critical infrastructure policy. This section describes the DIB Sector and the taxonomy used to classify the DIB products and services. It identifies security partners in government and the private sector, and discusses their roles and responsibilities. The section includes the DIB Sector's goals and desired long-term security posture and provides a value proposition for security partners. This section discusses the information parameters, requirements, and methodologies that DoD and the DIB owners/operators use to identify their assets, systems, networks, and critical functionality. The section focuses on the process to identify those assets, systems, networks, and functions that, if damaged, would result in unacceptable consequences to the DoD mission, national economic security, public health and safety, or public confidence."

"The Defense Industrial Base (DIB) is an unmatched element of national power that differentiates the United States from all potential opponents. In 2009, the Secretary of Homeland Security published the updated National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP). The NIPP provides the overarching approach for the nation's critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) protection initiatives as a single integrated national effort. The Department of Defense (DoD) as the Sector-Specific Agency (SSA) for the DIB is responsible for leading the collaborative, coordinated effort to identify, assess, and improve the risk management of critical infrastructure across the DIB with its partners. As Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs, I am pleased to publish our second edition of the DIB Sector-Specific Plan (SSP). The SSP outlines a common vision, goals, and approach in applying risk management activities to the sector. This plan is a product of extensive collaboration across DoD, its interagency partners, and representatives of the private sector, both national and international owners and operators that range from small proprietors to Fortune 500 corporations. The 2010 DIB SSP reflects continued maturation of the relationship between government and private sector DIB partners. […]This plan is a living document that will evolve as the national security environment changes. To this end, the DIB partners are committed to work together to review the plan so that the resulting revisions reflect the highest level of preparedness and readiness for the risk mitigation activities that keep the DIB resilient. Protection of the DIB is paramount to maintain the competitive advantage in executing U.S. national strategy."

"Critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) provide the essential services that support basic elements of American society. Compromise of these CIKR could disrupt key government and industry activities, facilities, and systems, producing cascading effects throughout the Nation's economy and society and profoundly affecting our national prestige and morale. Protection of U.S. CIKR is therefore vital to our Nation's security, economic vitality, and way of life. Because the functional categories of schools and higher education are aligned with the Government Facilities Sector (GFS), the Education Facilities Subsector (EFS) is a GFS subsector under the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) for coordinating infrastructure protection efforts for schools and higher education institutions. The U.S. Department of Education's (ED) Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) serves as the Sector-Specific Agency (SSA) for the subsector under the NIPP, as designated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ED's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. Within ED, OSDFS administers, coordinates, and recommends policy for improving quality and excellence of programs and activities involving student health and safety, including guidance and information on emergency management efforts for schools and higher education institutions. OSDFS supports ED's mission by building school emergency management capacity and resilience at the Federal, State, and local levels. As the EFS SSA, OSDFS provides guidance and information to the education community in relation to infrastructure and security programs and resources for subsector CIKR protection."

"The National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) provides the unifying structure for the integration of critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) protection efforts into a single national program. The NIPP provides an overall framework for integrating programs and activities that are underway in the various sectors, as well as new and developing CIKR protection efforts. The NIPP includes 18 Sector-Specific Plans (SSPs) that detail the application of the overall risk management framework to each specific sector. Each SSP describes a collaborative effort between the private sector; State, local, tribal, and territorial governments; nongovernmental organizations; and the Federal Government. This collaboration will result in the prioritization of protection initiatives and investments within and across sectors to ensure that resources can be applied where they contribute the most to risk mitigation by lowering vulnerabilities, deterring threats, and minimizing the consequences of attacks and other incidents. This document represents the Emergency Services SSP."

In the context of this report, NIPP stands for National Infrastructure Protection Plan. From the Executive Summary: "The Emergency Services Sector (ESS) includes a diverse array of disciplines and capabilities that enables a wide range of prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery services to serve and protect the Nation's critical infrastructure as well as the American public. As its operations provide the first line of defense for nearly all critical infrastructure sectors, a failure or disruption in the ESS could result in significant harm or loss of life, major public health issues, long term economic loss, and cascading disruptions to other critical infrastructure. […] The majority of ESS operations are organized, staffed, and managed at the State, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) level and are therefore highly geographically distributed. The sector's personnel-encompassing law enforcement, fire and rescue services, emergency medical services, emergency management, and public works disciplines-are its most critical assets. With the mission to prepare for and respond to a wide variety of emergencies, the ESS is vulnerable to the same risks those emergencies present to other critical infrastructure. The sector's diversity in organization, mission, and assets makes disabling the entire emergency services system difficult. However, damage or disruption to ESS components can dramatically impede the protection of the public, other critical infrastructure sectors, and disciplines internal to the sector. Given the critical mission of the ESS, risks to its operations and functions could prove disastrous to the safety and morale of the public, the protection of other critical infrastructure sectors, and the safety of its own disciplines. Significant risks to the sector derive from cyberattacks or disruptions; natural disasters and extreme weather; violent extremist and terrorist attacks; and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents."

"The 2015 Energy Sector-Specific Plan (SSP) was developed in accordance with the 'NIPP [National Infrastructure Protection Plan] 2013: Partnering for Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience', which guides the national effort to manage risk to the Nation's critical infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as the Sector-Specific Agency (SSA) for the Energy Sector, led the development of the 2015 Energy SSP in close collaboration with its sector partners. A myriad of Energy Sector partners exist in both private and public sectors in the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) framework, under which the Electricity and Oil and Natural Gas Subsector Coordinating Councils (SCCs) and the Energy Government Coordinating Council (GCC) operate. Energy Sector partners have developed a valuable and increasingly trusted partnership in the past decade, which has been the cornerstone of the Nation's integrated risk management approach to critical infrastructure security and resilience. The Energy Sector is characterized by widely-diverse infrastructure components, a multifaceted operational environment, and complex ownership and regulatory structures. Further, the Energy Sector provides one of the key lifeline-functions upon which all other critical infrastructure sectors rely--the Nation's security and economy depend on it. In turn, the Energy Sector depends on many other critical infrastructure sectors, such as transportation, information technology (IT), communications, water, and financial services. In addition, the sector faces evolving threats and risks, such as natural disaster events, cyber and physical security threats, aging/failing infrastructure, and the potential shortage of a skilled workforce."

"In January 2009, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced completion of the revised version of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), a comprehensive risk management framework that defines critical infrastructure protection (CIP) roles and responsibilities for all levels of government, private industry, and other sector partners. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been designated the Sector-Specific Agency (SSA) for the Energy Sector, and is tasked with coordinating preparation and implementation of an Energy Sector-Specific Plan (SSP) that is an annex to the NIPP. [...] The energy infrastructure provides fuel to the Nation, and in turn depends on the Nation's transportation, information technology, communications, finance, and government infrastructures. The energy systems and networks cross the Nation's borders, making international collaboration a necessary component of the sector's efforts to secure the energy infrastructure. Protecting and improving the resilience of the Electricity and Oil and Natural Gas subsectors in the face of both manmade and natural disasters will be an ongoing effort that requires continued vigilance, contingency planning, and training. The combined sector vision and goals communicate the comprehensive physical and cyber preparedness, protective, and recovery measures that the government and infrastructure owners and operators are working together to achieve for the sector."

"The security and resilience of the Financial Services Sector depends on close collaboration among a broad set of partners, including Financial Services Sector companies; sector trade associations; Federal government agencies; financial regulators; State, local, tribal, and territorial governments; and other government and private sector partners in the U.S. and around the world. These partners seek to reduce the physical and cybersecurity risks that take many forms but, particularly in the case of cybersecurity threats, are becoming increasingly pressing. Responding to a broad set of risks in a complex environment requires a shared and flexible strategic framework to inform decision-making among individual stakeholders, each of whom maintains their own distinct approach to risk management. The 2015 SSP provides an overview of the sector and the risk it faces, establishes a strategic framework that serves as a guide for prioritizing the sector's day-to-day work, and describes the key mechanisms through which the strategic framework is implemented and assessed."

"Protecting the Nation's food and agricultural critical infrastructure is an important responsibility shared by Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial governments and private sector partners. Interruption of operations within the sector could have a potentially devastating impact on the Nation's public health and economy. The security and resilience of infrastructure in the Food and Agriculture (FA) Sector requires all sector partners to undertake a number of integrated processes and procedures. As such, the FA Sector has developed a new set of sector priorities in this updated 2015 SSP [Sector-Specific Plan] that will help guide security and resilience efforts, inform partner decisions, reflect activities to enhance security and resilience, and improve risk management practices over the next four years. The achievement of the corresponding FA Sector goals will not only enhance security and resilience in the sector, but will also help measure the progress towards the NIPP [National Infrastructure Protection Plan] 2013 goals, the JNP1 [Joint National Priorities for Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience], and the National Preparedness Goal."

This Food and Agriculture Sector-Specific Plan (SSP) is an annex to the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) and an update to the 2007 version. "The Food and Agriculture SSP contained herein is a result of over 13 months of collaboration between the private sector, Federal, State, local, tribal and territorial government organizations. This collaboration has resulted in a document which por¬trays the sector's current all-hazards protective posture and resiliency strategies, as well as a forum which illustrates a myriad of initiatives, resources, programs, and tools which can be applied by sector partners to: assist in the identification and implementation of risk mitigation activities; reduce the vulnerability of the food supply; deter threats to the sector; and minimize the consequences from and aid in the development of resiliency strategies to assist the sector in recovering from large-scale incidents."

"The Transportation Systems Sector-Specific Plan (SSP) is the strategic plan for the sector fulfilling the requirements of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7): Critical Infrastructure Identification, Prioritization, and Protection; and the requirements of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (as amended by the 9/11 Commission Act) for the National Strategy for Transportation Security (NSTS). The SSP consists of a base plan and six modal annexes. The modal annexes for mass transit, maritime, and railroads (including freight and passenger rail) also consolidate strategic planning and infrastructure protection requirements. The Transportation Systems SSP describes collaboratively developed strategies to reduce risks to critical transportation infra¬structure from the broad range of known and unknown terrorism threats. These threats span a multitude of scenarios from lone actors with explosives devices to complex and coordinated assaults such as the 9/11 attack or, potentially, attacks involving weapons of mass destruction. The SSP establishes the strategic goals and objectives to be implemented in order to achieve a shared vision of a safe and secure national transportation system and it explains processes and mechanisms to manage sector risks. The 2010 SSP revises the Systems-Based Risk Management process described in the 2007 version of the SSP, and adopts and amplifies the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) framework by describing a process intended to encourage wider participation in risk reduction decisionmaking activities. The main objective of the process is to build a set of programs and initiatives that reduce the sector's most significant risks in an efficient, practical, and cost-effective manner."

"This Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) Sector-Specific Plan (SSP) is designed to guide the Sector's internal and collaborative, cross-sector efforts to enhance the security and resilience of HPH critical infrastructure to all-hazards across its physical, cyber, and human dimensions. The SSP tailors the strategic guidance provided in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan 2013 (NIPP 2013) to the unique operating conditions and risk landscape of the vast and complex HPH Sector."

"The Information Technology (IT) Sector produces and provides high-assurance IT products and services for governments, critical infrastructure sectors, commercial businesses, and private citizens around the globe. Government and industry partnership is critical to creating a continuous risk reduction system across a Sector as large and diverse as the IT Sector. To meet these challenges, effective collaboration among public and private sector partners is imperative to ensure the protection and resilience of IT Sector functions upon which the Sector and Nation depend. With critical infrastructure protection being the primary concern, the IT Sector's vision is 'to achieve a sustained reduction in the impact of incidents on the Sector's critical functions.' Many critical infrastructure Sectors are primarily composed of finite and easily identifiable physical assets. Unlike some other Sectors, the IT Sector is a functions-based Sector that comprises not only physical assets, but also virtual systems and networks that enable key capabilities and services in both the public and private sectors. Six critical functions support the Sector's ability to produce and provide highassurance IT products and services for various Sectors. These functions are required to maintain or reconstitute networks (e.g., the Internet, local networks, and wide area networks) and their associated services."

"During the past year, members of the Information Technology (IT) Government Coordinating Council (GCC) and the IT Sector Coordinating Council (SCC) collaborated to develop the 2010 IT Sector-Specific Plan (SSP). The IT SSP details the progress the IT Sector has made in its national-level risk management efforts, including the completion of the IT Sector Baseline Risk Assessment (ITSRA) in 2009, and discusses how it is using the results of that baseline analysis to inform the sector's critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) protective programs, research and development, and measurement activities. [...] Each year, the IT Sector CIKR Protection Annual Report provides updates on the sector's efforts to identify, prioritize, and coordinate the protection of its critical infrastructure. The Sector Annual Report describes the current priorities of the sector and the progress made during the past year in following the plans and strategies set out in the IT SSP."

"The National Monuments and Icons (NMI) Sector-Specific Plan (SSP) was created to complement the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) in improving protection of the NMI Sector in an all-hazard environment. The NMI SSP promotes a col¬laborative partnership at all levels of government to foster the cooperation necessary to improve the protection of NMI critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR). The NMI SSP is a pathway to identify and prioritize assets, assess risk, implement pro¬tective programs, and measure the effectiveness of protective programs. This document represents the collaborative efforts of our sector partners, all dedicated to the protection and resilience of CIKR assets as it relates to all hazards within the NMI Sector."

The National Strategy for the Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Key Assets establishes a foundation for building and fostering the cooperative environment in which government, industry, and private citizens can carry out their respective protection responsibilities more effectively and efficiently. Moreover, this document identifies a clear set of national goals and objectives and outlines the guiding principles that will underpin the efforts to secure the infrastructures and assets vital to national security, governance, public health and safety, economy, and public confidence.

"On behalf of the Pollinator Health Task Force, we are pleased to transmit the National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators (Strategy). Developed through a collaborative effort across the Executive Branch, this Strategy outlines a comprehensive approach to tackling and reducing the impact of multiple stressors on pollinator health, including pests and pathogens, reduced habitat, lack of nutritional resources, and exposure to pesticides. Building on the current state of the science, and with a renewed emphasis on expanding our understanding of the complex interactions among the various factors impacting pollinator health, the Strategy lays out current and planned Federal actions to achieve the following overarching goals: [•] Honey Bees: Reduce honey bee colony losses during winter (overwintering mortality) to no more than 15% within 10 years. This goal is informed by the previously released Bee Informed Partnership surveys and the newly established quarterly and annual surveys by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service [NASS]. Based on the robust data anticipated from the national, statistically-based NASS surveys of beekeepers, the Task Force will develop baseline data and additional goal metrics for winter, summer, and total annual colony loss. [•] Monarch Butterflies: Increase the Eastern population of the monarch butterfly to 225 million butterflies occupying an area of approximately 15 acres (6 hectares) in the overwintering grounds in Mexico, through domestic/international actions and public-private partnerships, by 2020. [•] Pollinator Habitat Acreage: Restore or enhance 7 million acres of land for pollinators over the next 5 years through Federal actions and public/private partnerships. The Strategy addresses the four themes central to the June 2014 Presidential Memorandum 'Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators,' namely: conducting research to understand, prevent, and recover from pollinator losses; expanding public education programs and outreach; increasing and improving pollinator habitat; and developing public-private partnerships across all these activities. A critical component of the Strategy is to advance the science underpinning the government's land management and regulatory decisions. To this end, the Task Force has prepared the accompanying 'Pollinator Research Action Plan,' which outlines gaps in current knowledge of pollinators and pollinator declines, and identifies priority research efforts needed to close these gaps."

"Our national well-being relies upon secure and resilient critical infrastructure--those assets, systems, and networks that underpin American society. To achieve this security and resilience, critical infrastructure partners must collectively identify priorities, articulate clear goals, mitigate risk, measure progress, and adapt based on feedback and the changing environment. 'NIPP [National Infrastructure Protection Plan] 2013: Partnering for Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience' (hereafter referred to as the 'National Plan'), guides the national effort to manage risk to the Nation's critical infrastructure. The community involved in managing risks to critical infrastructure is wide-ranging, composed of partnerships among owners and operators; Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial governments; regional entities; non-profit organizations; and academia. Managing the risks from significant threat and hazards to physical and cyber critical infrastructure requires an integrated approach across this diverse community to: [1] Identify, deter, detect, disrupt, and prepare for threats and hazards to the Nation's critical infrastructure; [2] Reduce vulnerabilities of critical assets, systems, and networks; and [3] Mitigate the potential consequences to critical infrastructure of incidents or adverse events that do occur. The success of this integrated approach depends on leveraging the full spectrum of capabilities, expertise, and experience across the critical infrastructure community and associated stakeholders. This requires efficient sharing of actionable and relevant information among partners to build situational awareness and enable effective risk-informed decision making."

"Nuclear power reactors generate 20 percent of U.S. electricity, while more than 20,000 licensees use nuclear materials in diagnosis and and medical therapy--an estimated 20 million medical procedures each year in science and biomedical research--for irradiation of food and medical products, and during construction and oil exploration. Accidents, failures, or disruptions in the Nuclear Sector could have severe human health and safety consequences and cascading effects on critical infrastructure sectors that rely on nuclear power or nuclear medicine and industrial uses. Uniquely hazardous characteristics make Nuclear Sector assets the most highly regulated and heavily guarded of all civilian infrastructure."

"Protection of critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) is a necessary component of overall protection of the United States. Terrorist attacks, as well as unintentional manmade accidents and natural disasters, threaten CIKR and, therefore, threaten public health and safety, economic vitality, and the American way of life. As a critical step toward the overarching goal of nationwide CIKR protection, President George W. Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7) in 2003, which called for establishment of a National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) to address critical infrastructure identifica¬tion, prioritization, and protection for all 17 CIKR sectors. HSPD-7 assigned responsibility for coordinating protection of CIKR in each sector to Sector-Specific Agencies (SSAs). The SSA for the Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In DHS, the Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP), Sector-Specific Agency Executive Management Office (SSA EMO) has been assigned SSA responsibilities. […] The 2010 Nuclear SSP [Sector-Specific Plans] builds on the original Nuclear SSP, published in 2007, but reflects the increased emphasis on resilience, all-hazards, and cybersecurity included in the 2009 NIPP. In addition, the 2010 SSP includes a broader array of protective pro¬grams and resiliency strategies compared to the 2007 Nuclear SSP, to include the full spectrum of programs to protect nuclear and radiological materials, as well as nuclear facilities. Preparation of the 2010 Nuclear SSP involved input from a wide range of Nuclear Sector partners, including the membership of the Nuclear Sector Coordinating Council (NSCC) and the Nuclear Government Coordinating Council (NGCC). In accordance with DHS guidance, the Nuclear SSP will be updated annually and reissued every 3 years. The 2010 Nuclear SSP is the first reissue of the Nuclear SSP."

"The State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Government Coordinating Council (SLTTGCC, Council) is a national cross-sector council under the National Infrastructure Protection Plan 2013 (NIPP 2013) partnership structure. Since its designation in 2007 by the Federal Government, the Council has served as the organizational structure to voluntarily coordinate across jurisdictions and disciplines to provide senior-level strategic communications and coordination on State, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) agency security and resilience initiatives, activities, and best practices. This 2015 SLTTGCC Annex to the NIPP 2013 describes SLTT critical infrastructure assets and risks, partnership activities for security and resilience, and Council goals and priorities to guide the community's critical infrastructure efforts over the next four years. The Council's goals and priorities closely align with the NIPP 2013, 2014 Joint National Priorities for Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience, and Executive Order 13636: Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. SLTT critical infrastructure programs are actively implementing a partnership approach to security and resilience; sharing information across the critical infrastructure community; and ensuring coordinated, comprehensive risk management."

"The comprehensive increase in measures to enhance aviation security following September 11, 2001, led to significant improvements in existing security processes, operations, and technologies in each area of the aviation transportation system. These efforts led to the current security posture of a multilayered, scalable, and flexible aviation security system that is responsive to varying threat levels as well as to the entire range of identified threats. This has effectively reduced vulnerabilities within the aviation transportation system. However, the ever-changing aviation threat environment continues to challenge the Federal Government and private industry to implement additional effective and efficient security measures. As directed by the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), the Transportation Sector- Specific Plan (TSSP) represents the combined planning contributions of the sector's security partners to develop a system wide approach to reducing the security risks within and across the transportation modes. The aviation mode's security partners include the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), airlines, the Department of Defense (DoD) airports, flight crews, air cargo industry members, State and local law enforcement, and passengers."

"The fundamental challenge to securing the freight rail network is to protect against a constantly changing, unpredictable threat environment without impeding the continuous movement and free flow of commerce. While there is no specific threat or intelligence points to freight rail transportation, the potential exists for using the freight rail system as a target for terrorism or as a delivery system for a weapon of mass effect. The efficient operation of our critical interstate freight rail network requires a uniform nationwide approach to railroad security. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will continue to work with its private sector, and Federal, State, and local partners to achieve the transportation sector goals outlined in this document. The freight rail mode will continue to apply the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) risk management framework for developing programs and initiatives to enhance the protection of Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CI/KR). As outlined in chapter 1 of the Transportation Sector-Specific Plan (TSSP), the transportation sector identified three goals to help achieve the sector vision of a "secure, resilient and efficient transportation network." The freight rail mode will focus on these goals when identifying key assets and will evaluate consequence, vulnerability, and threat information to adequately assess risks facing the system. Initial security gaps have been identified, and security programs have been developed and implemented to mitigate these risks. The government continuously evaluates security gaps in freight rail, as in all modes. Mitigation strategies are updated as gaps are identified."

"The Highway Infrastructure and Motor Carrier Modal Annex to the Transportation Sector Specific Plan (TSSP) describes how transportation sector goals and objectives will be achieved to protect the highway transportation system. These assets include, but are not limited to, signature bridges, major tunnels, operations and management centers, trucks carrying hazardous materials (HAZMAT), other commercial freight vehicles, Motorcoaches, school buses, and key intermodal freight transfer facilities. All of these components help create what is referred to as the Highway Transportation System. While the in-vehicle and highway facilities infrastructure optimizing the movement of people, services, and cargo through the Highway Transportation System are robust, some are essential in facilitating Federal and State services to maintain the health of the public, economic vitality, telecommunications, electricity, and other essential services. Even temporary debilitation of a bridge or tunnel could result in regional shutdowns, diversions, or costly repairs with potentially severe results. Security of the highway transportation system is a shared responsibility among Federal, state, and local governments and private stakeholders. Measures to secure the assets of the Highway Transportation System must be implemented in a way that balances cost, efficiency, and preservation of commerce in this Nation. The Highway Infrastructure and Motor Carrier Annex will require periodic updates to reflect current conditions, enhanced strategies, new programs, and Government Coordinating Council (GCC)/Sector Coordinating Council (SCC) scope of planning for the following year. Federal, State, local and tribal government agencies, along with private stakeholders, will lead the national effort to maintain the capability to move freely and facilitate interstate commerce in all conditions. Vehicles that use the highways are potential targets and weapons that terrorists or criminals could use to attack critical infrastructure or other assets."

"Salt water covers more than two-thirds of the earth's surface. These waters comprise an immense maritime domain, a continuous body of water that is the earth's greatest defining geographic feature. Ships that ply the maritime domain are the primary mode of transportation for world trade, carrying more than 80 percent of the world's trade by volume. United States maritime trade is integral to the global economy, representing more than 20 percent3 of global maritime trade. Through the Maritime Transportation System (MTS), the maritime mode is the primary transportation mode providing connectivity between the U.S. and global economies; 99 percent of overseas trade by volume enters or leaves the U.S. by ship. The MTS enables the U.S. to project military presence across the globe, creates jobs that support local economies, and provides a source of recreation for all Americans. The Nation's economic and military security are fundamentally linked to the health and functionality of the MTS. The security of the MTS is paramount to protecting the Nation and its economy, but it presents daunting and unique challenges to managers of the Maritime Mode. Security of the MTS is intrinsically linked to the security of the maritime domain which contains critical infrastructure and key resources (CI/KR) from many of the other critical infrastructure sectors and Transportation Sector modes. Providing for the security of the MTS depends upon understanding the diverse array of activities in the maritime domain through the transparency of all sector and transportation modal infrastructure and security activities."

"The mass transit and passenger rail industry and their Federal, State and local partners face many challenges in their efforts to provide a secure and protected public transportation environment. The systems are open, serving millions of passengers every day. The networks cover wide geographical areas providing numerous points of access, transfer, connection to other means of transportation, and egress, leading to high passenger turnover difficult to monitor effectively. As the public and private partners move forward with implementing the plan to secure the mass transit and passenger rail systems, new challenges arise. In this context, public and industry partners seek to provide a secure environment for passengers and employees through training, public outreach, procedures and hardening of physical assets and expanding visible/covert, random, and unpredictable security measures. This plan for mass transit and passenger rail security sets out to achieve the objectives and priorities enumerated in the Transportation Systems Sector Security Plan (TSSP), the Presidential Executive Order 13416, "Strengthening Surface Transportation Security," as well as other national and regional strategies to mitigate transportation risk. Within the GCC/SCC framework, mass transit and passenger rail governmental and industry partners have devised, and are implementing, a plan consistent with the approach set out in the NIPP. This plan aims to enhance security through collaborative efforts nation-wide and in regional areas throughout the Nation to employ the full spectrum of security resources in the most effective manner possible. Essential components of the plan include maximizing the power of information, using risk-based principles in conducting assessments of assets and systems, and applying the results to ensure domain awareness and to identify and implement security programs and concrete and specific criteria to measure the effectiveness of these programs. These efforts are advanced in the context of an ever-changing threat environment and encompass proactive measures to reduce vulnerabilities in general and improve overall preparedness to meet a range of contingencies, including response to specific threat intelligence and security incidents."

"Each day, thousands of businesses and millions of people rely on the safe, secure, and efficient movement of commodities through the transportation system. Manmade or natural disruptions to this critical system could result in significant harm to the social and economic well-being of the country. The Nation's pipeline system is a mode of transportation with unique infrastructure security characteristics and requirements. As required by Executive Order 13416, the Pipeline Modal Annex implements the Transportation Sector Specific Plan (TSSP) and was developed to ensure the security and resiliency of the pipeline sector. The vision of this plan is to ensure that the pipeline sector is secure, resilient, and able to quickly detect physical and cyber intrusion or attack, mitigate the adverse consequences of an incident, and quickly restore pipeline service. The core of the plan is a pipeline system relative risk assessment and prioritization methodology. This methodology provides a logical prioritization process to systematically list, analyze and sort pipeline systems and critical pipeline components within those pipeline systems. By prioritization, security resources can be effectively used to manage risk mitigation in order to protect critical pipelines from terrorist threats. The methodology is based on the Transportation Sector Systems-Based Risk Management (SBRM) methodology, which is in turn based on the Risk Management Framework presented in the NIPP."

"The Transportation Systems Sector - a sector that comprises all modes of transportation (Aviation, Maritime, Mass Transit, Highway, Freight Rail, and Pipeline) - is a vast, open, interdependent networked system that moves millions of passengers and millions of tons of goods. The transportation network is critical to the Nation's way of life and economic vitality. Ensuring its security is the mission charged to all sector partners, including government (Federal, State, regional, local, and tribal) and private industry stakeholders. Every day, the transportation network connects cities, manufacturers, and retailers, moving large volumes of goods and individuals through a complex network of approximately 4 million miles of roads and highways, more than 100,000 miles of rail, 600,000 bridges, more than 300 tunnels and numerous sea ports, 2 million miles of pipeline, 500,000 train stations, and 500 public-use airports. The sector's security risks are evident by attacks either using or against the global transportation network, including not only the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but also more recent attacks on transportation targets such as the 2005 London bombings, the coordinated attack on four commuter trains in Madrid in 2004, and the 2006 plot uncovered in the United Kingdom targeting airlines bound for the United States. These recent attacks are a sobering reminder that the transportation system remains an attractive target for terrorists post-September 11. Hurricane Katrina and other disasters (natural and industrial) also highlight the risk to the sector that is not directly related to terrorism. Taken together, the risk from terrorism and other hazards demands a coordinated approach involving all sector stakeholders."

"The purpose of the 2015 Transportation Systems Sector-Specific Plan (TS SSP) is to guide and integrate efforts to secure and strengthen the resilience of transportation infrastructure and to describe how the Transportation Systems Sector (hereafter referred to as the Sector) contributes to the overall security and resilience of the Nation's critical infrastructure, as set forth in Presidential Policy Directive 21 (PPD-21), 'Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience'. The TS SSP tailors the strategic guidance provided in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan 2013, 'Partnering for Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience' (NIPP 2013), to the unique operating conditions and risk landscape of the Nation's varied transportation systems. The TS SSP represents a collaborative effort among Federal departments and agencies; State, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments; non-governmental organizations; and public and private critical infrastructure owners and operators to achieve shared goals and priorities to reduce critical infrastructure risks. It also reflects the maturation of the Sector partnership and the progress made by the Sector since the 2010 TS SSP to address evolving risks as well as operating and policy environments. This Plan describes an approach to manage security and resilience efforts while enhancing the efficient use of the capabilities and resources of the Sector's government and industry partners. Transportation systems encompass diverse and interconnected networks of fixed and mobile assets that provide essential services for the Nation's livelihood and economic prosperity."

"The Transportation Systems Sector-Specific Plan (SSP) is the strategic plan for the sector fulfilling the requirements of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7): Critical Infrastructure Identification, Prioritization, and Protection; and the requirements of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (as amended by the 9/11 Commission Act)1 for the National Strategy for Transportation Security (NSTS). The SSP consists of a base plan and six modal annexes. The modal annexes for mass transit, maritime, and railroads (including freight and passenger rail) also consolidate strategic planning and infrastructure protection requirements. The Transportation Systems SSP describes collaboratively developed strategies to reduce risks to critical transportation infra¬structure from the broad range of known and unknown terrorism threats. These threats span a multitude of scenarios from lone actors with explosives devices to complex and coordinated assaults such as the 9/11 attack or, potentially, attacks involving weapons of mass destruction. The SSP establishes the strategic goals and objectives to be implemented in order to achieve a shared vision of a safe and secure national transportation system and it explains processes and mechanisms to manage sector risks. The 2010 SSP revises the Systems-Based Risk Management process described in the 2007 version of the SSP, and adopts and amplifies the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) framework by describing a process intended to encourage wider participation in risk reduction decisionmaking activities. The main objective of the process is to build a set of programs and initiatives that reduce the sector's most significant risks in an efficient, practical, and cost-effective manner."

"Drinking water and wastewater treatment are essential to modern life and the Nation's economy. Therefore, it is critical that we enhance the security and resilience of the Nation's drinking water and wastewater infrastructures, collectively known as the 'Water and Wastewater Sector' (Sector). The purpose of this 2015 Water and Wastewater Sector-Specific Plan (Water SSP) is to guide and integrate the efforts intended to secure and strengthen the resilience of the Sector's infrastructure. This Water SSP tailors the strategic guidance provided in the 'National Infrastructure Protection Plan' (NIPP) 2013 to the unique operating conditions and risk landscape of the Sector."

"There are approximately 160,000 public drinking water utilities and more than 16,000 wastewater utilities in the United States. About 84 percent of the U.S. population receives its potable water from these drinking water utilities and more than 75 percent has its sanitary sewage treated by these wastewater utilities. The drinking water and wastewater sector (Water Sector) is vulnerable to a variety of attacks, including contamination with deadly agents and physical and cyber attacks. If these attacks were to occur, the result could be large numbers of illnesses or casualties or denial of service that would also affect public health and economic vitality. Critical services such as firefighting and health care (hospitals), and other dependent and interdependent sectors such as energy, transportation, and food and agriculture, would suffer negative impacts from a denial of Water Sector service. In collaboration with the entire sector, a broad-based strategy to address security needs is being implemented. This work includes providing support to utilities by preparing vulnerability assessment and emergency response tools, providing technical and financial assistance, and exchanging information. Each section of the Water Sector-Specific Plan (SSP), as defined by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in its 2006 Sector-Specific Plan Guidance, is described below. This section of the SSP provides an overview of the Water Sector. Each drinking water or wastewater utility is considered an asset that comprises many components. The discussion includes an explanation of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) relationships, as the Sector-Specific Agency (SSA), with the private sector, State and local agencies, other Federal departments and agencies, and the public; a description of the relevant Water Sector authorities; a summary of its vision and goals; and explanation of its value proposition."

"Water Sector infrastructure, which consists of drinking water and wastewater systems, has a long history of implementing programs to provide clean and safe water, thereby protecting public health and the environment across the Nation. For more than thirty (30) years, drinking water and wastewater utilities have been conducting routine daily, weekly, and monthly water quality monitoring under guidance of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and Clean Water Act (CWA). Researchers continue to explore ways to improve water quality testing methods. Together, the sector's public health, environmental, security, and resilience efforts form a multi-layered approach to provide clean, safe drinking water and protect public health. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 designates the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the Federal lead for coordinating and assisting in protecting the Nation's critical Water Sector infrastructure. It is necessary to better protect Water Sector infrastructure to safeguard public health and the economic vitality of our Nation. Malicious acts, natural disasters, and denial of service that affect the sector could result in large numbers of illnesses or casualties, as well as negative economic impacts. Critical services such as firefighting and health care (hospitals), to include other dependent and interdependent sectors such as energy, transportation, and food and agriculture, would suffer damaging effects from a denial of potable water or properly treated wastewater. The initial 'Water Sector-Specific Pla'n (Water SSP) was released in 2007. The Water SSP has been created to explain how the sector is addressing these matters."

"[Defense Intelligence] has two missions: first, to respond to the unique policy, operational and acquisition requirements of the Department of Defense, and second, to respond to national intelligence missions assigned to the Department of Defense. [...]. This first Defense Intelligence Strategy seeks to integrate the two missions by demonstrating how, where and why defense intelligence, counterintelligence, and security activities support the National Intelligence Strategy and respond to requirements of the U.S. military and the Department of Defense. The Defense Intelligence Enterprise must fit seamlessly into a larger network of activities that serves the entire U.S. Government and develops people and systems that also can integrate easily and quickly into the larger network. This new strategy highlights the following four strategic goals (four E's): Extend the full advantage of the U.S. intelligence enterprise to all defense users to ensure timely and accurate decisions, as well as ensure defense intelligence is available to the broader U.S. intelligence enterprise; Enhance all services and capabilities provided by the U.S. intelligence enterprise to satisfy the changing needs of defense intelligence users; Explore concepts, technologies, and strategies to address customer requirements and emerging threats; Enable us to counter and deny adversary capabilities to acquire and exploit our technologies or knowledge of the battle space. Ultimately, this strategy will allow all members of the Defense Intelligence Enterprise to see their role in the larger network and every Department of Defense intelligence customer to see how the enterprise will improve its service to them."

"This document sets forth the national counterintelligence strategy of the United States in the context of our broad national security objectives and the foreign intelligence threats we face. The strategy draws upon the full range of counterintelligence capabilities including counterespionage, counter-deception, and offensive operations against hostile intelligence activities. Each of these national security tools must be strategically driven and employed to protect the United States from foreign threats, and to advance our national interests."

"The National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States of America elaborates the fundamental responsibility for US intelligence to warn of and help prevent terrorist attacks against the homeland, engage other asymmetric threats, and provide reliable intelligence on traditional and enduring strategic challenges."

"Strategy development is an ever-evolving and active process that ensures countries, institutions, and private industry look toward the future, provides direction, and sets appropriate goals and objectives. As the National Counterintelligence Executive (NCIX), I am charged with producing the National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States of America (Strategy) on an annual basis. This Strategy provides strategic direction and guidance for counterintelligence activities of the United States Government to include the Intelligence Community. Upon review of the Strategy, I have determined that the current mission and enterprise objectives are consistent with the 2009 National Intelligence Strategy (NIS), which for the first time, includes a mission objective for counterintelligence. The inclusion of the counterintelligence mission objective in the NIS reinforces the Director of National Intelligence's position that counterintelligence is a critical mission of the Intelligence Enterprise."

"These pages outline the National Security Agency/Central Security Service's strategic plan for the 21st century, and how we intend to achieve our goal: information superiority for America." Five sub goals relating to the following fields are also outlined: vital information, military operations, policy makers, technology, and people and processes.

From the "Purpose" section: "In support of the National Security Strategy, which sets forth national security priorities, the National Intelligence Strategy (NIS) provides the IC [Intelligence Community] with the mission direction of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) for the next four to five years. IC activities must be consistent with, and responsive to, national security priorities and must comply with the Constitution, applicable statutes, and Congressional oversight requirements. The NIS should be read along with the National Intelligence Priorities Framework and Unifying Intelligence Strategies to inform and guide mission, as well as planning, programming, and budgeting activities." The NIS outlines organizational framework, mission, vision, and ethics for the IC.

"The United States faces a complex and rapidly shifting international security landscape. Events at home and abroad move quickly, often in an interconnected fashion, driven by the pace of technological change and international communications. National security priorities adapt as rapidly as these events unfold. The Intelligence Community (IC) must keep a steady focus on enduring challenges in and among nation-states and persistent transnational issues, and also be agile in adapting to emerging threats and harnessing opportunities. The National Intelligence Strategy (NIS) sets out the following guiding principles: responsive and incisive understanding of global threats and opportunities, coupled with an agility that brings to bear the Community's capabilities. The 2009 NIS represents several advances in the Director of National Intelligence's (DNI) leadership of the National Intelligence Program (NIP) and the IC. It reflects a refined understanding of the counterterrorism challenge and elevates the importance of the challenges we face in the cyber domain and from counterintelligence threats. This NIS also affirms priorities to focus IC plans and actions for the next four years, while providing direction to guide development of future IC capabilities. The NIS highlights areas that demand our attention, resources, and commitment. It also establishes the basis for accountability, in conjunction with an implementation plan, to ensure that the Community meets the goals of our strategy."

"The stakes for America in the 21st century demand that we be more agile and resourceful than our adversaries. Our strategy is to integrate, through intelligence policy, doctrine, and technology, the different enterprises of the Intelligence Community. It encompasses current intelligence activities as well as future capabilities to ensure that we are more effective in the years ahead than we are today. The fifteen strategic objectives outlined in this strategy can be differentiated as mission objectives and enterprise objectives. The strategy also states the importance of instituting methods of self-evaluation to ensure that the Intelligence Community meets decision-makers' needs and upholds the rules of the law."

Space security not only plays a vital role in strengthening U.S. national security, it also supports diplomatic efforts and empowers the U.S. economy. As more nations seek space and counterspace abilities, the United States is faced with many difficult challenges. The Department of Defense recently announced the release of the National Security Space Strategy, which was signed jointly by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. This report "charts a path for the next decade to respond to the current and projected space strategic environment." According to the report: "We seek a safe space environment in which all can operate with minimal risk of accidents, breakups, and purposeful interference. We seek a stable space environment in which nations exercise shared responsibility to act as stewards of the space domain and follow norms of behavior. We seek a secure space environment in which responsible nations have access to space and the benefits of space operations without need to exercise their inherent right of self-defense."

"Our national security depends on our ability to share the right information, with the right people, at the right time. This information sharing mandate requires sustained and responsible collaboration between Federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, private sector, and foreign partners. Over the last few years, we have successfully streamlined policies and processes, overcome cultural barriers, and better integrated information systems to enable information sharing. Today's dynamic operating environment, however, challenges us to continue improving information sharing and safeguarding processes and capabilities. While innovation has enhanced our ability to share, increased sharing has created the potential for vulnerabilities requiring strengthened safeguarding practices. The 2012 'National Strategy for Information Sharing and Safeguarding' provides guidance for effective development, integration, and implementation of policies, processes, standards, and technologies to promote secure and responsible information sharing. Our responses to these challenges must be strategic and grounded in three core principles. First, in treating Information as a National Asset, we recognize departments and agencies have achieved an unprecedented ability to gather, store, and use information consistent with their missions and applicable legal authorities; correspondingly they have an obligation to make that information available to support national security missions. Second, our approach recognizes Information Sharing and Safeguarding Requires Shared Risk Management. In order to build and sustain the trust required to share with one another, we must work together to identify and collectively reduce risk, rather than avoiding information loss by not sharing at all. Third, the core premise 'Information Informs Decisionmaking' underlies all our actions and reminds us better decisionmaking is the purpose of sharing information in the first place."

This 48-page document addresses information sharing at the federal level, with state, local, and tribal governments, with the private sector, and with foreign partners. It concludes with sections addressing privacy and other legal issues and a vision of how the Strategy will be institutionalized "to ensure that those who need information to protect our Nation from terrorism receive it and that those who have information share it."

This document produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is a strategy to improve information sharing amongst intelligence professionals in order to strengthen national security. "This document lays out a strategy to establish this new culture and to share information better, both among those whose job it is to provide intelligence and with those who need intelligence to perform their missions-i.e., policy makers, war fighters, defenders of the homeland, and the officials who enforce our laws. Time is of the essence. Improvements must be made rapidly to build on recent progress and improve our ability to thwart the plans of our enemies and protect our values, people, institutions, and assets." This document outlines: challenging new environments, information sharing strategy, and implementation of the strategy.

"This five year plan for identifying, recruiting and retaining people crucial to fulfilling the goals of the National Intelligence Strategy has three major goals; build an agile force, win the war for talent and create a culture of leadership. It describes the challenges of meeting these goals such as fulfilling the vision of transformation the intelligence community into an overarching national intelligence 'service' with employees seeing themselves not just as working for a particular agency but part of a greater whole. It identifies the challenges in shaping the workforce such as tough competition for the best and brightest, finding people with the necessary foreign language skills that can meet security clearance requirements, shortages in mid-career professionals, generational attitudes about careers and work and high competition from contractors and the private sector. It describes the various threats to the nation's security and identifies the areas of intelligence and positions required to meet those threats. It identifies the resources needed to foster talent and the levels of leadership to make it function effectively."

"Since the publication of the 2013 National Strategy for the Arctic Region (Strategy), the United States has demonstrated a commitment to leadership in adapting to changing Arctic conditions. Climate change is exerting diverse and accelerating impacts on the Arctic, on the people who live there, and on related societal, environmental, economic, and security issues. Accordingly, the U.S. Government must periodically review its actions to ensure they are appropriately prioritized to advance U.S. interests. This document supersedes the 2014 Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for the Arctic Region (Implementation Plan), putting forward an updated Implementation Framework for the National Strategy for the Arctic Region (Framework) to ensure that U.S. efforts successfully address all three lines of effort from the Strategy: 1. Advancing United States Security Interests, 2. Pursuing Responsible Arctic Region Stewardship, and 3. Strengthening International Cooperation."

"Through this 'National Strategy for the Arctic Region', we seek to guide, prioritize, and synchronize efforts to protect U.S. national and homeland security interests, promote responsible stewardship, and foster international cooperation. This strategy articulates three priority lines of effort. It also identifies guiding principles as a foundation for Arctic region activities. Through a deliberate emphasis on the priority lines of effort and objectives, it aims to achieve a national unity of effort that is consistent with our domestic and international legal rights, obligations, and commitments and that is well coordinated with our Arctic neighbors and the international community. These lines of effort identify common themes where specific emphasis and activities will be focused to ensure that strategic priorities are met. The three lines of effort, as well as the guiding principles are meant to be acted upon as a coherent whole."

"The Arctic is a key region of the United States with critical influence on the global environment and economy. The Arctic is a peaceful and stable region in the world, and the United States will continue to work with the international community to understand the region, and its impacts on the globe, through coordinated scientific research and traditional knowledge. The importance of the region, coupled with a coordinated approach, provides unique and fresh opportunities for unprecedented regional cooperation and expansion of international governance. The 'National Strategy for the Arctic Region (Strategy)' laid out the United States' priorities for the region; its 'Implementation Plan' then provided clear guidance and responsibilities to achieve milestones associated with the 'Strategy'. This report describes implementation progress along the three lines of effort described in the 'Strategy': (1) Advance United States Security Interests, (2) Pursue Responsible Arctic Region Stewardship, and (3) Strengthen International Cooperation."

"Public diplomacy and strategic communication should always strive to support our nation's fundamental values and national security objectives. All communication and public diplomacy activities should: Underscore our commitment to freedom, human rights and the dignity and equality of every human being; Reach out to those who share our ideals; Support those who struggle for freedom and democracy; and Counter those who espouse ideologies of hate and oppression."

From the foreword by President Barack Obama: "As we look toward the future, it is clear that Africa is more important than ever to the security and prosperity of the international community, and to the United States in particular. Africa's economies are among the fastest growing in the world, with technological change sweeping across the continent and offering tremendous opportunities in banking, medicine, politics, and business. At the same time, the burgeoning youth population in Africa is changing economies and political systems in profound ways. [… ] We will work with our African partners to build strong institutions, to remove constraints to trade and investment, and to expand opportunities for African countries to effectively access each other's markets and global markets, to embrace sound economic governance, and diversify their economies beyond a narrow reliance on natural resources, and--most importantly--create opportunities for Africa's people to prosper. As we support these efforts, we will encourage American companies to seize trade and investment opportunities in Africa, so that their skills, capital, and technology will further support the region's economic expansion, while helping to create jobs here in America. […] America's partnership with this new generation of Africans will extend beyond our Government to the broad and deepening relationships between our peoples, businesses, and institutions. These roots will drive our path to a future of democracy, peace, and prosperity for generations to come."

"The 'National Strategy for Biosurveillance' sets forth the United States Government approach to strengthen our national biosurveillance enterprise and describes a core set of functions critical to this Strategy's success.The approach builds on existing biosurveillance concepts and capabilities in seeking to enable more rapid detection, knowledge, and characterization of human, animal, or plant disease activity to enhance incident situational awareness.At the same time, this Strategy outlines an approach that is more selective and deliberate in its intent. The Strategy defines biosurveillance as the process of gathering, integrating, interpreting, and communicating essential information related to all-hazards threats or disease activity affecting human, animal, or plant health to achieve early detection and warning, contribute to overall situational awareness of the health aspects of an incident, and to enable better decisionmaking at all levels. […] This Strategy articulates an overarching goal supported by core functions.It also includes guiding principles that provide a foundation for biosurveillance activities and specific enablers to achieve a well-integrated, national biosurveillance enterprise.Through a deliberate emphasis on the identified core functions and enabling focus areas, the aim is to enhance the Nation's ability to detect, track, investigate, and navigate incidents affecting human, animal, and plant health, thereby better protecting the safety, well being, and security of the American people. The Guiding Principles serve as the Strategy foundation and inform biosurveillance efforts. The Core Functions focus and prioritize our biosurveillance efforts. The crosscutting Enablers are aimed at facilitating the successful implementation of our Strategy."

"Like other forms of illicit trade, wildlife trafficking undermines security across nations. Well-armed, well-equipped, and well-organized networks of criminals and corrupt officials exploit porous borders and weak institutions to profit from trading in poached wildlife. Record high demand for wildlife products, coupled with inadequate preventative measures and weak institutions has resulted in an explosion of illicit trade in wildlife in recent years.That trade is decimating iconic animal populations. Today, because of the actions of poachers, species like elephants and rhinoceroses face the risk of significant decline or even extinction. But it does not have to be that way. We can take action to stop these illicit networks and ensure that our children have the chance to grow up in a world with and experience for themselves the wildlife we know and love. Addressing these challenges requires a U.S. strategy that is proactive, recognizes immediate imperatives, and balances our strengths and expertise to address challenges comprehensively over the long term. This is a global challenge requiring global solutions. So we will work with foreign governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to maximize our impacts together. Our efforts will aim to strengthen enforcement, reduce demand, and increase cooperation to address these challenges. The entire world has a stake in protecting the world's iconic animals, and the United States is strongly committed to meeting its obligation to help preserve the Earth's natural beauty for future generations."

"Human traffickers prey on some of the most vulnerable members of society. Human trafficking, as defined in federal law, includes sex trafficking, in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the victim is under 18 years of age; and labor trafficking, i.e., the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. Human trafficking of either type does not require movement, either within the United States or across a U.S. border. [...] The Attorney General has developed and will implement and maintain this National Strategy for Combating Human Trafficking (National Strategy) in order to enhance the Department's work to combat the atrocity of human trafficking. The National Strategy sets forth plans to enhance coordination within the Department, and to develop specific strategies within each federal district to stop human trafficking."

"Identity theft has swiftly become a serious issue for victims, police, and prosecutors, and is a problem that is requiring an increased commitment of resources by private enterprise. The Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) recognized the severity of this problem in 2003 and surveyed its members to explore police-related identity theft issues. Survey results demonstrated that deterring identity theft was impeded for the most part because police departments were functioning in isolation from each other and other parts of the criminal justice system. The MCCA concluded that new levels of prevention, response, and collaboration were needed to stop this rapidly increasing crime. To gain greater insight into the challenges facing police in responding to the identity theft problem, the MCCA and the DPSL conducted two surveys to obtain a broad base of information from police and others on the problem and potential solutions. The project also organized two focus groups comprising police, prosecutors, federal officials, victim assistance professionals, and representatives from the private sector. The first focus group discussed the problem in detail, shared experiences, and provided the background needed to develop the surveys. The second focus group discussed the survey results, framed recommendations for a national response to identity theft, and identified best practices. Participants are listed in Appendix B. This report, A National Strategy to Combat Identity Theft, describes the components of a national strategy, the interrelationships of the components, and best practices to illustrate each component."

"The Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime applies all elements of national power to protect citizens and U.S. national security interests from the convergence of 21st century transnational criminal threats. This Strategy is organized around a single unifying principle: to build, balance, and integrate the tools of American power to combat transnational organized crime and related threats to national security- and to urge our foreign partners to do the same. The end-state we seek is to reduce transnational organized crime (TOC) from a national security threat to a manageable public safety problem in the United States and in strategic regions around the world. The Strategy will achieve this end-state by pursuing five key policy objectives: 1) Protect Americans and our partners from the harm, violence, and exploitation of transnational criminal networks. 2) Help partner countries strengthen governance and transparency, break the corruptive power of transnational criminal networks, and sever state-crime alliances. 3) Break the economic power of transnational criminal networks and protect strategic markets and the U.S. financial system from TOC penetration and abuse. 4) Defeat transnational criminal networks that pose the greatest threat to national security by targeting their infrastructures, depriving them of their enabling means, and preventing the criminal facilitation of terrorist activities. 5) Build international consensus, multilateral cooperation, and public-private partnerships to defeat transnational organized crime. The Strategy also introduces new and innovative capabilities and tools, which will be accomplished by prioritizing within the resources available to affected departments and agencies. A new Executive Order will establish a sanctions program to block the property of and prohibit transactions with significant transnational criminal networks that threaten national security, foreign policy, or economic interests. A proposed legislative package will enhance the authorities available to investigate, interdict, and prosecute the activities of top transnational criminal networks. A new Presidential Proclamation under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) will deny entry to transnational criminal aliens and others who have been targeted for financial sanctions. A new rewards program will replicate the success of narcotics rewards programs in obtaining information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the leaders of transnational criminal organizations that pose the greatest threats to national security. An interagency Threat Mitigation Working Group will identify those TOC networks that present a sufficiently high national security risk and will ensure the coordination of all elements of national power to combat them."

"The security, prosperity, and vital interests of the United States are increasingly coupled to those of other nations. Our Nation's interests are best served by fostering a peaceful global system comprised of interdependent networks of trade, finance, information, law, people and governance. We prosper because of this system of exchange among nations, yet recognize it is vulnerable to a range of disruptions that can produce cascading and harmful effects far from their sources. Major power war, regional conflict, terrorism, lawlessness and natural disasters-all have the potential to threaten U.S. national security and world prosperity. The oceans connect the nations of the world, even those countries that are landlocked. Because the maritime domain-the world's oceans, seas, bays, estuaries, islands, coastal areas, littorals, and the airspace above them-supports 90% of the world's trade, it carries the lifeblood of a global system that links every country on earth. Covering three-quarters of the planet, the oceans make neighbors of people around the world. They enable us to help friends in need and to confront and defeat aggression far from our shores. Today, the United States and its partners find themselves competing for global influence in an era in which they are unlikely to be fully at war or fully at peace. Our challenge is to apply seapower in a manner that protects U.S. vital interests even as it promotes greater collective security, stability, and trust."

"The Domestic Outreach Policy Action Working Group was one of eight working groups assigned to develop implementation plans in support of the National Strategy for Maritime Security (NSMS). Acting on the direction of NSPD-41/HSPD-13, the Domestic Outreach working group facilitated the process of gathering comments and recommendations from non-federal stakeholders to help other working groups develop their implementation plans. Simultaneously, the Domestic Outreach working group created its own implementation strategy for outreach activities to support the roll out of NSMS and related plans. Outreach objectives were designed to open a meaningful dialogue between key stakeholders and the NSPD-41/HSPD-13 working groups. In order to gain fair, representative feedback on behalf of the millions of individual stakeholders who have an interest in maritime security-within the available time frame-successively broader outreach was conducted in two stages, focusing on strategically selected individuals and organizations that represent larger groups of stakeholders, without giving any specific organization a competitive advantage over another."

"Due to its complex nature and immense size, the Maritime Domain is particularly susceptible to exploitation and disruption by individuals, organizations, and nation states. The United States has more than 95,000 miles of shoreline and 3.4 million squares miles of water within our exclusive economic zone (EEZ), so we are particularly open to attack from the Maritime Domain. The openness that makes the Maritime Domain so important to international commerce also represents a great vulnerability. The vastness of the oceans, as well as the great length of shorelines, provides both concealment and numerous access points to land. Capitalizing on the relative ease and anonymity of movement by commercial ship or small, private vessels through the Maritime Domain, terrorists, criminal organizations and rogue nations are smuggling or attempting to smuggle materials and technology related weapons of mass destruction, conventional arms, money, narcotics, and human beings. Where possible, they use legitimate maritime business or apparent recreational activities as fronts for these attempts. Because 80 percent of the world's population lives within 200 miles of the shoreline, large numbers of people are potentially subject to threats from these groups."

"The International Outreach and Coordination Strategy focuses on (1) garnering international support for maritime security programs and initiatives that are central to an effective global maritime security framework and (2) enhancing international outreach efforts to ensure the security of the United States interests in the Maritime domain."

"Maritime Commerce Security Plan establishes a comprehensive plan to secure the maritime supply chain. The Maritime Commerce Security Plan was developed in conjunction with the other component plans of the National Strategy for Maritime Security. In particular, the development of the Maritime Transportation System Security Plan and the Maritime Infrastructure Recovery Plan was closely coordinated with this plan. The Maritime Transportation System Security Plan addresses the security of the maritime transportation system as a system including vessels, facilities and ports that contribute so greatly to cargo security and, in this way, complements this plan."

"The MIRP [Maritime Infrastructure Recovery Plan] contains procedures for recovery management and provides mechanisms for national, regional, and local decision-makers to set priorities for redirecting commerce, a primary means of restoring domestic cargo flow. This plan is employed when the Secretary of Homeland Security declares an actual or threatened Transportation Security Incident (TSI; 33 CFR 101.105) that occurs under, in, on, or adjacent to waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, to be an Incident of National Significance (INS), in accordance with the criteria set out in the National Response Plan (NRP) and HSPD-5. Any such TSI declared to be an INS accordingly is referred to as a 'national TSI.' Additionally, the MIRP reflects the organizational constructs detailed in the NRP, as well as the use of Incident Command System (ICS) and unified command procedures. As such, the plan can be used for other similarly disruptive incidents requiring maritime infrastructure recovery management. Following an incident that triggers the implementation of this plan, the MIRP is used to guide the designees of the Secretary of Homeland Security in the decision making process to maintain the nation's MTS operational capabilities, and if compromised, to restore transportation capabilities."

"Maritime Transportation System Security is an essential component to the National Strategy for Maritime Security. As a Nation we must do more to prevent terrorist attacks in the maritime domain, and protect critical infrastructure and key assets which are part of the MTS. Enclosed are recommendations to improve the national and international regulatory framework for all private and commercial operations in the maritime domain. To ensure a holistic solution, these recommendations also address land-based infrastructure and intermodal connections that are vital for moving goods and people across the United States."

"Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) is the effective understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment of the United States. The Maritime Domain is all areas and things of, on, under, relating to, adjacent to, or bordering on a sea, ocean, or other navigable waterway, including all maritime-related activities, infrastructure, people, cargo, vessels, and other conveyances. This Plan provides the context to understand the importance of MDA to maritime security and why it is imperative to enhance MDA. It will empower the U.S. Government to understand the characteristics of the current maritime domain, identify the strategic approach we seek to employ, clarify our strategic and foundational priorities, and develop an implementation plan to improve MDA that enables decision-makers to perform their responsibilities consistent with Presidential Policy Directive 18 (PPD-18) and the National Strategy for Maritime Security (NSMS). This Plan promotes sustaining favorable conditions for global maritime security and prosperity. This is accomplished through the effective understanding of the maritime domain and by improving our ability to appropriately share maritime information, including intelligence, law enforcement information, and all-source data from the public and private sectors. The concept of maritime intelligence integration serves as a foundational and, therefore, necessary priority for the effective understanding of the maritime domain. This Plan serves to unify and support efforts to enhance domain awareness, advance decision-making, and provide the best possible setting to make maritime information appropriately available to all members of the Global Maritime Community of Interest (GMCOI). Additionally, this Plan acknowledges fiscal constraints and establishes priorities of effort consistent with those constraints."

"The National Plan to Achieve Maritime Domain Awareness lays the foundation for an effective understanding of anything associated with the Maritime Domain that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment of the United States and identifying threats as early and as distant from our shores as possible. This Plan serves to unify United States Government and support international efforts to achieve MDA across the Federal government, with the private sector and civil authorities within the United States, and with our allies and partners. It directs close coordination of a broad range of federal departments and agencies for this lasting endeavor. Implementation of this Plan will be conducted under the oversight of an interagency implementation team."

"Maritime security is best achieved by blending public and private maritime security activities on a global scale into an integrated effort that addresses all maritime threats. The new National Strategy for Maritime Security aligns all Federal government maritime security programs and initiatives into a comprehensive and cohesive national effort involving appropriate Federal, State, local, and private sector entities, In addition to this Strategy, the Departments have developed eight supporting plans to address the specific threats and challenges of the maritime environment. While the plans address different aspects of maritime security, they are mutually linked and reinforce each other. Together, the National Strategy for Maritime Security and its eight supporting plans present a comprehensive national effort to promote global economic stability and protect legitimate activities while preventing hostile or illegal acts within the maritime domain."

"As one of the world 's leading maritime and trading nations, the United States relies on an effective and efficient Marine Transportation System (MTS) to facilitate commerce and project our national security. On December 17, 2004, President Bush directed a cabinet-level committee, the Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS), to create a partnership of Federal agencies. Currently, 18 different Federal agencies serve on the CMTS. The President charged the CMTS with providing high-level leadership and improved coordination to promote the safety, security, efficiency, economic vitality, sound environmental integration, and reliability of the MTS for commercial, recreational and national defense requirements. The CMTS developed the National Strategy for the Marine Transportation System: A Framework/or Action to serve as both a policy framework for the next five years and as a structure upon which to build an implementation plan for that policy. It presents the most pressing. current challenges facing marine transportation, and calls for coordinated Federal action in five priority areas: capacity, safety and security, environmental stewardship, resilience and reliability, and finance and economics. To identify the priority areas and Federal actions needed. the CMTS actively sought perspectives and ideas from a diverse group of stakeholders. The National Strategy responds to issues raised by and incorporates recommendations from commercial, national defense, and recreational interests. This framework/or Action helps ensure that America's Marine Transportation System serves the needs of the Nation now, and will grow to meet the challenges projected for the future."

"This strategy identifies specific goals where efforts can achieve the greatest impacts across the breadth of the maritime domain. Its guiding principles are: developing risk-based decision making solutions; enhancing security and safety through education and training; reducing risk without excessively impeding freedom of operation adversely affecting the economy, or compromising national security needs. It proceeds with the understanding that one-size-fits-all solutions cannot address the widely different characteristics of small vessels; that risk mitigation efforts should be based on coordinated efforts, operator education and appropriate use of technology. The overarching goals of the Small Vessel Security Strategy are to: enhance maritime security and safety based on a coherent plan with a layered, innovative approach; develop and leverage a strong partnership with the small vessel community and public and private sectors in order to enhance maritime domain awareness; leverage technology to enhance the ability to detect, infer intent, and when necessary, interdict small vessels; and enhance cooperation among Federal, state, local, and Tribal partners and the private sector (e.g., marinas, shipyards, small vessel and facility operators), as well as international partners. This strategy lays out the appropriate way forward in managing and controlling risks posed by the threat of small vessel exploitation."

From the Strategy: "This Strategy identifies strategic priorities for implementation across all Coast Guard missions in support of America's maritime safety, security, and stewardship interests. It focuses on enhancements to legal regimes, awareness, and operational capabilities that best position the Coast Guard to defeat the asymmetrical, transnational threats America will encounter in the future." Included are the strategic priorities for the U.S. Coast Guard such as strengthening regimes for the U.S. Maritime Domain; Achieving Awareness in the Maritime Domain; Enhancing Unity of Effort in Maritime Planning and Operations; Integrating Coast Guard Capabilities for National Defense; Developing a National Capacity for MTS Recovery; and Focusing International Engagement on Maritime Governance.

"The security, prosperity, and vital interests of the United States are increasingly coupled to those of other nations. Our Nation's interests are best served by fostering a peaceful global system comprised of interdependent networks of trade, finance, information, law, people and governance. We prosper because of this system of exchange among nations, yet recognize it is vulnerable to a range of disruptions that can produce cascading and harmful effects far from their sources. Major power war, regional conflict, terrorism, lawlessness and natural disasters-all have the potential to threaten U.S. national security and world prosperity. The oceans connect the nations of the world, even those countries that are landlocked. Because the maritime domain-the world's oceans, seas, bays, estuaries, islands, coastal areas, littorals, and the airspace above them-supports 90% of the world's trade, it carries the lifeblood of a global system that links every country on earth. Covering three-quarters of the planet, the oceans make neighbors of people around the world. They enable us to help friends in need and to confront and defeat aggression far from our shores. Today, the United States and its partners find themselves competing for global influence in an era in which they are unlikely to be fully at war or fully at peace. Our challenge is to apply seapower in a manner that protects U.S. vital interests even as it promotes greater collective security, stability, and trust."

"The Arctic is at a strategic inflection point as its ice cap is diminishing more rapidly than projected and human activity, driven by economic opportunity--ranging from oil, gas, and mineral exploration to fishing, shipping, and tourism--is increasing in response to the growing accessibility. Arctic and non-Arctic nations are establishing their strategies and positions on the future of the Arctic in a variety of international forums. Taken together, these changes present a compelling opportunity for the Department of Defense (DoD) to work collaboratively with allies and partners to promote a balanced approach to improving human and environmental security in the region in accordance with the 2013 'National Strategy for the Arctic Region'. Security in the Arctic encompasses a broad spectrum of activities, ranging from resource extraction and trade to activities supporting safe commercial and scientific operations to national defense. Security cooperation activities and other military-to-military forms of engagement establish, shape, and maintain international relations and the partnerships necessary to meet security challenges and reduce the potential for friction. The Department will continue to build cooperative strategic partnerships that promote innovative, affordable security solutions, and burden-sharing in the Arctic, and seek to increase opportunities with Arctic partners to enhance regional expertise and cold-weather operational experience. The Department will continue to train and operate routinely in the region as it monitors the changing environment, revisiting assessments and taking appropriate action as conditions change. This strategy identifies the Department's desired end-state for the Arctic: a secure and stable region where U.S. national interests are safeguarded, the U.S. homeland is protected, and nations work cooperatively to address challenges. It also articulates two main supporting objectives: 'Ensure security, support safety, and promote defense cooperation, and prepare to respond to a wide range of challenges and contingencies'--operating in conjunction with other nations when possible, and independently if necessary--in order to maintain stability in the region. Finally, it identifies the 'ways' and 'means' the Department intends to use to achieve these objectives as it implements the 'National Strategy for the Arctic Region'."

The [Department of Defense] DoD released the 2008 National Defense Strategy today [July 31, 2008]. The strategy outlines the national approach to the defense of this nation and its interests. The NDS is issued periodically and the last one was published in March 2005. It outlines how the Department supports the President's National Security Strategy and informs the National Military Strategy and other subordinate strategy documents. The strategy builds on lessons learned and insights from previous operations and strategic reviews such as the 2006 QDR [Quadrennial Defense Review].

"America is a nation at war. We face a diverse set of security challenges. Yet, we still live in an era of advantage and opportunity. The National Defense Strategy outlines an active, layered approach to the defense of the nation and its interests. It seeks to create conditions conducive to respect for the sovereignty of nations and a secure international order favorable to freedom, democracy, and economic opportunity. This strategy promotes close cooperation with others around the world who are committed to these goals. It addresses mature and emerging threats."

"The National Military Strategic Plan for the War on Terrorism (NMSP-WOT) constitutes the comprehensive military plan to prosecute the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) for the Armed Forces of the United States. This document reflects the lessons of the first four years of the Global War on Terrorism, including the findings and recommendations of the 9-11 Commission and a rigorous examination within the Department of Defense (DoD), personally led by the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The NMSP-WOT outlines the Department's strategic planning and provides strategic guidance for military activities and operations in the GWOT. The document guides the planning and actions of the Combatant Commands, the Military Departments, Combat Support Agencies and Field Support Activities of the United States to protect and defend the homeland, attack terrorists and their capacity to operate effectively at home and abroad, and support mainstream efforts to reject violent extremism."

The National Military Strategy (NMS) is exemplified by three priorities: winning the War on Terrorism, enhancing joint warfighting and transforming for the future. The NMS is guided by goals and objectives contained in the President's "National Security Strategy" and serves to implement the Secretary of Defense's 2004 "national Defense Strategy of the United States of America." The document therefore outlines key aspects of the security environment, including a wider range of adversaries, a more complex and distributed battlespace, and technology diffusion and access. Also discussed are guiding principles of the development of the Joint Force, including agility, decisiveness, and integration. The strategy establishes three military objectives: protection of the United States against external attacks and aggression, prevention of conflict and surprise attack, and triumph against adversaries. Desired attributes of the Force are listed as "fully integrated, expeditionary, networked, decentralized, adaptable, decision superiority and lethality." The report also examines force design and size, as well as risk and force assessments. The Joint Vision for Future Warfighting asserts that the goal is "Full Spectrum Dominance - the ability to control any situation or defeat or any adversary across the range of military operations."

"This strategy is derived from a thorough assessment of the strategic environment and how to advance our national interests within it. It describes how the Joint Force will redefine America's military leadership by enabling whole-of-nation approaches to address national security challenges. It calls for a broad portfolio of leadership approaches -- facilitator, enabler, convener, and guarantor - to address problems that are truly international in nature. Our leadership approaches magnify the capabilities we possess, making them just as important to assuring favorable outcomes. Our ability to lead will determine how well we advance America's interests through this strategic inflection point. This strategy also sets a vector toward transition from a force that has been engaged in sustained combat operations to a Joint Force that is shaped for the future. As the challenges we face require a Joint Force that is flexible, agile, and adaptive, it emphasizes people as much as platforms. It recognizes that the unique character of our Service members, working hand-in-hand with other government agencies and in support of public-private partnerships, is a formidable advantage. We must continue to care for Service members and their families, and set conditions for their continued success -- in and out of uniform. This will require significant support from Congress, the American people, and a thoughtful, reflective military leadership. By successfully contributing to America's security and prosperity, we will continue to advance our Nation's enduring interests well into the 21st Century."

From the Chairman's Foreword: "This National Military Strategy [NMS] describes how we will employ our military forces to protect and advance our national interests. We must be able to rapidly adapt to new threats while maintaining comparative advantage over traditional ones. Success will increasingly depend on how well our military instrument can support the other instruments of power and enable our network of allies and partners. The 2015 NMS continues the call for greater agility, innovation, and integration. It reinforces the need for the U.S. military to remain globally engaged to shape the security environment and to preserve our network of alliances. It echoes previous documents in noting the imperative within our profession to develop leaders of competence, character, and consequence. But it also asserts that the application of the military instrument of power against state threats is very different than the application of military power against non-state threats. We are more likely to face prolonged campaigns than conflicts that are resolved quickly...that control of escalation is becoming more difficult and more important...and that as a hedge against unpredictability with reduced resources, we may have to adjust our global posture. Despite what is likely to be a difficult future, we are blessed to be able to count on the young Americans who choose to serve, to live an uncommon life, and to defend their fellow citizens. Our focus must remain that they are the best-led and best-equipped force in the world. The 2015 National Military Strategy of the United States offers a blueprint towards that end."

"The following document articulates the broad strategy the President set forth in 2003 and provides an update on our progress as well as the challenges remaining." The Strategy details how the United States will continue to help "the Iraqi people defeat the terrorists and build and inclusive democratic state. In the short term, we expect an Iraq that is making steady progress in fighting terrorists and neutralizing the insurgency, meeting political milestones; building democratic institutions; standing up robust security forces to gather intelligence, destroy terrorist networks, and maintain security; and tackling key economic reforms to lay the foundation for a sound economy. In the medium-term, an Iraq that is in the lead defeating terrorists and insurgents and providing its own security, with a constitutional, elected government in place, providing an inspiring example to reformers in the region, and well on its way to achieving its economic potential. In the longer-term, an Iraq that has defeated the terrorists and neutralized the insurgency. The war on terrorism is the defining challenge of our generation, just as the struggle against communism and fascism were challenges of the generations before. As with those earlier struggles, the United States is fully committed to meeting this challenge. We will do everything it takes to win."

"Defending U.S. territory and the people of the United States is the highest priority of the Department of Defense (DoD), and providing appropriate defense support of civil authorities (DSCA) is one of the Department's primary missions. This 'Strategy for Homeland Defense and Defense Support of Civil Authorities' orients the Department towards an increasingly complex strategic environment. It emphasizes innovative approaches, greater integration, deepening of external partnerships, and increased effectiveness and efficiencies in DoD's homeland activities. It applies the vital capabilities of the Total Force - in the Active and Reserve Components - to make the nation more secure and resilient. Finally, the Strategy guides future decisions on homeland defense and civil support issues consistent with the 'Defense Strategic Guidance' and the 'Quadrennial Defense Review' (QDR)."

From the Conclusion: "This National Security Strategy provides a vision for strengthening and sustaining American leadership in this still young century. It clarifies the purpose and promise of American power. It aims to advance our interests and values with initiative and from a position of strength. We will deter and defeat any adversary that threatens our national security and that of our allies. We confidently welcome the peaceful rise of other countries as partners to share the burdens for maintaining a more peaceful and prosperous world. We will continue to collaborate with established and emerging powers to promote our shared security and defend our common humanity, even as we compete with them in economic and other realms. We will uphold and refresh the international rules and norms that set the parameters for such collaboration and competition. We will do all of this and more with confidence that the international system whose creation we led in the aftermath of World War II will continue to serve America and the world well. This is an ambitious, but achievable agenda, especially if we continue to restore the bipartisan center that has been a pillar of strength for American foreign policy in decades past. America has greater capacity to adapt and recover from setbacks than any other country. A core element of our strength is our unity and our certainty that American leadership in this century, like the last, remains indispensable."

"Over the last eight years, we have once again mustered the creative energies of our Nation to reestablish the United States' military and economic strength within the world community. As a result, the world now looks to the United States to be not just a broker of peace, but a catalyst of coalitions, and a guarantor of global financial stability. It has been achieved in spite of a period of tumultuous change in the strategic landscape. Yet, it has been realized because we have maintained a steadfast focus on simple goals; peace, shared prosperity, and freedom, that lift the condition of all nations and people that choose to join us. This document goes over our countries strategy for engagement, and the many different policies that comprise it. The key elements of the strategy include: Adapting our alliances; Encouraging the reorientation of other states, including former adversaries; Encouraging democratization, open markets, free trade, and sustainable development; Preventing conflict; Countering potential regional aggressors; Confronting new threats, and; Steering international peace and stability operations. These elements are building blocks within a strategic architecture that describe a foreign policy for a global age. They are not easily summed up in a single phrase but they have all been guided by two simple principles; protecting our interests and advancing our values. Together, the sum of these goals, elements, and principles represent the blueprint for our strategy of engagement, which will best achieve our vision for the future.

"The United States remains the world's most powerful force for peace, prosperity and the universal values of democracy and freedom. Our nation's central challenge-and our responsibility-is to sustain that role by seizing the opportunities of this new global era for the benefit of our own people and people around the world. To do that, we are pursuing a forward-looking national security strategy for the new century. This report, submitted in accordance with Section 603 of the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Department Reorganization Act of 1986, sets forth that strategy. […] The United States must have the tools necessary to carry out this strategy. We have worked to preserve and enhance the readiness of our armed forces while pursuing long-term modernization and providing quality of life improvements for our men and women in uniform. To better meet readiness challenges, I proposed, and Congress passed, a fiscal year 2000 defense budget that increased military pay and retirement benefits, and significantly increased funding for readiness and modernization. I have also proposed a $112 billion increase across fiscal years 2000 to 2005 for readiness, modernization, and other high priority defense requirements. This is the first long-term sustained increase in defense spending in over a decade."

"This report, submitted in accordance with Section 603 of the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Department Reorganization Act of 1986, sets forth a national security strategy to advance our national interests in this era of unique opportunities and dangers. It is premised on the belief that both our domestic strength and our leadership abroad are essential to advancing our goal of a safer, more prosperous America. Building upon America's unmatched strengths, the strategy's three core objectives are: [1] To enhance our security with effective diplomacy and with military forces that are ready to fight and win. [2] To bolster America's economic prosperity. [3] To promote democracy abroad. To achieve these objectives, we will remain engaged abroad and work with partners, new and old, to promote peace and prosperity. We can--and we must--use America's leadership to harness global forces of integration, reshape existing security, economic and political structures, and build new ones that help create the conditions necessary for our interests and values to thrive. "

The security environment in which we live is dynamic and uncertain, replete with a host of threats and challenges that have the potential to grow more deadly, but also offering unprecedented opportunities to avert those threats and advance our interests. To seize these opportunities, and move against the threats of this new global era, we are pursuing a forward-looking national security strategy attuned to the realities of our new era. This report, submitted in accordance with Section 603 of the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Department Reorganization Act of 1986, sets forth that strategy. Its three core objectives are: To enhance our security, to bolster America's economic prosperity, and to promote democracy abroad. This strategy encompasses a wide range of initiatives: expanded military alliances like NATO, its Partnership for Peace, and its partnerships with Russia and Ukraine; promoting free trade through the World Trade Organization and the move toward free trade areas by nations in the Americas and elsewhere around the world; strong arms control regimes like the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; multinational coalitions combating terrorism, corruption, crime and drug trafficking; and binding international commitments to protect the environment and safeguard human rights.

The 2010 National Security Strategy of the United States begins with an overview of national security: "At the dawn of the 21st century, the United States of America faces a broad and complex array of challenges to our national security. Just as America helped to determine the course of the 20th century, we must now build the sources of American strength and influence, and shape an international order capable of overcoming the challenges of the 21st century." Next, the strategy discusses the Strategic Approach, stating that "Our national security depends upon America's ability to leverage our unique national attributes, just as global security depends upon strong and responsible American leadership. That includes our military might, economic competitiveness, moral leadership, global engagement, and efforts to shape an international system that serves the mutual interests of nations and peoples. For the world has changed at an extraordinary pace, and the United States must adapt to advance our interests and sustain our leadership." It then examines U.S. interests: Security, Prosperity, Values, and International Order. It concludes by stating that the "strategy calls for a comprehensive range of national actions, and a broad conception of what constitutes our national security. Above all, it is about renewing our leadership by calling upon what is best about America--our innovation and capacity; our openness and moral imagination."

From the text: "It is the policy of the United States to seek and support democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world. In the world today, the fundamental character of regimes matters as much as the distribution of power among them. The goal of our statecraft is to help create a world of democratic, well-governed states that can meet the needs of their citizens and conduct themselves responsibly in the international system. This is the best way to provide enduring security for the American people. Achieving this goal is the work of generations. The United States is in the early years of a long struggle, similar to what our country faced in the early years of the Cold War. The 20th century witnessed the triumph of freedom over the threats of fascism and communism. Yet a new totalitarian ideology now threatens, an ideology grounded not in secular philosophy but in the perversion of a proud religion. Its content may be different from the ideologies of the last century, but its means are similar: intolerance, murder, terror, enslavement, and repression."

"The U.S. national security strategy will be based on a distinctly American internationalism that reflects the union of the values and our national interest. The aim of this strategy is to help make the world not just safer but better. Our goals on the path to progress are clear: political and economic freedom, peaceful relations with other states, and respect for human dignity."

"The purpose of our Strategy is to guide, organize, and unify our Nation's homeland security efforts. It provides a common framework by which our entire Nation should focus its efforts on the following four goals: 1. Prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks; 2. Protect the American people, our critical infrastructure, and key resources; 3. Respond to and recover from incidents that do occur; and 4. Continue to strengthen the foundation to ensure our long-term success. While the first three goals help to organize our national efforts, the last goal entails creating and transforming our homeland security principles, systems, structures, and institutions. This includes applying a comprehensive approach to risk management, building a culture of preparedness, developing a comprehensive Homeland Security Management System, improving incident management, better utilizing science and technology, and leveraging all instruments of national power and influence. Homeland security requires a truly national effort, with shared goals and responsibilities for protecting and defending the Homeland. Our Strategy leverages the unique strengths and capabilities of all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, communities, and individual citizens. Mindful that many of the threats we face do not recognize geographic boundaries, we also will continue to work closely with our international partners throughout the world. This updated Strategy, which builds directly from the first National Strategy for Homeland Security issued in July 2002, reflects our increased understanding of the terrorist threats con¬fronting the United States today, incorporates lessons learned from exercises and real-world catastrophes - including Hurricane Katrina - and proposes new initiatives and approaches that will enable the Nation to achieve our homeland security objectives. This Strategy also complements both the National Security Strategy issued in March 2006 and the National Strategy for Combating Terrorism issued in September 2006."

The Strategy for Homeland Defense and Civil Support articulates strategic goals and objectives and provides direction to relevant Homeland Defense activities across the department. These activities include deterring and preventing attacks, protecting critical defense and designated civilian infrastructure, providing situational understanding, and preparing for and responding to incidents.

"This plan implements the White House 'National Pandemic Influenza Strategy Implementation Plan.' It provides strategic guidance to all Department of Defense components for preparation and response to an outbreak of pandemic influenza. The Secretary of Defense's principal responsibility in responding to a pandemic will be to protect U.S. interests at home and abroad. This implementation plan sets forth Department of Defense (DoD) guidance and addresses key policy issues for pandemic influenza planning. This guidance will enable the Combatant Commanders, Military Departments, and DoD agencies to develop plans to prepare for, detect, respond to, and contain the effects of a pandemic on military forces, DoD civilians, DoD contractors, dependents, and beneficiaries. Additionally, plans will address the provision of DoD assistance to civil authorities both foreign and domestic. Finally, attention to the key security concerns, such as humanitarian relief and stabilization operations that may arise as a result of a pandemic, will be addressed."

"The National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza guides our preparedness and response to an influenza pandemic, with the intent of (1) stopping, slowing or otherwise limiting the spread of a pandemic to the United States; (2) limiting the domestic spread of a pandemic, and mitigating disease, suffering and death; and (3) sustaining infrastructure and mitigating impact to the economy and the functioning of society. The Strategy will provide a framework for future U.S. Government planning efforts that is consistent with The National Security Strategy and the National Strategy for Homeland Security." Key components of this strategy include preparedness and communication, surveillance and detection, and a section on response and containment.

"A new influenza strain, influenza A (H5N1), is spreading through bird populations across Asia, Africa, and Europe, infecting domesticated birds, including ducks and chickens, and long-range migratory birds. In response to this threat, the President issued the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza on November 1, 2005. The Strategy outlines the coordinated Federal Government effort to prepare for pandemic influenza. This Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza further clarifies the roles and responsibilities of governmental and non-governmental entities, including Federal, State, local, and tribal authorities and regional, national, and international stakeholders, and provides preparedness guidance for all segments of society. It also provides guidance for families and individuals to ensure appropriate personal protection. The Implementation Plan represents a comprehensive effort by the Federal Government to identify the critical steps that must be taken immediately and over the coming months and years to address the threat of an influenza pandemic. It assigns specific responsibilities to Departments and Agencies across the Federal Government, and includes measures of progress and timelines for implementation to ensure that we meet our preparedness objectives. This Plan will be revised over time. The pandemic threat is constantly evolving, as is our level of preparedness."

From the White House Press Release (December 9, 2009): "Today, President Obama released the National Strategy for Countering Biological Threats. This Strategy outlines the President's vision for addressing the challenges from proliferation of biological weapons or their use by terrorists. It highlights the beneficial nature of advances in the life sciences and their importance in combating infectious diseases of natural, accidental, and deliberate origin. It also outlines how the risks associated with misuse and potential consequences of a biological attack require tailored actions to prevent biological threats. The Strategy emphasizes the need to (1) improve global access to the life sciences to combat infectious disease regardless of its cause; (2) establish and reinforce norms against the misuse of the life sciences; and (3) institute a suite of coordinated activities that collectively will help influence, identify, inhibit, and/or interdict those who seek to misuse the life sciences. Through this Strategy the United States Government will work with domestic and international partners on the following seven objectives to PROTECT against misuse of the life sciences to support biological weapons proliferation and terrorism."

Taken from the Office of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority Strategic Plan: "Within the last ten years, the United States has experienced an intentional attack with a biological agent in the form of the anthrax letters as well as naturally emerging outbreaks of high-consequence infectious diseases, including pandemic influenza and SARS. These events represented national security threats and public health emergencies. The past decade has also witnessed the dramatic spread of antimicrobial resistance and community outbreaks of multidrug-resistant bacteria that had previously been confined to hospitals. Concerns persist about the potential use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents by terrorists. Effective medical countermeasures such as vaccines, antimicrobials, therapeutics, and diagnostics have the potential to reduce the impact of such threats and are a bulwark of our national defense and public health emergency preparedness. The mission of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is to develop and procure medical countermeasures that address the public health and medical consequences of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) accidents, incidents and attacks, pandemic influenza, and emerging infectious diseases."

"HIV continues to pose a significant threat to Americans' health and well-being, with African Americans and men who have sex with men (MSM) of all races most severely affected. While African Americans account for 13 percent of the population, they account for nearly half of HIV diagnoses in 2005 (49% in 33 states with longstanding confidential name-based reporting) and nearly half of the people estimated to be living with HIV (47%). MSM also account for half of new HIV diagnoses in 2005 (49% in the 33 states with confidential name-based reporting) and nearly half of people estimated to be living with HIV (45%). Reducing the toll of HIV among these groups requires a collaborative and intensive effort by government, partners, and the private and public sectors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is intensifying its own efforts to address the epidemic among African Americans and MSM. Targeted initiatives are underway, new HIV testing recommendations have been published, and new partnerships with community leaders have been established. CDC will continue to direct the majority of its resources to strategies, programs, and research for groups disproportionately affected by the epidemic and is working to expand the use of proven interventions and develop new approaches for reaching these populations."

"President Obama's 2010 National Drug Control Strategy reflects a comprehensive approach to reducing drug use and its consequences Endorsing a balance of prevention, treatment, and law enforcement, the Strategy calls for a 15-percent reduction in the rate of youth drug use over 5 years and similar reductions in chronic drug use and drug-related consequences such as drug deaths and drugged driving Below are some brief highlights of the Strategy, which harnesses the collaborative strength of local, State, tribal, and Federal agencies, community-based organizations, and other nongovernmental partners."

"My Administration's 2011 National Drug Control Strategy contains support for smart and cost-effective programs to reduce drug use and its consequences. There are new prevention initiatives to encourage young people to make good decisions. There are increasing numbers of evidence-based treatment programs for those with substance use disorders. There is a focus on smart criminal justice approaches that use our criminal justice system to break the cycle of drug use and crime by diverting non-violent offenders into treatment instead of prison. From pre-trial diversion to alternatives to incarceration, to re-entry efforts that fundamentally change how drug-related crime and substance-abusing offenders are addressed, these approaches reduce recidivism and help ex-offenders return to their communities. On our borders and around the world, we highlight our collaboration with international partners to stop drugs from reaching our shores and prevent proceeds of illicit drug sales from returning to traffickers. This Strategy also builds on several legislative accomplishments passed with broad, bipartisan support from Congress over the past year. I was proud to sign two important pieces of legislation since the release of the Inaugural Strategy; the Fair Sentencing Act and the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act."

"Throughout much of the last century, our understanding of drug use was influenced by powerful myths and misconceptions about the nature of addiction. People who used illicit drugs and had substance use disorders were thought to be morally flawed or lacking in willpower. These views shaped our responses to drug policy, resulting in punitive rather than therapeutic approaches to reduce drug use. Today, the Nation's response to addressing substance use disorders and our views about those who suffer from the disease of addiction have begun to change. Groundbreaking discoveries about the brain have revolutionized our understanding, therefore enabling us to develop evidence-based and humane interventions to reduce drug use and its consequences. Substance use disrupts our families, schools, and communities and limits the hopes and dreams of young people across the country. Illicit drug use is associated with addiction, disease, and lower academic performance among our young people, and contributes to crime, injury, lost productivity and serious dangers on our Nation's roadways. Successfully addressing these complex issues requires a range of approaches. The Obama Administration is committed to restoring balance to U.S. drug-control efforts by coordinating an unprecedented government-wide public health and public safety approach."

"This year's National Drug Control Strategy seeks to build on the progress that has already been made by outlining a balanced, integrated plan aimed at achieving the President's goal of reducing drug use. Each pillar of the strategy is crucial, and each sustains the others. The three components are outlined in the following chapters. The first chapter, Stopping Drug Use Before It Starts, outlines the Administration's work to prevent the initiation of drug use. An integral part of this effort is the new Above the Influence initiative by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)-- National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign -- and the Partnership for a Drug Free America. This initiative, which consists of television advertisements and interactive web-based outreach, calls on young people to be true to themselves by remaining above the influence. The second chapter, Healing America's Drug Users, highlights initiatives that treat drug users. Key initiatives include the President's Access to Recovery program, which expands treatment options, and drug courts, which seek to rehabilitate offenders with substance abuse problems. The third chapter, Disrupting Drug Markets, outlines the Administrations work at home and abroad to disrupt the availability of illicit drugs, through source country efforts, interdiction programs, and investigative operations. We are attacking market vulnerabilities in the illegal drug trade and applying pressure to reduce profits and raise the risks of drug trafficking."

"This document presents the Nation's first National Health Security Strategy (NHSS), which is intended to help galvanize efforts to minimize the health consequences associated with significant health incidents.1 The NHSS was developed in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives from local, state, territorial, tribal, and federal government; community-based organizations; private-sector firms; and academia. The statutory authority and requirements for the NHSS are provided under section 2802 of the Public Health Service Act. The vision for health security described in the NHSS is built on a foundation of community resilience-- healthy individuals, families, and communities with access to health care and with the knowledge and resources to know what to do to care for themselves and others in both routine and emergency situations.2 Communities help build resilience by implementing policies and practices to ensure the conditions under which people can be healthy, by assuring access to medical care, building social cohesion, supporting healthy behaviors, and creating a culture of preparedness in which bystander response to emergencies is not the exception but the norm."

"President Obama committed to developing a National HIV/AIDS Strategy with three primary goals: 1) reducing the number of people who become infected with HIV, 2) increasing access to care and optimizing health outcomes for people living with HIV, and 3) reducing HIV-related health disparities. To accomplish these goals, we must undertake a more coordinated national response to the HIV epidemic. The Strategy is intended to be a concise plan that will identify a set of priorities and strategic action steps tied to measurable outcomes. Accompanying the Strategy is a Federal Implementation Plan that outlines the specific steps to be taken by various Federal agencies to support the high-level priorities outlined in the Strategy. This is an ambitious plan that will challenge us to meet all of the goals that we set. The job, however, does not fall to the Federal Government alone, nor should it. Success will require the commitment of all parts of society, including State, tribal and local governments, businesses, faith communities, philanthropy, the scientific and medical communities, educational institutions, people living with HIV, and others."

From the Executive Summary: "The Nation's first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS [human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome] Strategy for the United States (Strategy) was released in 2010, and in the subsequent five years, people and organizations have joined together around its vision and goals. […] This is the first update of the Strategy (Update), which is designed to look ahead to 2020. The Update reflects the hard work accomplished and the lessons learned since 2010. Moreover, it incorporates the scientific advances that could one day bring the United States, and the world, closer to virtually eliminating new HIV infections, effectively supporting all people living with HIV to lead long and healthy lives and eliminating the disparities that persist among some populations. The Strategy remains a steady foundation on which to build future efforts. As such, this Update retains its vision and four main goals through 2020. At the same time, the Strategy is also a living document, designed to be updated. The Update includes the following changes: 1.) The Steps and Recommended Actions under each of the goals have been revised to reflect past progress and activities to meet the Strategy goals (see 'At-A-Glance' summaries on pages 8-11). 2.) The Update has 10 quantitative indicators-some of which are new additions, and some of which are revised-to better monitor progress and ensure that the Nation is constantly moving in the right direction to achieve its goals (see list on page 12 and detailed information in the Indicator Development and Progress Appendix). In addition, three areas have been identified as priorities for developing indicators: PrEP [Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis], stigma, and HIV among transgender persons."

"'The National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Updated to 2020' ('Update') is informed by the latest research and data about HIV prevention and treatment. The Update includes 10 indicators to monitor progress towards the goals, with specific targets set for 2020. The 'Indicator Development and Progress' Appendix of the Update describes each indicator and current progress. This Indicator Supplement is a companion document to the Update. As such, it provides detailed information on the measurement of each indicator. Additional information about the methods, data systems, and results are available in the references cited for each indicator."

"The purpose of the National Strategy to Support Microbial Forensic Research is to guide and focus the research efforts of the US Government to advance the discipline of microbial forensics and provide the nation with the most scientifically sound and statistically defensible capability to provide scientific data to support attribution investigations of a potential or actual biological attack. The Strategy has three primary goals: I. Develop a strategic microbial forensics research agenda that will produce a national microbial forensic capability that is ultimately capable of high confidence, robust detection, characterization and comparison of biological agents in forensic samples. II. Promote interagency communication, coordination and information sharing on microbial forensics research and development efforts. III. Develop effective interagency education and training on microbial forensics designed to inform policymakers and scientific and technical personnel. This Strategy shall form the framework of an interagency implementation plan that will begin to address research and interagency communications issues that are required for an enduring national capability in microbial forensics."

"CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] provides technical assistance and resources to state and local public health agencies to support their efforts to build prepared and resilient communities. CDC provides subject-matter expertise and assistance for domestic and global surveillance, laboratory, occupational health and epidemiology functions, and health threats including anthrax, smallpox, influenza and other infectious diseases, food-borne illness, and radiation, among others. CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) leads the agency's preparedness and response activities by providing strategic direction, support, and coordination for activities across CDC as well as with local, state, tribal, national, territorial, and international public health partners. In the decade since September 11th and the anthrax attacks, significant investments have been made in the nation's public health system to respond to all-hazard threats. Public health departments at all levels of government can now quickly staff public health emergency operations centers; there is improved proficiency in laboratories testing for biological and chemical agents across the nation and the globe; and states can receive urgent disease reports and rapidly communicate information about health threats and related preventive and protective actions to the public."

From the Executive Summary: "The discovery of antibiotics in the early 20th century fundamentally transformed human and veterinary medicine. Antibiotics now save millions of lives each year in the United States and around the world. The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, however, represents a serious threat to public health and the economy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that annually, at least two million illnesses and 23,000 deaths are caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the United States alone. If the effectiveness of antibiotics (drugs that kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria) is lost, we will no longer be able to reliably and rapidly treat bacterial infections, including bacterial pneumonias, foodborne illnesses, and healthcare associated infections. As more strains of bacteria become resistant to an ever-larger number of antibiotics, our drug choices have become increasingly limited and more expensive and, in some cases, nonexistent. In a world with few effective antibiotics, modern medical advances such as surgery, transplants, and chemotherapy may no longer be viable due to the threat of infection. The National Strategy for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria identifies priorities and coordinates investments: to prevent, detect, and control outbreaks of resistant pathogens recognized by CDC as urgent or serious threats, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), ceftriaxoneresistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Clostridium difficile, which is naturally resistant to many drugs used to treat other infections and proliferates following administration of antibiotics; to ensure continued availability of effective therapies for the treatment of bacterial infections; and to detect and control newly resistant bacteria that emerge in humans or animals."

"In 2004, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tasked the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to develop a strategic plan and research agenda to guide all activities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop medical countermeasures against possible terrorist attacks involving radioactive materials. Prior to this, no Federal agency had the mission to develop such products for civilian populations. The NIH Strategic Plan and Research Agenda for Medical Countermeasures against Radiological and Nuclear Threats is the subject of the present report and builds upon and extends NIAID's activities in the biodefense arena. Currently, relatively few medical treatments are available to counter radiological and nuclear threats, and most of those in development will need extensive preclinical testing before they can be evaluated for licensure. Radiological and nuclear threats to the nation are complex, encompassing the detonation of conventional explosives combined with radioactive materials ('dirty bombs'), placement of radioactive sources in public locations, contamination of food and water supplies, attacks on nuclear reactors or sites where radioactive materials are stored, or, in a worst case scenario, the detonation of a nuclear explosive device. Notably, only a small number of radiation countermeasures have been entered into the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), the purpose of which is to facilitate emergency deployment on a national scale. Many more such agents are needed, based on the range of options that could be employed by terrorists, the need for urgent intervention following radiation exposure, and the medical complexities of acute and chronic radiation injury."

"This document was developed by the Interagency Working Group (IWG) for Detecting and Mitigating the Impact of Earth-bound Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) (DAMIEN). The Strategy seeks to improve our Nation's preparedness to address the hazard of near-Earth object (NEO) impacts by enhancing the integration of existing national and international assets and adding important capabilities that are currently lacking. The Strategy builds on efforts at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to better detect and characterize the NEO population as well as recent efforts at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prepare for and respond to a NEO impact."

Space security not only plays a vital role in strengthening U.S. national security, it also supports diplomatic efforts and empowers the U.S. economy. As more nations seek space and counterspace abilities, the United States is faced with many difficult challenges. The Department of Defense recently announced the release of the National Security Space Strategy, which was signed jointly by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. This report "charts a path for the next decade to respond to the current and projected space strategic environment." According to the report: "We seek a safe space environment in which all can operate with minimal risk of accidents, breakups, and purposeful interference. We seek a stable space environment in which nations exercise shared responsibility to act as stewards of the space domain and follow norms of behavior. We seek a secure space environment in which responsible nations have access to space and the benefits of space operations without need to exercise their inherent right of self-defense."

"The President authorized a new national space policy on August 31, 2006 that establishes overarching national policy that governs the conduct of U.S. space activities. This policy supersedes Presidential Decision Directive/NSC-49/NSTC-8, National Space Policy, dated September 14, 1996. [...] Freedom of action in space is as important to the United States as air power and sea power. In order to increase knowledge, discovery, economic prosperity, and to enhance the national security, the United States must have robust, effective, and efficient space capabilities."

"Leadership in science and technology has been the foundation of American national security since World War II. This leadership--coupled with America's capacity for innovation and the ability to translate new ideas into deployable weapons, systems, and concepts of operation--has long ensured the Nation's military advantage. […] A new generation of threats and opportunities has emerged, moreover, which will continue to evolve in unprecedented ways. The United States must continue to lead in developing science and technology solutions to effectively address global problems, such as infectious disease and climate change, which will ultimately affect U.S. national security. The U.S. national security ST&I [Science, Technology, and Innovation] enterprise must continue to evolve to meet these emerging threats and challenges. America's national security research and development system is structured to respond to the military threats and economic opportunities of the last century. Recognizing the crucial role of technology in the Second World War, postwar America created an extensive infrastructure for national security science and technology that provided the foundation for the nuclear triad, the intelligence gathering infrastructure, and an array of other military capabilities and advanced tools to meet the threats of the Cold War era. This enterprise nurtured transformative technologies, including stealth technology, integrated command and control, and precision-guided munitions, all designed to counter peer adversaries in large-scale military conflicts. […] This document […] lays out the needs, opportunities, and challenges facing America's national security ST&I enterprise and sets forth a vision for its health and sufficiency enterprise in four critical areas: (1) workforce; (2) facilities and infrastructure; (3) governance roles and responsibilities; and (4) innovative capacity to transform ideas into working technology."

"Mission drives agencies, and the need to deliver better services to customers at a lower cost--whether an agency is supporting the warfighter overseas, a teacher seeking classroom resources or a family figuring out how to pay for college--is pushing every level of government to look for new solutions. Today's amazing mix of cloud computing, ever-smarter mobile devices, and collaboration tools is changing the consumer landscape and bleeding into government as both an opportunity and a challenge. New expectations require the Federal Government to be ready to deliver and receive digital information and services anytime, anywhere and on any device. It must do so safely, securely, and with fewer resources. To build for the future, the Federal Government needs a Digital Strategy that embraces the opportunity to innovate more with less, and enables entrepreneurs to better leverage government data to improve the quality of services to the American people. Early mobile adopters in government--like the early web adopters--are beginning to experiment in pursuit of innovation. Some have created products that leverage the unique capabilities of mobile devices. Others have launched programs and strategies and brought personal devices into the workplace. Absent coordination, however, the work is being done in isolated, programmatic silos within agencies. Building for the future requires us to think beyond programmatic lines. To keep up with the pace of change in technology, we need to securely architect our systems for interoperability and openness from conception. We need to have common standards and more rapidly share the lessons learned by early adopters. We need to produce better content and data, and present it through multiple channels in a program and device-agnostic way. We need to adopt a coordinated approach to ensure privacy and security in a digital age."

"The foundation of the United States' international cyberspace policy is the belief that networked technologies hold immense potential for our Nation, and for the world. Over the last three decades we, the United States, have watched these technologies revolutionize our economy and transform of our daily lives. We have also witnessed offline challenges, like exploitation and aggression, move into cyberspace. As we adapt to meet those challenges, we will lead by example. The United States will pursue an international cyberspace policy that empowers the innovation that drives our economy and improves lives here and abroad. In all this work, we are grounded in principles essential not just to American foreign policy, but to the future of the Internet itself. [...] Our policies flow from a commitment to both preserving the best of cyberspace and safeguarding our principles. Our international cyberspace policy reflects our core commitments to fundamental freedoms, privacy, and the free flow of information."

"Each year, Federal agencies invest billions of dollars in civil Earth observations. Through these investments, the U.S. government ensures that the Nation's decision makers, businesses, first-responders, farmers, and a wide array of other stakeholders have the information they need about climate and weather, disaster events, land-use change, ecosystem health, natural resources, and many other characteristics of the planet. Taken together, Earth observations provide the indispensable foundation for meeting the Federal Government's long-term sustainability objectives and advancing U.S. social, environmental, and economic well-being. As the Nation's Earth-observation capacity has grown, however, so has the complexity of this endeavor. Today, U.S. Earth-observation efforts are distributed among more than 100 programs under the purview of Federal agencies and non-Federal entities that both produce and use these data. The National Strategy for Civil Earth Observations, developed in response to congressional direction, is designed to maximize interagency coordination, increase efficiency and efficacy of future Earth-observation efforts, and promote environmental and economic sustainability."

"A secure cyberspace is critical to our prosperity. We use the Internet and other online environments to increase our productivity, as a platform for innovation, and as a venue in which to create new businesses 'Our digital infrastructure, therefore, is a strategic national asset, and protecting it--while safeguarding privacy and civil liberties--is a national security priority' and an economic necessity. By addressing threats in this environment, we will help individuals protect themselves in cyberspace and enable both the private sector and government to offer more services online As a Nation, we are addressing many of the technical and policy shortcomings that have led to insecurity in cyberspace Among these shortcomings is the online authentication of people and devices: the President's Cyberspace Policy Review established trusted identities as a cornerstone of improved cybersecurity In the current online environment, individuals are asked to maintain dozens of different usernames and passwords, one for each website with which they interact The complexity of this approach is a burden to individuals, and it encourages behavior--like the reuse of passwords--that makes online fraud and identity theft easier At the same time, online businesses are faced with ever-increasing costs for managing customer accounts, the consequences of online fraud, and the loss of business that results from individuals' unwillingness to create yet another account Moreover, both businesses and governments are unable to offer many services online, because they cannot effectively identify the individuals with whom they interact Spoofed websites, stolen passwords, and compromised accounts are all symptoms of inadequate authentication mechanisms."

"Identity theft has swiftly become a serious issue for victims, police, and prosecutors, and is a problem that is requiring an increased commitment of resources by private enterprise. The Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) recognized the severity of this problem in 2003 and surveyed its members to explore police-related identity theft issues. Survey results demonstrated that deterring identity theft was impeded for the most part because police departments were functioning in isolation from each other and other parts of the criminal justice system. The MCCA concluded that new levels of prevention, response, and collaboration were needed to stop this rapidly increasing crime. To gain greater insight into the challenges facing police in responding to the identity theft problem, the MCCA and the DPSL conducted two surveys to obtain a broad base of information from police and others on the problem and potential solutions. The project also organized two focus groups comprising police, prosecutors, federal officials, victim assistance professionals, and representatives from the private sector. The first focus group discussed the problem in detail, shared experiences, and provided the background needed to develop the surveys. The second focus group discussed the survey results, framed recommendations for a national response to identity theft, and identified best practices. Participants are listed in Appendix B. This report, A National Strategy to Combat Identity Theft, describes the components of a national strategy, the interrelationships of the components, and best practices to illustrate each component."

The Nation's critical infrastructure includes hundreds of thousands of interconnected computers, servers, routers, switches, and fiber optic cables known as cyberspace. The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace outlines the United States' national strategy to combat the increasing vulnerability of cyber attacks. The strategic objectives run consistent with the National Strategy for Homeland Security: to prevent cyber attacks against America's critical infrastructures; to reduce national vulnerability to cyber attacks; and to minimize damage and recovery time from cyber attacks that do occur. The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace explains the five national priorities for cyberspace security: (1) a national cyberspace security response system; (2) a national cyberspace security threat and vulnerability reduction program; (3) a national cyberspace security awareness and training program; (4) Securing governments' cyberspace; and (5) national security and international cyberspace security cooperation. Moreover, the stated purpose of this document is "to engage and empower Americans to secure the portions of cyberspace that they own, operate, control, or with which they interact."

This anti-terrorism strategy is designed to complement key elements of the National Security Strategy released last year as well as other national strategies to promote homeland security, combat weapons of mass destruction, secure cyberspace, protect critical national infrastructure and control illicit drug trafficking.

This updated strategy sets the course for winning the War on Terror. It builds directly from the National Security Strategy issued in March 2006 as well as the February 2003 National Strategy for Combating Terrorism, and incorporates our increased understanding of the enemy. From the beginning, we understood that the War on Terror involved more than simply finding and bringing to justice those who had planned and executed the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Our strategy involved destroying the larger al-Qaida network and also confronting the radical ideology that inspired others to join or support the terrorist movement. Since 9/11, we have made substantial progress in degrading the al-Qaida network, killing or capturing key lieutenants, eliminating safehavens, and disrupting existing lines of support. Through the freedom agenda, we also have promoted the best long-term answer to al-Qaida's agenda: the freedom and dignity that comes when human liberty is protected by effective democratic institutions. In response to our efforts, the terrorists have adjusted, and so we must continue to refine our strategy to meet the evolving threat. Today, we face a global terrorist movement and must confront the radical ideology that justifies the use of violence against innocents in the name of religion. As laid out in this strategy, to win the War on Terror, we will: Advance effective democracies as the long-term antidote to the ideology of terrorism; Prevent attacks by terrorist networks; Deny terrorists the support and sanctuary of rogue states; Deny terrorists control of any nation they would use as a base and launching pad for terror; and Lay the foundations and build the institutions and structures we need to carry the fight forward against terror and help ensure our ultimate success.

"As the President affirmed in his 2010 National Security Strategy, he bears no greater responsibility than ensuring the safety and security of the American people. This National Strategy for Counterterrorism sets out our approach to one of the President's top national security priorities: disrupting, dismantling, and eventually defeating al-Qa'ida and its affiliates and adherents to ensure the security of our citizens and interests. In response to the attacks of September 2001, the United States embarked on a national effort against al-Qa'ida, the transnational terrorist organization responsible for planning and conducting the attacks. As we approach the 10th anniversary of that day, we can look forward with confidence in our accomplishments and pride in the resiliency of our nation. We have prevented another catastrophic attack on our shores; our citizens have not let the specter of terrorism disrupt their daily lives and activities; our Federal government has worked to become more integrated, efficient, and effective in its counterterrorism (CT) efforts; and we have placed our CT campaign in a context that does not dominate the lives of the American people nor overshadow our approach to the broad range of our interests. Yet the paramount terrorist threat we have faced-al-Qa'ida and its affiliates and adherents-has also continued to evolve, often in response to the successes of the United States and its partners around the world. Our efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan have destroyed much of al-Qa'ida's leadership and weakened the organization substantially. Meanwhile, in recent years the source of the threat to the United States and its allies has shifted in part toward the periphery-to groups affiliated with but separate from the core of the group in Pakistan and Afghanistan. This also includes deliberate efforts by al-Qa'ida to inspire individuals within the United States to conduct attacks on their own. Therefore, this National Strategy for Counterterrorism maintains our focus on pressuring al-Qa'ida's core while emphasizing the need to build foreign partnerships and capacity and to strengthen our resilience. At the same time, our strategy augments our focus on confronting the al-Qa'ida-linked threats that continue to emerge from beyond its core safehaven in South Asia."

"The goal of the NSCTT is to fight terrorist travel globally. The NSCTT identifies eight key steps necessary to achieve that goal: 1. Identify known or suspected terrorists; 2. Ensure broad data sharing across the US Government and with partner Nations; 3. Screen travelers effectively both before reaching and at ports of entry into the United States; 4. Build partner capacity to limit and screen for terrorist travel; 5. Detect and apprehend terrorists who intend to enter, or who may have entered, the United States; 6. Dismantle infrastructures and networks that facilitate terrorist travel; 7. Strengthen travel and document security at home and abroad to ensure that terrorists cannot acquire documentation through legal or illicit means; [and] 8. Collect, analyze and disseminate all terrorist travel information to key consumers across the counterterrorism and law enforcement communities. In view of these findings, the NSCTT addresses two main topics. First, the NSCTT captures current US Government capabilities to confront the problem of terrorist travel around the globe. Second, the NSCTT recommends how the US Government should enhance or expand its capabilities to address the problem."

"The security and economic prosperity of the United States depend significantly upon the secure operation of its aviation system and use of the world's airspace by the Nation, its international partners, and legitimate commercial interests. Terrorists, criminals, and hostile nation-states have long viewed aviation as a target for attack and exploitation. The tragic events of September 11, 2001 and the Heathrow plot of August 2006 are telling reminders of the threats facing aviation and the intent and capabilities of adversaries that mean to do harm to the United States and its people. In June 2006, building upon the Administration's successful efforts since 9/11, the President directed the development of a comprehensive National Strategy for Aviation Security (hereafter referred to as 'the Strategy') to protect the Nation and its interests from threats in the Air Domain. The Secretary of Homeland Security, in accordance with National Security Presidential Directive 47/Homeland Security Presidential Directive 16 (NSPD-47/HSPD-16), will coordinate the operational implementation of the Strategy, including the integration and synchronization of related Federal programs and initiatives. […] Through a collaborative interagency effort and with input from aviation stakeholders, seven supporting plans will be developed to address the specific threats and challenges identified in NSPD-47/HSPD-16. Although the plans will address different aspects of aviation security, they will be mutually linked and reinforce each other. The supporting plans are: Aviation Transportation System Security Plan, Aviation Operational Threat Response Plan, Aviation Transportation System Recovery Plan, Air Domain Surveillance and Intelligence Integration Plan, International Aviation Threat Reduction Plan, Domestic Outreach Plan, and International Outreach Plan."

"In recent years, advances in communications technology, along with reductions in trade barriers and production costs, have opened new markets and created new jobs and opportunity for workers. The global supply chain system that supports this trade is essential to the United States' economy and security and is a critical global asset. We have seen that disruptions to supply chains caused by natural disasters - earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions - and from criminal and terrorist networks seeking to exploit the system or use it as a means of attack can adversely impact global economic growth and productivity. As a nation, we must address the challenges posed by these threats and strengthen our national and international policies accordingly. Through the National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security, we seek to strengthen global supply chains in order to protect the welfare and interests ofthe American people and secure our Nation's economic prosperity. We reject the false choice between security and efficiency and firmly believe that we can promote economic growth while protecting our core values as a nation and as a people. Through this Strategy, we endorse a national approach and active collaboration with the international community. We will integrate and energize our efforts to enhance our ability to manage risk by building a layered defense, addressing threats early, and fostering a resilient system that can absorb and recover rapidly from unanticipated disruptions. By institutionalizing information-sharing arrangements, streamlining government processes, and synchronizing standards and procedures, we can realize new efficiencies while strengthening global supply chains."

"The Transportation Systems Sector - a sector that comprises all modes of transportation (Aviation, Maritime, Mass Transit, Highway, Freight Rail, and Pipeline) - is a vast, open, interdependent networked system that moves millions of passengers and millions of tons of goods. The transportation network is critical to the Nation's way of life and economic vitality. Ensuring its security is the mission charged to all sector partners, including government (Federal, State, regional, local, and tribal) and private industry stakeholders. Every day, the transportation network connects cities, manufacturers, and retailers, moving large volumes of goods and individuals through a complex network of approximately 4 million miles of roads and highways, more than 100,000 miles of rail, 600,000 bridges, more than 300 tunnels and numerous sea ports, 2 million miles of pipeline, 500,000 train stations, and 500 public-use airports. The sector's security risks are evident by attacks either using or against the global transportation network, including not only the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but also more recent attacks on transportation targets such as the 2005 London bombings, the coordinated attack on four commuter trains in Madrid in 2004, and the 2006 plot uncovered in the United Kingdom targeting airlines bound for the United States. These recent attacks are a sobering reminder that the transportation system remains an attractive target for terrorists post-September 11. Hurricane Katrina and other disasters (natural and industrial) also highlight the risk to the sector that is not directly related to terrorism. Taken together, the risk from terrorism and other hazards demands a coordinated approach involving all sector stakeholders."

"The Strategic Plan for the Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP) outlines the strategic priorities-linked to the ends, ways, and means-to accomplish the CBDP four overarching and interrelated strategic goals that must be taken for the next 10 to 15 years in order to realize the CBDP vision and achieve the mission. [...] The CBDP Strategic Plan intent is to influence ongoing near- and mid-term actions and provide the direction for the next 10 to 15 years, to realize the CBDP vision and achieve the mission. This strategy portrays the first comprehensive, integrated roadmap for the CBDP Enterprise by outlining the overarching direction for the organization. The CBDP Enterprise is composed of all those organizations, people, facilities, and their associated processes that are responsible for producing CBRN defense capabilities for the Warfighter. For CBRN defense, the CBDP defines Warfighters as those individuals and units from Active Forces, Reserve Components, governmental and departmental civilians, and contractors that participate in the growing range of military operations worldwide."

Issued by the White House in 2002, Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)4 lays out the "three pillars" in the fight against weapons of mass destruction: counterproliferation to combat WMD use; strengthened nonproliferation to combat WMD proliferation; and consequence management to respond to WMD use. The Strategy also details the four "cross-cutting enabling functions" to be pursued: intelligence collection and analysis on WMD, delivery systems, and related technologies; research and development to improve our ability to respond to evolving threats; bilateral and multilateral cooperation; and targeted strategies against hostile states and terrorists.

"The National Military Strategy (NMS) to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) is derived from the Department of Defense's (DOD) mission to dissuade, deter and defeat those who seek to harm the United States, its allies, and partners through WMD use or threat of use and, if attacked, to mitigate the effects and restore deterrence. Its purpose is to provide DOD Components guidance and a strategic framework for combating WMD. The strategy uses an 'ends, ways, means' approach to planning, executing and resourcing, and emphasizes those combating WMD missions in which the military plays a prominent role."

"Emergency response teams across the Nation require reliable and interoperable chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) equipment that can be used with confidence for the protection of life, health, property, and commerce. The United States Government will, together with commercial and end-user communities, facilitate the development and implementation of national consensus CBRNE standards and establish an enduring capability to coordinate, prioritize, and implement those standards. It is the vision of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) to establish and coordinate implementation of an integrated standards development approach that spans the full spectrum of standards, including performance, interoperability, test and evaluation, conformity assessment, operating procedures, training, and certification. This will assure that equipment is reliable and interoperable, and provides consistent and accurate results. This Strategy describes the elements of a standards and testing infrastructure needed to counter CBRNE threats. The Subcommittee has consulted across the Federal government to identify research efforts and current practices with respect to performance specifications and test methods, as well as standards development needs. The Subcommittee recognizes that the CBRNE mission may be only one component of what users do each and every day. Therefore, the goals reflect not just the technical performance of the technology, but the interoperability with their suite of equipment, as well as concepts of operations involved in their deployment and the training of the users."

From the White House Press Release (December 9, 2009): "Today, President Obama released the National Strategy for Countering Biological Threats. This Strategy outlines the President's vision for addressing the challenges from proliferation of biological weapons or their use by terrorists. It highlights the beneficial nature of advances in the life sciences and their importance in combating infectious diseases of natural, accidental, and deliberate origin. It also outlines how the risks associated with misuse and potential consequences of a biological attack require tailored actions to prevent biological threats. The Strategy emphasizes the need to (1) improve global access to the life sciences to combat infectious disease regardless of its cause; (2) establish and reinforce norms against the misuse of the life sciences; and (3) institute a suite of coordinated activities that collectively will help influence, identify, inhibit, and/or interdict those who seek to misuse the life sciences. Through this Strategy the United States Government will work with domestic and international partners on the following seven objectives to PROTECT against misuse of the life sciences to support biological weapons proliferation and terrorism."

"The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was formed in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as part of a deliberate and determined national effort to safeguard the United States against terrorism. […] The submission of the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) Report to Congress on February 1, 2010 marked an important first step in a multi-step process to examine and address fundamental issues that concern homeland security. The QHSR Report described the Nation's homeland security interests, identified the critical homeland security missions, and defined a strategic approach to those missions by laying out the principal goals, essential objectives, and key strategic outcomes necessary for that approach to succeed. A bottom-up review (BUR) of the Department of Homeland Security was initiated in November 2009 as an immediate follow-on and complement to the congressionally mandated QHSR with the aim to align the Department's programmatic activities and organizational structure with the broader mission sets and goal identified in the QHSR. This report reflects that endeavor and represents an intermediate step between the QHSR Report and the DHS FY 2012-2016 Future Years Homeland Security Program (FYHSP), which will propose specific programmatic adjustments based on the QHSR strategic framework. Together, these three elements--the QHSR, the BUR, and the DHS FY 2012-2016 FYHSP--will address the primary legislative requirements set forth in Section 707 of the Homeland Security Act."

Issued by the White House in 2002, Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)4 lays out the "three pillars" in the fight against weapons of mass destruction: counterproliferation to combat WMD use; strengthened nonproliferation to combat WMD proliferation; and consequence management to respond to WMD use. The Strategy also details the four "cross-cutting enabling functions" to be pursued: intelligence collection and analysis on WMD, delivery systems, and related technologies; research and development to improve our ability to respond to evolving threats; bilateral and multilateral cooperation; and targeted strategies against hostile states and terrorists.

"The National Border Patrol Strategy has an ambitious goal: operational control of our nations border, and particularly our borders with Mexico and Canada. This is a goal vital to our national security. The new National Strategy embraces and builds upon many elements of Operations Gatekeeper and Hold the Line; however, it goes beyond the deterrence strategy embodied in those operations and it is more than a strategy just for the southwest border. The Border Patrols new Strategy consists of six core elements: (1) securing the right combination of personnel, technology and infrastructure; (2) improving mobility and rapid deployment to quickly counter and interdict based on shifts in smuggling routes and tactical intelligence; (3) deploying defense-in-depth that makes full use of interior checkpoints and enforcement operations calculated to deny successful migration; (4) coordinating and partnering with other law enforcement agencies to achieve our goals; (5) improving border awareness and intelligence; and (6) strengthening the Headquarters command structure. Achieving the new Border Patrol Strategy requires having the right combination of highly trained and well-equipped Border Patrol agents, integrated detection and sensor technology and air and marine assets, and strategically placed tactical infrastructure."

"Strategy development is an ever-evolving and active process that ensures countries, institutions, and private industry look toward the future, provides direction, and sets appropriate goals and objectives. As the National Counterintelligence Executive (NCIX), I am charged with producing the National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States of America (Strategy) on an annual basis. This Strategy provides strategic direction and guidance for counterintelligence activities of the United States Government to include the Intelligence Community. Upon review of the Strategy, I have determined that the current mission and enterprise objectives are consistent with the 2009 National Intelligence Strategy (NIS), which for the first time, includes a mission objective for counterintelligence. The inclusion of the counterintelligence mission objective in the NIS reinforces the Director of National Intelligence's position that counterintelligence is a critical mission of the Intelligence Enterprise."

"These pages outline the National Security Agency/Central Security Service's strategic plan for the 21st century, and how we intend to achieve our goal: information superiority for America." Five sub goals relating to the following fields are also outlined: vital information, military operations, policy makers, technology, and people and processes.

"This document presents the Nation's first National Health Security Strategy (NHSS), which is intended to help galvanize efforts to minimize the health consequences associated with significant health incidents.1 The NHSS was developed in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives from local, state, territorial, tribal, and federal government; community-based organizations; private-sector firms; and academia. The statutory authority and requirements for the NHSS are provided under section 2802 of the Public Health Service Act. The vision for health security described in the NHSS is built on a foundation of community resilience-- healthy individuals, families, and communities with access to health care and with the knowledge and resources to know what to do to care for themselves and others in both routine and emergency situations.2 Communities help build resilience by implementing policies and practices to ensure the conditions under which people can be healthy, by assuring access to medical care, building social cohesion, supporting healthy behaviors, and creating a culture of preparedness in which bystander response to emergencies is not the exception but the norm."

"President Obama committed to developing a National HIV/AIDS Strategy with three primary goals: 1) reducing the number of people who become infected with HIV, 2) increasing access to care and optimizing health outcomes for people living with HIV, and 3) reducing HIV-related health disparities. To accomplish these goals, we must undertake a more coordinated national response to the HIV epidemic. The Strategy is intended to be a concise plan that will identify a set of priorities and strategic action steps tied to measurable outcomes. Accompanying the Strategy is a Federal Implementation Plan that outlines the specific steps to be taken by various Federal agencies to support the high-level priorities outlined in the Strategy. This is an ambitious plan that will challenge us to meet all of the goals that we set. The job, however, does not fall to the Federal Government alone, nor should it. Success will require the commitment of all parts of society, including State, tribal and local governments, businesses, faith communities, philanthropy, the scientific and medical communities, educational institutions, people living with HIV, and others."

"The National Military Strategic Plan for the War on Terrorism (NMSP-WOT) constitutes the comprehensive military plan to prosecute the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) for the Armed Forces of the United States. This document reflects the lessons of the first four years of the Global War on Terrorism, including the findings and recommendations of the 9-11 Commission and a rigorous examination within the Department of Defense (DoD), personally led by the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The NMSP-WOT outlines the Department's strategic planning and provides strategic guidance for military activities and operations in the GWOT. The document guides the planning and actions of the Combatant Commands, the Military Departments, Combat Support Agencies and Field Support Activities of the United States to protect and defend the homeland, attack terrorists and their capacity to operate effectively at home and abroad, and support mainstream efforts to reject violent extremism."

"This strategy is derived from a thorough assessment of the strategic environment and how to advance our national interests within it. It describes how the Joint Force will redefine America's military leadership by enabling whole-of-nation approaches to address national security challenges. It calls for a broad portfolio of leadership approaches -- facilitator, enabler, convener, and guarantor - to address problems that are truly international in nature. Our leadership approaches magnify the capabilities we possess, making them just as important to assuring favorable outcomes. Our ability to lead will determine how well we advance America's interests through this strategic inflection point. This strategy also sets a vector toward transition from a force that has been engaged in sustained combat operations to a Joint Force that is shaped for the future. As the challenges we face require a Joint Force that is flexible, agile, and adaptive, it emphasizes people as much as platforms. It recognizes that the unique character of our Service members, working hand-in-hand with other government agencies and in support of public-private partnerships, is a formidable advantage. We must continue to care for Service members and their families, and set conditions for their continued success -- in and out of uniform. This will require significant support from Congress, the American people, and a thoughtful, reflective military leadership. By successfully contributing to America's security and prosperity, we will continue to advance our Nation's enduring interests well into the 21st Century."

Space security not only plays a vital role in strengthening U.S. national security, it also supports diplomatic efforts and empowers the U.S. economy. As more nations seek space and counterspace abilities, the United States is faced with many difficult challenges. The Department of Defense recently announced the release of the National Security Space Strategy, which was signed jointly by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. This report "charts a path for the next decade to respond to the current and projected space strategic environment." According to the report: "We seek a safe space environment in which all can operate with minimal risk of accidents, breakups, and purposeful interference. We seek a stable space environment in which nations exercise shared responsibility to act as stewards of the space domain and follow norms of behavior. We seek a secure space environment in which responsible nations have access to space and the benefits of space operations without need to exercise their inherent right of self-defense."

"Illicit trafficking across the Southwest border continues to be a chronic threat to our Nation and one of the top homeland security priorities for the United States. Transnational criminal organizations in Mexico dominate the illegal drug supply chain, taking ownership of drug shipments after they depart South America and overseeing their transportation to market and distribution throughout the United States. It is estimated that approximately 90 percent of the cocaine that is destined for U.S. markets transits the Mexico/Central America corridor. Mexico is the primary foreign source of marijuana and methamphetamine destined for U.S. markets and is also a source and transit country for heroin. Transnational criminal organizations based in Mexico dominate the U.S. drug trade--not just in border areas, but throughout much of the Nation. These organizations also control the south-bound flow of drug-related bulk currency and illegal weapons."

"CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] provides technical assistance and resources to state and local public health agencies to support their efforts to build prepared and resilient communities. CDC provides subject-matter expertise and assistance for domestic and global surveillance, laboratory, occupational health and epidemiology functions, and health threats including anthrax, smallpox, influenza and other infectious diseases, food-borne illness, and radiation, among others. CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) leads the agency's preparedness and response activities by providing strategic direction, support, and coordination for activities across CDC as well as with local, state, tribal, national, territorial, and international public health partners. In the decade since September 11th and the anthrax attacks, significant investments have been made in the nation's public health system to respond to all-hazard threats. Public health departments at all levels of government can now quickly staff public health emergency operations centers; there is improved proficiency in laboratories testing for biological and chemical agents across the nation and the globe; and states can receive urgent disease reports and rapidly communicate information about health threats and related preventive and protective actions to the public."

"The security and economic prosperity of the United States depend significantly upon the secure operation of its aviation system and use of the world's airspace by the Nation, its international partners, and legitimate commercial interests. Terrorists, criminals, and hostile nation-states have long viewed aviation as a target for attack and exploitation. The tragic events of September 11, 2001 and the Heathrow plot of August 2006 are telling reminders of the threats facing aviation and the intent and capabilities of adversaries that mean to do harm to the United States and its people. In June 2006, building upon the Administration's successful efforts since 9/11, the President directed the development of a comprehensive National Strategy for Aviation Security (hereafter referred to as 'the Strategy') to protect the Nation and its interests from threats in the Air Domain. The Secretary of Homeland Security, in accordance with National Security Presidential Directive 47/Homeland Security Presidential Directive 16 (NSPD-47/HSPD-16), will coordinate the operational implementation of the Strategy, including the integration and synchronization of related Federal programs and initiatives. […] Through a collaborative interagency effort and with input from aviation stakeholders, seven supporting plans will be developed to address the specific threats and challenges identified in NSPD-47/HSPD-16. Although the plans will address different aspects of aviation security, they will be mutually linked and reinforce each other. The supporting plans are: Aviation Transportation System Security Plan, Aviation Operational Threat Response Plan, Aviation Transportation System Recovery Plan, Air Domain Surveillance and Intelligence Integration Plan, International Aviation Threat Reduction Plan, Domestic Outreach Plan, and International Outreach Plan."

"As the President affirmed in his 2010 National Security Strategy, he bears no greater responsibility than ensuring the safety and security of the American people. This National Strategy for Counterterrorism sets out our approach to one of the President's top national security priorities: disrupting, dismantling, and eventually defeating al-Qa'ida and its affiliates and adherents to ensure the security of our citizens and interests. In response to the attacks of September 2001, the United States embarked on a national effort against al-Qa'ida, the transnational terrorist organization responsible for planning and conducting the attacks. As we approach the 10th anniversary of that day, we can look forward with confidence in our accomplishments and pride in the resiliency of our nation. We have prevented another catastrophic attack on our shores; our citizens have not let the specter of terrorism disrupt their daily lives and activities; our Federal government has worked to become more integrated, efficient, and effective in its counterterrorism (CT) efforts; and we have placed our CT campaign in a context that does not dominate the lives of the American people nor overshadow our approach to the broad range of our interests. Yet the paramount terrorist threat we have faced-al-Qa'ida and its affiliates and adherents-has also continued to evolve, often in response to the successes of the United States and its partners around the world. Our efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan have destroyed much of al-Qa'ida's leadership and weakened the organization substantially. Meanwhile, in recent years the source of the threat to the United States and its allies has shifted in part toward the periphery-to groups affiliated with but separate from the core of the group in Pakistan and Afghanistan. This also includes deliberate efforts by al-Qa'ida to inspire individuals within the United States to conduct attacks on their own. Therefore, this National Strategy for Counterterrorism maintains our focus on pressuring al-Qa'ida's core while emphasizing the need to build foreign partnerships and capacity and to strengthen our resilience. At the same time, our strategy augments our focus on confronting the al-Qa'ida-linked threats that continue to emerge from beyond its core safehaven in South Asia."

"In recent years, advances in communications technology, along with reductions in trade barriers and production costs, have opened new markets and created new jobs and opportunity for workers. The global supply chain system that supports this trade is essential to the United States' economy and security and is a critical global asset. We have seen that disruptions to supply chains caused by natural disasters - earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions - and from criminal and terrorist networks seeking to exploit the system or use it as a means of attack can adversely impact global economic growth and productivity. As a nation, we must address the challenges posed by these threats and strengthen our national and international policies accordingly. Through the National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security, we seek to strengthen global supply chains in order to protect the welfare and interests ofthe American people and secure our Nation's economic prosperity. We reject the false choice between security and efficiency and firmly believe that we can promote economic growth while protecting our core values as a nation and as a people. Through this Strategy, we endorse a national approach and active collaboration with the international community. We will integrate and energize our efforts to enhance our ability to manage risk by building a layered defense, addressing threats early, and fostering a resilient system that can absorb and recover rapidly from unanticipated disruptions. By institutionalizing information-sharing arrangements, streamlining government processes, and synchronizing standards and procedures, we can realize new efficiencies while strengthening global supply chains."

"The purpose of our Strategy is to guide, organize, and unify our Nation's homeland security efforts. It provides a common framework by which our entire Nation should focus its efforts on the following four goals: 1. Prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks; 2. Protect the American people, our critical infrastructure, and key resources; 3. Respond to and recover from incidents that do occur; and 4. Continue to strengthen the foundation to ensure our long-term success. While the first three goals help to organize our national efforts, the last goal entails creating and transforming our homeland security principles, systems, structures, and institutions. This includes applying a comprehensive approach to risk management, building a culture of preparedness, developing a comprehensive Homeland Security Management System, improving incident management, better utilizing science and technology, and leveraging all instruments of national power and influence. Homeland security requires a truly national effort, with shared goals and responsibilities for protecting and defending the Homeland. Our Strategy leverages the unique strengths and capabilities of all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, communities, and individual citizens. Mindful that many of the threats we face do not recognize geographic boundaries, we also will continue to work closely with our international partners throughout the world. This updated Strategy, which builds directly from the first National Strategy for Homeland Security issued in July 2002, reflects our increased understanding of the terrorist threats con¬fronting the United States today, incorporates lessons learned from exercises and real-world catastrophes - including Hurricane Katrina - and proposes new initiatives and approaches that will enable the Nation to achieve our homeland security objectives. This Strategy also complements both the National Security Strategy issued in March 2006 and the National Strategy for Combating Terrorism issued in September 2006."

This 48-page document addresses information sharing at the federal level, with state, local, and tribal governments, with the private sector, and with foreign partners. It concludes with sections addressing privacy and other legal issues and a vision of how the Strategy will be institutionalized "to ensure that those who need information to protect our Nation from terrorism receive it and that those who have information share it."

"The following document articulates the broad strategy the President set forth in 2003 and provides an update on our progress as well as the challenges remaining." The Strategy details how the United States will continue to help "the Iraqi people defeat the terrorists and build and inclusive democratic state. In the short term, we expect an Iraq that is making steady progress in fighting terrorists and neutralizing the insurgency, meeting political milestones; building democratic institutions; standing up robust security forces to gather intelligence, destroy terrorist networks, and maintain security; and tackling key economic reforms to lay the foundation for a sound economy. In the medium-term, an Iraq that is in the lead defeating terrorists and insurgents and providing its own security, with a constitutional, elected government in place, providing an inspiring example to reformers in the region, and well on its way to achieving its economic potential. In the longer-term, an Iraq that has defeated the terrorists and neutralized the insurgency. The war on terrorism is the defining challenge of our generation, just as the struggle against communism and fascism were challenges of the generations before. As with those earlier struggles, the United States is fully committed to meeting this challenge. We will do everything it takes to win."

This U. S. Department of Homeland Security Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2008-2013 discusses the department's vision, strategy and goals for the coming years listed. The following is taken from the report: "The 2008 Strategic Plan serves to focus the Department's mission and sharpen operational effectiveness, particularly in delivering services in support of Department-wide initiatives and the other mission goals. It identifies the goals and objectives by which we continually assess our performance. The Department uses performance measures at all levels to monitor our strategic progress and program success. This process also keeps the Department's priorities aligned, linking programs and operations to performance measures, mission goals, resource priorities, and strategic objectives. Faced with the challenge of strengthening the components to function as a unified Department, DHS must coordinate centralized, integrated activities across components that are distinct in their missions and operations. Thus, sound and cohesive management is the key to Department-wide and component-level strategic goals. We seek to harmonize our efforts as we work diligently to accomplish our mission each and every day."

"The Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime applies all elements of national power to protect citizens and U.S. national security interests from the convergence of 21st century transnational criminal threats. This Strategy is organized around a single unifying principle: to build, balance, and integrate the tools of American power to combat transnational organized crime and related threats to national security- and to urge our foreign partners to do the same. The end-state we seek is to reduce transnational organized crime (TOC) from a national security threat to a manageable public safety problem in the United States and in strategic regions around the world. The Strategy will achieve this end-state by pursuing five key policy objectives: 1) Protect Americans and our partners from the harm, violence, and exploitation of transnational criminal networks. 2) Help partner countries strengthen governance and transparency, break the corruptive power of transnational criminal networks, and sever state-crime alliances. 3) Break the economic power of transnational criminal networks and protect strategic markets and the U.S. financial system from TOC penetration and abuse. 4) Defeat transnational criminal networks that pose the greatest threat to national security by targeting their infrastructures, depriving them of their enabling means, and preventing the criminal facilitation of terrorist activities. 5) Build international consensus, multilateral cooperation, and public-private partnerships to defeat transnational organized crime. The Strategy also introduces new and innovative capabilities and tools, which will be accomplished by prioritizing within the resources available to affected departments and agencies. A new Executive Order will establish a sanctions program to block the property of and prohibit transactions with significant transnational criminal networks that threaten national security, foreign policy, or economic interests. A proposed legislative package will enhance the authorities available to investigate, interdict, and prosecute the activities of top transnational criminal networks. A new Presidential Proclamation under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) will deny entry to transnational criminal aliens and others who have been targeted for financial sanctions. A new rewards program will replicate the success of narcotics rewards programs in obtaining information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the leaders of transnational criminal organizations that pose the greatest threats to national security. An interagency Threat Mitigation Working Group will identify those TOC networks that present a sufficiently high national security risk and will ensure the coordination of all elements of national power to combat them."