Contact: Amanda Johnson Communications Specialist, SAME 703-549-3800 ext. 144 TISP Advises Incorporating Resilience into the National Homeland Security Strategy Resilience is beginning to appear more often in the homeland security dialogue. Last month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Report, which elevated resilience as one of three key criteria for homeland security: 1. Security 2. Resilience 3. Immigration and Commerce Controls The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) has been leading the nation in the facilitation the development of resilience concepts since 2004. For example, TISP published the Regional Disaster Resilience Guide in 2006. At the beginning of January 2010, we met with Mr. Darrell Darnell, Director of the new White House Office for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience Policy and Strategy, to promote the significance regional and infrastructure resilience has upon the security and defense of the United States of America’s homeland. As a follow to our meeting with Mr. Darnell we formed a writing team of twenty-seven private sector organizations and companies, lead by Ernie Edgar, Deputy Chief Council at PBS&J, to provide his office a white paper to share our thoughts on the concepts of infrastructure resilience and interdependencies as the federal government reevaluates its homeland defense and homeland security policies going forward. As discussed more fully in the attached white paper, TISP offers the following specific recommendations for the executive branch to incorporate infrastructure resilience management in the nation’s strategies for homeland security and homeland defense: 1. Establish a common definition of “resilience.” 2. Coordinate the development of education programs on resilience. 3. Adopt a common resilience management framework to be applied consistently across national, regional and infrastructure levels. 4. Develop a unified national resilience goal. 5. Develop consistent methods identifying core functions and interdependencies for risk and resilience management. 6. Adopt consistent methods for prioritizing infrastructure investments. 7. Incentivize infrastructure owners and communities to pursue resilience policies and improvements. This white paper is open for discussion. Please take your time reviewing and considering its merit. Comments regarding items addressed in the letter may be sent to Bill Anderson, Director of TISP, at wanderson@tisp.org. All comments will be considered for revising the white paper. About The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) is a non-profit partnership serving as a national asset facilitating dialogue on domestic infrastructure security and offering sources of technical support and sources for comment on public policy related to the security of the nation’s built environment. TISP is a national leader in infrastructure security and resiliency with a diverse membership supporting the nation’s economy and well being of its people. TISP pledges to lead public- and private-sector collaboration that advances the practice and policies of infrastructure security and resiliency to sustain the nation’s resources and its ability to efficiently restore infrastructure when disrupted by any hazard. TISP membership includes local, regional, state, federal, and foreign agencies, professional associations and industry trade groups, engineering, architecture, and construction firms, codes and standards organizations, educational institutions and universities, planners and economic developers, infrastructure owners and operators, manufacturers, and service providers whose main purpose is related to security and resiliency of the nation’s built environment. Collectively, TISP represents nearly two million individuals and firms involved in the planning, design, construction, and operation of infrastructure. Our primary objective is to create a collaborative and coordinated environment enabling secure and resilient infrastructure, which will raise awareness and will support the nation’s economy and well being of its people. The Society of American Military Engineers serves as the Secretariat of TISP. # # # | 
