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1.Is it possible for the U.S. Government to employ dual-use, all-hazards systems

ID: 367786 • Letter: 1

Question

1.Is it possible for the U.S. Government to employ dual-use, all-hazards systems to protect U.S. transportation systems and critical infrastructure? Provide an example of a dual-use, security/safety system for both a transportation system and a component of critical infrastructure that would address the risk of terrorism and other non-intentional hazards (either man-made or natural).

2. Is the function of homeland security maintained wholly by the Department of Homeland Security, or is this function shared among other governmental and nongovernmental agencies? Explain your answer and give examples.

3. Do you believe that the Director of the Office of National Intelligence will ever be able to reverse decades of cultural differences and turf battles between the various intelligence agencies of the U.S. Government? Why or why not?

4. Is the U.S. government doing enough to protect the borders of the country? In your opinion, is this the most important element of preventing terrorist attacks within the country? Can you name any shortfalls that exist with regards to border security in the United States that could be exploited by terrorists? Provide references to support your opinion.

5. Explain, as specifically as possible, how the function of homeland security is managed at the state and local levels. When developing your answers, remember, you must include (cited) facts to support the major points in your response.

Your responses should not include continuous citations without your thoughts and analysis also. Rather, your responses must reflect a balance between facts and your perspective on the points you made

Explanation / Answer

Critical infrastructure is a term used by governments to describe assets that are essential for the functioning of a society and economy - the infrastructure. Most commonly associated with the term are facilities for:

It’s very hard to overstate how important the energyand power grid is to society and its economy. Every critical infrastructure, from communications to water, is built on it and every important business function from banking to milking cows is completely dependent on it.

And the dependence on the grid continues to grow as more machines, including equipment on the power grid, get connected to the Internet. A report last year prepared for the President and Congress emphasized the vulnerability of the grid to a long-term power outage, saying “For those who would seek to do our Nation significant physical, economic, and psychological harm, the electrical grid is an obvious target.”

The damage to modern society from an extended power outage can be dramatic, as millions of people found in the wake of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The Department of Energy earlier this year said cybersecurity was one of the top challenges facing the power grid, which is exacerbated by the interdependence between the grid and water, telecommunications, transportation, and emergency response systems.

Transport or transportation is the movement of people, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles andoperations. Transport is important because it enables trade between persons, which is essential for the development of civilizations.

Transport infrastructure consists of the fixed installations including roads, railways, airways, waterways, canals and pipelinesand terminals such as airports, railway stations, bus stations, warehouses, trucking terminals, refueling depots (including fueling docks and fuel stations) and seaports. Terminals may be used both for interchange of passengers and cargo and for maintenance.

Telecommunication occurs when the exchange of information between two or more entities (communication) includes the use of technology. Communication technology uses channels to transmit information (as electrical signals), either over a physical medium (such as signal cables), or in the form of electromagnetic waves. The word is often used in its plural form, telecommunications, because it involves many different technologies.

Telecommunication has a significant social, cultural and economic impact on modern society. In 2008, estimates placed the telecommunication industry's revenue at $4.7 trillion or just under 3 percent of the gross world product (official exchange rate). Several following sections discuss the impact of telecommunication on society