Maintaining the United States' National Infrastructure Essay

Intelligence and Warning is Border and Transportation Security is responsible for protecting America's borders, territorial waters, and transportation systems by centralizing information-sharing and databases that track and monitor all aspects of border control and America's transportation systems. Domestic Counterterrorism covers a wide variety of activities, ranging from National Security Agency monitoring of telephone conversations to local police monitoring of persons of interest. Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Key Assets identifies a clear set of national goals and objectives and outlines the guiding principles that will underpin our efforts to secure the infrastructures and assets vital to our national security, governance, public health and safety, economy, and public confidence. Defending against Catastrophic Threats reduces vulnerability of the United States to terrorism. Emergency Preparedness and Response will create one emergency response plan to be used at all levels of government and will ensure that first-responders, from the federal government level down to local levels, receive proper training and equipment.

It is essential to understand America’s critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) and National Infrastructure Protection Program (NIPP) to ensure survivability of its critical assets, while maintaining security for America. “The plans are carried out in practice by an integrated network of Federal departments and agencies, State and local government agencies, private sector entities, and a growing number of regional consortia (DHS, 2009, p. I).” Several agencies work together to mitigate attacks on CIKR to protect public safety and security of the nation. A terrorist may stop at nothing to carry out an attack on CIKR. If an attack or natural disaster does transpire, each agency working together to restore the damage must be timely. Additionally, NIPP helps to identify hazards associated with the various sectors, and provides necessary security measures to harden resources (DHS,

Also, the homeland is safeguarded against acts of terrorism, manmade or natural disasters, and focused on actions to protect the citizens, residents, visitors, critical assets, systems, and networks against the Nation’s greatest risks, by enhancing Protection through cooperation and collaboration with all sectors of society to create conditions for a safer, more secure, and more resilient Nation. Furthermore, the Protection capabilities are achieved through specific, but are not limited to, critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, border security, immigration security, protection of key leadership and events, maritime security, transportation security, defense of agriculture and food, defense against weapons of mass destruction threats, and health security (National Preparedness…, 2011). Due to the fact that the private sector owns approximately 85 percent of the nation’s critical infrastructure (banking and financial institutions, telecommunications networks, energy production,and transmission facilities) there is greater emphasis now on public and private sectors forming effective partnerships for protection. A series of Information Sharing and Analysis Centers is one new feature of infrastructure protection, which are public-private partnerships designed to provide members of

Critical infrastructure is actively what moves the United States forward as a world dominating force. Critical infrastructure is also the life-blood that maintains the nation’s way of life. Each one of these organizations gives strength to the country’s wealth, health and security. We use them every day in our lives, it is the bridges we cross when we go to work, and it is the planes, trains, and automobiles that move the citizens throughout the nation. It is these types of critical infrastructure that keep our homes lit at night, the water we bathe in and drink, and it provides a multitude of communication structures that help us stay in touch with our loved ones.

. However the fundamental gap in the book is its failure to grab the fruit. Jane bennett concludes that The book is important in making visible extrastatecraft but Easterling does not participate in it, which is what would have transformed a useful book into a manifesto for the age and raises the question that, If power lies in shaping infrastructure, not activities within it, how is it we are to shape or create infrastructure through co-option and reappropriation? We are never really told.

Energy is an important necessity that most society cannot live without especially in the Western culture. With today’s technological advancement, the reliance of power is more than ever. Businesses, transportation systems, and all the way down to individual household relies on power. Without power, the US in particular, will not be able to function properly and this is why energy is one of the critical assets. The US needs the energy infrastructure to fuel its economy because without power, the US economy will not be able to function as well as health and welfare of its citizens will be threatened (DHS, 2016). The Energy Sector is divided into three subsectors; they are electricity, oil, and natural gas (Department of Homeland Security, 2015, p. 3). The private sector owns more than 80 percent of the US’s energy infrastructure responsible in supplying the fuel needs of the country most especially to businesses, transportation systems, and its citizens (DHS, 2016). Businesses, transportation industry, and citizens are vital for the US economy maintain its operational efficiency. The private sector’s role in securing the energy infrastructure is more than ever. This paper will discuss the prevalent risks and threats of each energy subsectors and the overall risks or threats that the Energy Sector currently faces. Also, this paper will also discuss the private sector’s roles and responsibilities in enhancing its

I believe that the uncertainty as to what is critical infrastructure and what do we protect comes with our differences as people and what we as individuals believe is important to support daily living and what isn’t. Is it transportation, if so which mode; air, rail, maritime? I think we can all agree these are critical, and protection of these should be a priority. How important is the power grid? An Electromagnetic Pulse is considered a real threat, but there has been little to no preventive protection measures implemented. Experts say that chances we will experience a devastating solar storm in the next 15 years (Foster, 2008). Another example I can provide of a critical infrastructure there is not agreement on regarding the level of protection

Should we continue to build infrastructure on The Gulf Coast of The U.S.A after Hurricane Harvey is over? I mean we've done it before when Hurricane Katrina hit, but should we do it again? Would it be morally right to let people die, and for what? Just so we can have a nice view?

Critical infrastructure are system and assets that are vital to the nation and national security, without them the United States would be incapacitated. They are what keep our nation running every day and during natural disasters. The United States has sixteen of these critical infrastructures that are comprised of smaller subcategories that included our key resources. Some of these infrastructure are more for everyday use while others are more for the nation’s security.

In the United States, utility systems (water and electric), highways, and bridges are in critical shape due to poor maintenance, adverse weather conditions, needed technological upgrades, and a lack of financial security. There is no doubt that our country is in an emergent state of need for improvements to its infrastructure. The systems in place that were only dated to last fifty to one hundred years, have been failing for the last forty years. With the amount of money that has already been invested, and the amount of time and manpower, the United States is still fighting a losing battle to revive the utilities, highways and bridges that are crumbling before our eyes.

It is no secret that the nation’s infrastructure is aging and weathering quickly. Our highways, bridges and main roads, predominantly in older regions or areas are in dire need of restoration. These issues can abruptly lead to potential safety and traffic concerns and results in barriers for our individual means of transportation and logistically, our means of transporting goods. Reasons that are preventing us from accomplishing the goal of reconstructing the nation’s infrastructure comes down to determining financial liability. Currently, Infrastructure comprises of the structures and systems that we rely on and cannot afford to live without. It is vital, yet easy to overlook or take for granted. We, Americans have not been taking good

Prevalent to the current trend now is the dependency of the society on Information technology and communication systems. Every aspect of human life is one way or the other linked and controlled by information technology tools. The importance of information technology cannot be over emphasized as its unavailability could lead to a form of disaster or the other. Pivotal infrastructures like finance, healthcare, education and security are driven by information technology. However, information technology and its benefits are accompanied by vulnerabilities and risks that can be exploited by people with the necessary technical skills. Individuals like ‘Hackers’ and ‘Cyber Terrorist’ can cause disruption to information systems, commit financial fraud and also attack computers and networks. These attacks and disruptions could result to violence against people and properties. In some cases, death, serious injuries and severe economic loss could occur as a result of these attacks.

The purpose in writing this report is to investigate the external factors that act as major threats facing ExxonMobil. After careful consideration, completion of this report was given authorization by Dr. Megan Endres. The major threats that have been identified span across the past four years. The information found in this report was collected using Eastern Michigan University’s Halle Library and its ABI/Inform Global and Google Scholar online databases. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times are just some of the major publications that are referenced in this report.

Our society continues to promote a culture that perpetuates overdependence on technology to monitor complex Internet-based systems. Thus, the U.S cannot ignore the devastation that could ensue from an attack by a nation-state, cyber terrorist, or hacker. As discussed in the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, the number of CIKR systems that depend on the Internet or data processing networks for seamless operations are increasing, while the human input decreases. PPD-21 of 2013 elucidates that U.S. over dependence on technology can lead to widespread failure as it promotes cross-sectional interdependencies that hinder resilience efforts. Nevertheless, a cyber attack on our Nation’s CI could be catastrophic, but there is much discourse on the viability of a cyber threat. Experts have argued the threat to Industrial Control Systems (ICS), like the U.S. power grid, may not be a high probability outcome. Moreover, the Industrial Control Systems and Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) received over 290 reports of incidents involving CI in FY 2015, yet none of the attacks resulted in disruption of the grid (Armerding, 2016).

The three principles announced by the OECD are an important milestone in the way to open markets and free capital movement. However, the OECD arrangement allows some exceptions when it comes to national security. The right to protect essential security interests of the state, as an exception to treaty commitments, has been well established in treaty practice (Jackson, 2013). One of the treatment exceptions is “critical infrastructure”, which countries define in various ways. For example, the United States defines “critical infrastructure” as “systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on national security.” Germany defines it as “organizations and facilities of major importance to the community whose failure or impairment would cause a sustained shortage of supplies, significant disruptions to public order or other dramatic consequences.” (OECD, 2008) Economists call for a consistent definition of “critical