14 Handling Terrorism and Natural Disasters Flashcards
Richardson has six rules for fighting terrorism:
- Have a defensible and achievable goal, such as stopping the spread of Islamic militancy.
- Live by your principles.
- Know your enemy.
- Separate the terrorists from their communities.
- Engage others in countering terrorists with you.
- Have patience and keep your perspective.
Richardson contends that terrorists’ motivations can be summed up in a three-word phrase
revenge, renown, and reaction
The critical infrastructure now includes:
Agriculture.
Banking and finance.
Chemical and hazardous waste.
Defense industrial base.
Energy.
Emergency services.
Food.
Information and telecommunications.
Transportation.
Postal and shipping services.
Public health.
Water.
National monuments and icons.
Nuclear power plants.
Dams.
Government facilities.
Commercial assets.
Calculating Criticality
A five-point scale can be used to estimate the impact of loss of life and property, interruption of facility or other asset use, or gain to be realized by an adversary:
Extreme (5): Substantial loss of life or irreparable, permanent, or prohibitive costly repair to a facility. Lack of, or loss of, a system or capability would provide invaluable advantage to the adversary (press coverage, the political or tactical advantage to carry out further plans).
High (4): Serious and costly damage to a facility or a positive effect for the adversary. No loss of life.
Medium (3): Disruptive to facility operations for a moderate period; repairs, although costly, would not result in significant loss of facility capability. No loss of life.
Low (2): Some minor disruption to facility operations or capability; does not materially advantage the enemy. No loss of life.
Negligible (1): Insignificant loss or damage to operations or budget. No loss of life.
Highly vulnerable: A combination of two or more of the following with due consideration of the threat level:
Direct access to asset or facility is possible via one or more major highway systems. Waterside access is open or adjacent land areas are unoccupied, unguarded, or allow free access.
Asset or facility is open, uncontrolled, or unlighted, or security is such that threat elements may have unimpeded access with which to collect intelligence, operate, and evade response forces. Patrols, electronic monitoring, or alarm systems are easily defeated or provide incomplete coverage.
Individual systems within the facility, such as hazardous materials, weapons, explosives, or vehicles, are accessible with minimum force or possibility of detection.
Response units provide minimum effective force to counter the experienced threat level. In-place physical security measures do not provide protection commensurate with the anticipated threat level.
Moderately vulnerable: A combination of two of the following:
Direct access to asset or facility is possible via one or more major highway systems, but road system is restricted or patrolled. Waterside access may be open or adjacent land areas unoccupied, but mitigating geographic conditions may be present (e.g., lengthy channel access).
Asset or facility is open, uncontrolled, or unlighted, or security is such that threat elements may meet some resistance, be detected, or activate a remotely monitored alarm. Access to collect intelligence, operate, and evade response forces is at least partially hampered. Patrols, electronic monitoring, or alarm systems may be easily defeated or provide incomplete coverage.
Individual items within the facility, such as hazardous materials, weapons, explosives, or vehicles, are accessible with moderate force, or tampering may result in detection.
Response units provide effective force to counter the experienced threat level. Physical security measures do not provide protection commensurate with the anticipated threatlevel.
Low vulnerability: A combination of two or more of the following, provided continual awareness of the anticipated threat level is maintained:
Asset or facility is difficult to access from major highway or road network, or outside access is limited by geography.
Asset or facility has adequate, positive access control. Patrols, cameras, remote sensors, and other reporting systems are sufficient to preclude unauthorized entry, loitering, photography, or access to restricted areas.
Appropriate and reasonable safeguards are taken to prevent or hinder access to sensitive materials. Protection is commensurate with degree of material sensitivity and level of threat.
The agencies of the DHS are housed in one of four major directorates:
Border and Transportation Security,
Emergency Preparedness and Response,
Science and Technology, and
Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection.
The Border and Transportation Security directorate brings the major border security and transportation operations under one directorate, including:
The U.S. Customs Service (Treasury)
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (part) (Justice)
The Federal Protective Service
The Transportation Security Administration (Transportation)
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (Treasury)
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (part) (Agriculture)
Office for Domestic Preparedness (Justice)
The Emergency Preparedness and Response directorate oversees domestic disaster preparedness training and coordinates government disaster response. It will bring together:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Strategic National Stockpile and the National Disaster Medical System (HHS)
Nuclear Incident Response Team (Energy)
Domestic Emergency Support Teams (Justice)
National Domestic Preparedness Office (FBI)
The Science and Technology directorate utilizes all scientific and technological advantages when securing the homeland. The following assets are part of this effort:
CBRN Countermeasures Programs (Energy)
Environmental Measurements Laboratory (Energy)
National BW Defense Analysis Center (Defense)
Plum Island Animal Disease Center (Agriculture)
The Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection directorate analyzes intelligence and information from other agencies (including the CIA, FBI, DIA, and NSA) involving threats to homeland security and evaluates vulnerabilities in the nation’s infrastructure. It brings together:
Federal Computer Incident Response Center (GSA)
National Communications System (Defense)
National Infrastructure Protection Center (FBI)
Energy Security and Assurance Program (Energy)
The Secret Service and the Coast Guard are located in the DHS, remaining intact and reporting directly to the Secretary. In addition, the INS adjudications and benefits programs report directly to the Deputy Secretary as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
NRS
National Response System (NRS)
government’s mechanism for emergency response to discharges of oil and the release of chemicals into the navigable waters or environment of the United States and its territories
FOSC
Federal On-Scene Coordinators
These individuals coordinate all federal containment, removal, disposal efforts, and resources during an incident. The FOSC also coordinates federal efforts with the local community’s response.
NRT
National Response Team (NRT). The NRT’s membership consists of 16 federal agencies with interest and expertise in various aspects of emergency response to pollution incidents. The National Response Team (NRT) is a planning, policy, and coordinating body providing national-level policy guidance prior to an incident but not responding directly to an incident.
