Critical Infrastructure Sector- Communications Sector

Communications Sector

Sector Overview

The Communications Sector is an integral component of the U.S. economy, underlying the operations of all businesses, public safety organizations, and government. Presidential Policy Directive 21 identifies the Communications Sector as critical because it provides an “enabling function” across all critical infrastructure sectors. Over the last 25 years, the sector has evolved from predominantly a provider of voice services into a diverse, competitive, and interconnected industry using terrestrial, satellite, and wireless transmission systems. The transmission of these services has become interconnected; satellite, wireless, and wireline providers depend on each other to carry and terminate their traffic and companies routinely share facilities and technology to ensure interoperability.

The private sector, as owners and operators of the majority of communications infrastructure, is the primary entity responsible for protecting sector infrastructure and assets. Working with the federal government, the private sector is able to predict, anticipate, and respond to sector outages and understand how they might affect the ability of the national leadership to communicate during times of crisis, impact the operations of other sectors, and affect response and recovery efforts.

The Communications Sector is closely linked to other sectors, including:

• The Energy Sector provides power to run cellular towers, central offices, and other critical communications facilities;
• The Information Technology Sector provides critical control systems and services, physical architecture and Internet infrastructure;
• The Financial Services Sector relies on communications for the transmission of transactions and operations of financial markets; and
• The Emergency Services Sector depends on communications for directing resources, coordinating response, alerting the public, and receiving emergency 911 calls.

Sector-Specific Plan

The Communications Sector-Specific Plan (PDF, 126 pages – 2.85 MB) details how the National Infrastructure Protection Plan risk management framework is implemented within the context of the unique characteristics and risk landscape of the sector. Each Sector-Specific Agency develops a sector-specific plan through a coordinated effort involving its public and private sector partners. The Department of Homeland Security is designated as the Sector-Specific Agency for the Communications Sector.

Sector Resources

For resources available to Communications Sector partners, check out the links on the right hand sidebar.

Last Published Date: June 12, 2014

Critical Infrastructure Sector- Water and Waste water Systems Sector

Water and Wastewater Systems Sector

Sector Overview

There are approximately 160,000 public drinking water systems and more than 16,000 publicly owned wastewater treatment systems in the United States. Approximately 84 percent of the U.S. population receives their potable water from these drinking water systems, and more than 75 percent of the U.S. population has its sanitary sewerage treated by these wastewater systems.

The Water and Wastewater Systems Sector is vulnerable to a variety of attacks, including contamination with deadly agents, physical attacks such as the release of toxic gaseous chemicals and cyber attacks. If these attacks were realized, the result could be large numbers of illnesses or casualties and/or a denial of service that would also impact public health and economic vitality. Critical services such as firefighting and healthcare (hospitals), and other dependent and interdependent sectors, such as Energy, Food and Agriculture, and Transportation Systems, would suffer negative impacts from a denial of service in the Water and Wastewater Systems Sector.

Sector-Specific Plan

The Water and Wastewater Systems Sector-Specific Plan (PDF, 88 pages – 1.39 MB) details how the National Infrastructure Protection Plan risk management framework is implemented within the context of the unique characteristics and risk landscape of the sector. Each Sector-Specific Agency develops a sector-specific plan through a coordinated effort involving its public and private sector partners. The Environmental Protection Agency is designated as the Sector-Specific Agency for the Water and Wastewater Systems Sector. Presidential Policy Directive 21 changed the name of the Water Sector to the Water and Wastewater Systems Sector in 2013.

Sector Resources

For resources available to Water and Wastewater Systems Sector partners, check out the links on the right hand sidebar.

Last Published Date: June 12, 2014

www.dhs.gov

Critical Infrastructure Sector-Transportation Systems Sector

Transportation Systems Sector

Sector Overview

The nation's transportation system quickly, safely, and securely moves people and goods through the country and overseas. The Transportation Systems Sector consists of seven key subsectors, or modes:

·         Aviation includes aircraft, air traffic control systems, and approximately 450 commercial airports and 19,000 additional airports, heliports, and landing strips. This mode includes civil and joint use military airports, heliports, short takeoff and landing ports, and seaplane bases.

·         Highway Infrastructure and Motor Carrier encompasses nearly 4 million miles of roadway, almost 600,000 bridges, and some 400 tunnels in 35 states. Vehicles include automobiles, motorcycles, trucks carrying hazardous materials, other commercial freight vehicles, motorcoaches, and school buses.

·         Maritime Transportation System consists of about 95,000 miles of coastline, 361 ports, 25,000 miles of waterways, 3.4 million square miles of Exclusive Economic Zone, and intermodal landside connections, which allow the various modes of transportation to move people and goods to, from, and on the water.

·         Mass Transit and Passenger Rail includes service by buses, rail transit (commuter rail, heavy rail--also known as subways or metros--and light rail, including trolleys and streetcars), long-distance rail--namely Amtrak and Alaska Railroad--and other, less common types of service (cable cars, inclined planes, funiculars, and automated guideway systems).

·         Pipeline Systems consist of vast networks of pipeline that traverse hundreds of thousands of miles throughout the country, carrying nearly all of the nation's natural gas and about 65 percent of hazardous liquids, as well as various chemicals. These include approximately 2.2 million miles of natural gas distribution pipelines, about 168,900 miles of hazardous liquid pipelines, and more than 109 liquefied natural gas processing and storage facilities.

·         Freight Rail consists of seven major carriers, hundreds of smaller railroads, over 140,000 miles of active railroad, over 1.3 million freight cars, and roughly 20,000 locomotives. Further, over 12,000 trains operate daily. The Department of Defense has designated 30,000 miles of track and structure as critical to mobilization and resupply of U.S. forces.

·         Postal and Shipping moves over 574 million messages, products, and financial transactions each day. Postal and shipping activity is differentiated from general cargo operations by its focus on letter or flat mail, publications, or small- and medium-size packages and by service from millions of senders to nearly 152 million destinations.

Sector-Specific Plan

The Transportation Systems Sector-Specific Plan (PDF, 346 pages – 7.61 MB) details how the National Infrastructure Protection Plan risk management framework is implemented within the context of the unique characteristics and risk landscape of the sector. Each Sector-Specific Agency develops a sector-specific plan through a coordinated effort involving its public and private sector partners. The Postal and Shipping Sector was consolidated within the Transportation Systems Sector in 2013 under Presidential Policy Directive 21. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation are designated as the Co-Sector-Specific Agencies for the Transportation Systems Sector.

Sector Resources

For resources available to Transportation Systems Sector partners, check out the links on the right hand sidebar.

Last Published Date: March 25, 2013

www.dhs.gov 

Critical Infrastructure Sector- Government Facilities Sector

Government Facilities Sector

Sector Overview

The Government Facilities Sector includes a wide variety of buildings, located in the United States and overseas, that are owned or leased by federal, state, local, and tribal governments. Many government facilities are open to the public for business activities, commercial transactions, or recreational activities while others that are not open to the public contain highly sensitive information, materials, processes, and equipment. These facilities include general-use office buildings and special-use military installations, embassies, courthouses, national laboratories, and structures that may house critical equipment, systems, networks, and functions. In addition to physical structures, the sector includes cyber elements that contribute to the protection of sector assets (e.g., access control systems and closed-circuit television systems) as well as individuals who perform essential functions or possess tactical, operational, or strategic knowledge.

The Education Facilities Subsector covers pre-kindergarten through 12th grade schools, institutions of higher education, and business and trade schools. The subsector includes facilities that are owned by both government and private sector entities.

The National Monuments and Icons Subsector encompasses a diverse array of assets, networks, systems, and functions located throughout the United States. Many National Monuments and Icons assets are listed in either the National Register of Historic Places or the List of National Historic Landmarks.

Read the Education Facilities Subsector Snapshot (PDF, 2 pages - 1.14 MB)

Read the National Monuments and Icons Subsector Snapshot (PDF, 2 pages - 1.33 MB)

Sector-Specific Plan

The Government Facilities Sector-Specific Plan details how the National Infrastructure Protection Plan risk management framework is implemented within the context of the unique characteristics and risk landscape of the sector. Each Sector-Specific Agency develops a sector-specific plan through a coordinated effort involving its public and private sector partners. The National Monuments and Icons Sector was consolidated within the Government Facilities Sector in 2013 under Presidential Policy Directive 21. The Department of Homeland Security and the General Services Administration are designated as the Co-Sector-Specific Agencies for the Government Facilities Sector.

Sector Resources

For resources available to Government Facilities Sector partners, check out the links on the right hand sidebar.

Last Published Date: June 12, 2014

www.dhs.gov

Critical Infrastructure Sector- Food and Agriculture Sector

Food and Agriculture Sector

Sector Overview

The Food and Agriculture Sector is almost entirely under private ownership and is composed of an estimated 2.2 million farms, 900,000 restaurants, and more than 400,000 registered food manufacturing, processing, and storage facilities. This sector accounts for roughly one-fifth of the nation's economic activity.

The Food and Agriculture Sector has critical dependencies with many sectors, but particularly with the following:

·         Water and Wastewater Systems, for clean irrigation and processed water;

·         Transportation Systems, for movement of products and livestock;

·         Energy, to power the equipment needed for agriculture production and food processing; and

·         Financial Services, Chemical, and Dams.

Sector-Specific Plan

The Food and Agriculture Sector-Specific Plan (PDF, 184 pages – 3.16 MB) details how the National Infrastructure Protection Plan risk management framework is implemented within the context of the unique characteristics and risk landscape of the sector. Each Sector-Specific Agency develops a sector-specific plan through a coordinated effort involving its public and private sector partners. The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services are designated as the Co-Sector-Specific Agencies for the Food and Agriculture Sector.

Sector Resources

For resources available to Food and Agriculture Sector partners, check out the links on the right hand sidebar.

Last Published Date: June 12, 2014

www.dhs.gov

Critical Infrastructure Sector- Energy Sector

 Energy Sector

 Sector Overview

The U.S. energy infrastructure fuels the economy of the 21st century. Without a stable energy supply, health and welfare are threatened, and the U.S. economy cannot function. Presidential Policy Directive 21 identifies the Energy Sector as uniquely critical because it provides an “enabling function” across all critical infrastructure sectors.  More than 80 percent of the country's energy infrastructure is owned by the private sector, supplying fuels to the transportation industry, electricity to households and businesses, and other sources of energy that are integral to growth and production across the nation.

The energy infrastructure is divided into three interrelated segments, including: electricity, petroleum, and natural gas. The U.S. electricity segment contains more than 6,413 power plants (this includes 3,273 traditional electric utilities and 1,738 nonutility power producers) with approximately 1,075 gigawatts of installed generation. Approximately 48 percent of electricity is produced by combusting coal (primarily transported by rail), 20 percent in nuclear power plants, and 22 percent by combusting natural gas. The remaining generation is provided by hydroelectric plants (6 percent), oil (1 percent), and renewable sources (solar, wind, and geothermal) (3 percent). The heavy reliance on pipelines to distribute products across the nation highlights the interdependencies between the Energy and Transportation Systems Sector.

The reliance of virtually all industries on electric power and fuels means that all sectors have some dependence on the Energy Sector. The Energy Sector is well aware of its vulnerabilities and is leading a significant voluntary effort to increase its planning and preparedness. Cooperation through industry groups has resulted in substantial information sharing of best practices across the sector. Many sector owners and operators have extensive experience abroad with infrastructure protection and have more recently focused their attention on cybersecurity.

Sector-Specific Plan

The Energy Sector-Specific Plan (PDF, 124 pages, 3.52 MB) details how the National Infrastructure Protection Plan risk management framework is implemented within the context of the unique characteristics and risk landscape of the sector. Each Sector-Specific Agency develops a sector-specific plan through a coordinated effort involving its public and private sector partners. The Department of Energy is designated as the Sector-Specific Agency for the Energy Sector.

Sector Resources

For resources available to Energy Sector partners, check out the links on the right hand sidebar.

Last Published Date: June 12, 2014

www.dhs.gov 

Critical Infrastructure Sector-Emergency Services Sector

Emergency Services Sector

A system of prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery elements, the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) represents the nation's first line of defense in the prevention and mitigation of risk from both intentional and unintentional manmade incidents, as well as from natural disasters. The ESS also serves as the primary protector for the other 15 critical infrastructure sectors.

Encompassing a wide range of emergency response functions, the primary mission of the ESS is to:

·         Save lives.

·         Protect property and the environment.

·         Assist communities impacted by disasters.

·         Aid in recovery from emergencies.

These functions, the majority of which are performed at the state, local, tribal, and territorial levels, are defined by five disciplines:

·         Law Enforcement.

·         Fire and Emergency Services.

·         Emergency Management.

·         Emergency Medical Services.

·         Public Works.

Additionally, there are several specialized capabilities identified within the ESS, such as:

·         Hazardous Materials. 

·         Search and Rescue.

·         Explosive Ordnance Disposal (i.e., bomb squads).

·         Tactical Operations (i.e., SWAT).

·         Aviation Units (i.e., police and medevac helicopters).

·         Public Safety Answering Points (i.e., 9-1-1 call centers).

Sector-Specific Plan

The Emergency Services Sector-Specific Plan (PDF, 128 pages - 3.8 MB) details how the National Infrastructure Protection Plan risk management framework is implemented within the context of the unique characteristics and risk landscape of the sector. Each Sector-Specific Agency develops a sector-specific plan through a coordinated effort involving its public and private sector partners. The Department of Homeland Security is designated as the Sector-Specific Agency for the Emergency Services Sector.

The ESS has dependencies and interdependencies with multiple critical infrastructure sectors and the National Response Framework's Emergency Support Functions, which provide assistance for both the operation and protection of ESS assets.

For more information, contact the Emergency Services Sector-Specific Agency atessteam@hq.dhs.gov.

·         Emergency Services Sector Resources

·         Emergency Services Sector Training

Last Published Date: October 20, 2014

 www.dhs.gov