Protecting Critical Infrastructure

Introduction

Throughout the course of history our vital economic and cultural centers have been identified by the federal government. Along with critical infrastructure sectors and other key assets these all have proven to be the lifeblood of our nation. Providing Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) has also been identified as one of the top priorities when it comes to ensuring the safety, security, and continued prosperity of our nation. CIP has become a very hot topic, especially since the September 11 attacks, but this had been an area of concern years prior. In May 1998, President Clinton issued Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) No. 63 and defined critical infrastructure as “those physical and cyber-based systems essential to the minimum operations of the economy and government.” There were many successful outcomes of this PDD however one of the most important was identifying key lead agencies in CIP along with recognizing the private-sector responsibilities. This is vital because as we will look a little deeper into in the following pages, many critical infrastructures are interconnected. These interconnections most definitely increase vulnerabilities. We will also try to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of having CIP control centralized or decentralized. Finally, I’ll comment on some critical infrastructures relevant to my local area here in DC.

Critical Infrastructure Interconnectivity

In our reading Dr. Tom O’Connor states, “Since 2004, it has been customary to say there are fourteen (14) critical infrastructures in the United States.” Those 14 sectors are identified as; Banking & Finance, Chemicals, Continuity of Government Services, Electrical Power & Energy, Emergency & Law Enforcement Services, Fire Services, Food, Health Services, Higher Education, Information & Communications, Insurance, Oil & Gas, Transportation, and Water. Each and every one of these sectors’ continuity of operations plays a vital...