NCJ Number
194525
Date Published
2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This document explains the importance of critical infrastructure protection (CIP).
Abstract
Since September 11, 2001, the American people have been confronted with the possibility of living and working without one or more of the basic necessities depended upon, such as water, electricity, and natural gas. Presidential Decision Directive 63 (PPD 63) was issued in May 1998 to combat the threats against these services, which are crucial parts of the Nation’s critical infrastructures. The national goal is to eliminate the potential vulnerability of critical infrastructures and protect the country from intentional acts that would significantly diminish the Federal Government’s responsibility to perform essential security missions and to ensure the general public health and safety. Critical infrastructures are defined as physical and cyber-based systems so vital that their incapacity or destruction would have a debilitating impact on national defense, economic security, or public safety. CIP pertains to the proactive activities for protecting critical infrastructures: the people, physical entities, and cyber systems that are indispensably necessary for national security, economic stability, and public safety. CIP methods and resources deter or mitigate attacks against critical infrastructures caused by people (terrorists, hackers), by nature (hurricanes, floods), and by HazMat accidents involving nuclear, biological, or chemical substances. The Critical Infrastructure Protection Information Center (CIPIC) disseminates information to bolster the infrastructure protection efforts of emergency first responders throughout the country. Firefighters and emergency medical personnel are among the frontline elements of homeland defense. Combined with law enforcement officers, they are the most critical of all infrastructures, and their safety and welfare should always take precedence. Community leaders have the responsibility to decide which infrastructures must be protected from attacks. Scarce resources (time, money, personnel, and material) make these decisions complicated. The CIP process is a model to guide this decision, consisting of identifying critical infrastructures, determining the threat, analyzing the vulnerabilities, assessing risk, and applying countermeasures.