Each student will prepare a written analysis of the best way to secure 1 specific item of critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR). This is a theoretical paper with practical application. It may be focused on a notional target or an actual target, but it must not include any real-world sensitive material about a real location or resource. It is not to be confused with any existing threat assessment framework. Keep the following points in mind:
The term secure is meant to suggest measures that span the entire range of HLS activities for the target CIKR: mitigate, prevent, protect, respond, recover, and resilience.
The term target is meant to suggest the specific objector location that is under consideration. This does not imply an attack. The CIKR that is selected for analysis may be subject to an attack, an accidental hazard, or a natural disaster.
Note: This is not a threat assessment. This is an academic requirement that is designed to exercise, demonstrate, and reinforce certain learning objectives. The fact that sections of the Key Assignment have practical applications is a teaching technique to reinforce student learning. This academic requirement is not to be confused with any existing threat assessment framework. Do not produce a real-world analysis tied to a real-world CIKR that generates a security problem of its own.
The following are the first eight required sections of the analysis:
Identify the CIKR that you selected for analysis, explain why it constitutes a high-level CIKR, and include the actual or nominal owner, stakeholders, and other areas of CIKR that may potentially impacted by an event. (Week 1)
Research and document the strategy, policy, planning documents, and sources that are most likely to apply to this analysis. (Week 1)
Research and identify significant strategy and policy research sources for jurisdictions, authorities, and responsibilities, as well as essential homeland security (HLS) strategies, policies, and planning. Sources may include the following:
Essential federal, state, and local information
Professional and academic reports
Web sites
Newsletters
Blogs, publications, or other reference sites
The project deliverables for this are as follows:
A categorized list of the resources that you researched.
Include 1 sentence with each source to explain its utility.
This is a list of working sources; full APA bibliographic entries are not required. This section will be revised later to become 2 of the Key
Assignment.
Note: This week, you will also be required to select 1 area of critical infrastructure (CI) where you will focus your research and writing efforts for the remainder of the course. You may wish to keep this in mind while selecting research resources for jurisdictions, authorities, responsibilities, and HLS strategy, policy, and planning this week.
Length: approximately 1,000 words or 2 single-spaced pages in Times New Roman, 12-point font.