Transportation sector lags behind in forming DHS "sector council"
National Infrastructure Protection Plan asks industry groups to form councils to advise DHS on critical assets, risk assessments, and an agreed security approach; so far, diverse nature of transportation has been a major road block; TSA now encouraging the development of smaller subsector councils, but still hopes for an industry-wide group
Communication is key — that is the mantra of any succesful relationship, whether romantic or contractual. Industries with significant business in Washington, DC make it a point to do so, hiring lobbyists, organizing trade associations, and buying lavish dinners for congressmen which for some reason are never reported. DHS encourages a fourth method. The National Infastructure Protection Plan asks relevent industries to organize themselves into “sector councils” to, as the General Accounting Office (GAO) has explained, “identify their most critical assets across their sectors, assess their risks and agree on protective measures.” So far, the agriculture, information technology, and telecommunications industries have complied. Conspicuously absent from these councils, however, is the transportation sector.
“Some sectors reported being further along in developing a plan than others,” a recent GAO report explained, noting that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had “only begun drafting plans for each transportation mode such as aviation, rail and ports.” The delay is due to the varied nature of the industry, making it hard to find common ground or identify common needs. To solve this hiccup, TSA is currently “working with contractors to help each transportation mode establish its own sector council” — these smaller councils being intended to lay the groundwork for an umbrella group. The report did not offer a date by which the transportation sector council was expected to be formed. To which we say: the sooner the better.
-read more in Jonathan Marino’s GovExec report
