Potholes and Detours in the Road to Critical Infrastructure Protection Policy
Abstract
The national strategy for the protection of critical infrastructure and key assets is not working due to a number of failed strategies, which this article examines in detail: federalism (separation of state and federal governmental controls) advocates that the first line of defense is local first responders; two years after the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the consequent requirement that states perform vulnerability and risk analysis on their critical infrastructures, DHS has yet to define the basic terminology needed for states to perform meaningful analysis, or precisely state the objectives of such analysis; private ownership of the majority of infrastructure assets has been used as an excuse to do nothing -- a major myth that is not only wasteful of effort, but dangerous to the security of the nation; and finally, the notion that critical infrastructure sectors are so large and complex that only the highest-consequence, lowest-probability events can be prevented has led to further missteps in the road to critical infrastructure protection policy. This article ends with recommendations for policy changes that address these issues.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA483965
Entities
People
- Rudy Darken
- Ted G. Lewis
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School