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HOMELAND SECURITY: Actions Needed to Better Protect National Icons and Federal Office Buildings from Terrorism
Date: June 2005
Author: GAO
Institution: Department of the Interior
Electronic Link: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05790.pdf
Key Words: Department of the Interior, national icons, terrorism, physical security, natural and cultural heritage, HSPD-7, uniform risk methodology
Summary of Key Issues, Points, Conclusions:
The Department of the Interior faces a range of major challenges in protecting national icons and monuments from terrorism.
- First, there is an inherent conflict between physical security initiatives and Interior’s mission to provide access to, and education about, the nation’s natural and cultural heritage.
- Second, jurisdictional issues and competing stakeholder interests are another challenge. Pursuing security improvements often puts the department at odds with other entities—such as planning commissions, private foundations, and local governments
- Third, some icons and monuments are in rugged, remote locations and, therefore, pose additional challenges related to securing perimeters and ensuring an adequate response in the event of an attack.
- Fourth, leveraging limited resources is an ongoing challenge.
Broader actions have been taken that are intended to address the department’s challenges and improve its security program overall. These security improvements are:
- identifying goals for overcoming challenges and vulnerabilities unique to national icons and monuments as part of its national strategy for homeland security
- developing physical security plans in response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7). The directive designates Interior as a sector-specific agency (SSA) for the national icons and monuments sector
- centrally managing Interior’s security initiatives through the Office of Law Enforcement and Security (OLES)—working within Interior to identify likely targets and conduct risk assessments to enhance security at individual locations
- Interior has developed a uniform risk assessment methodology that it has used to generate risk rankings for high-profile national icons and monuments
Name of Researcher: Brian S. Carter
Institution: ICHS, TAMU
Date: October 31, 2005