Improving national resilience is a process that requires developing and promulgating new policies, defining missions and capabilities, and implementing change through training and education. As the two-year anniversary of Presidential Policy Directive 8 approaches, policy makers and responders are learning much more about the planning opportunities, and new challenges, they are likely to encounter in the years to come.
Although the basic Incident Command System (ICS) is taught across emergency response disciplines, several shortcomings and constraints could lead to its downfall. Training for ICS is not a one-time occurrence, but should be an ongoing process of expanding knowledge, exercising skills, and passing on these abilities for the benefit of future generations.
National Security Special Events such as the presidential inauguration require dozens of committees working closely together to coordinate efforts to protect the health and security of all visitors and participants. Stationary and mobile medical units were strategically positioned to address any health concern that might arise.
The Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits “the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer or use of chemical weapons by States Parties.” However, when a nation refuses to sign the agreement and continues to stockpile chemical warfare agents, it raises worldwide concerns. In the case of Syria, its own citizens have good reason to fear being the target of attack.
Super Storm Sandy caused major power outages and service interruptions throughout many communities in New Jersey and New York. Thanks in part to the assistance provided by previously established partnerships of the All Hazards Consortium, the public and private sectors were better able to coordinate the services and efforts needed to expedite the recovery process.
Swine flu, bird flu, and pandemic flu have been widely publicized by the news media over the past decade. Public health and emergency management officials walk a tight line, though, between the risk, on the one hand, of sounding an alarm prematurely and, on the other, of missing the pivotal moment when a warning will do the most good. When officials do sound the alarm and the prospective hazard either fizzles out or turns out to be less severe than anticipated, they are often portrayed as crying wolf – even if the reduced severity is because of their own hard work in mitigating the danger.
The U.S. government’s chemical security program helps to identify high-risk targets for terrorist attacks based on the type of chemical being manufactured or delivered and the physical location of the facility where it is stored.
Although avian influenza outbreaks occur periodically in poultry flocks, only recently has avian influenza been considered a significant threat to human health and the global economy. The 1997 emergence of H5N1 first brought attention to avian influenza’s ability to cause disease in humans. However, human infection with influenza from avian sources is not a new phenomenon.
Unlike the sudden release of toxic chemical agents, pathogens often are difficult to detect and prevent. Such threats evolve over time and have the ability to silently spread between communities. Identifying the threat early would help slow or prevent the spread of disease before it overwhelms a community’s response capabilities.
Transportation to and from any special event can be a challenge, but there are additional requirements that must be met for events of national significance with the highest level of security. In the United States, the Federal Highway Administration provides checklists, publications, and even peer-to-peer support for professionals tasked with planning such events.
Improving national resilience is a process that requires developing and promulgating new policies, defining missions and capabilities, and implementing change through training and education. As the two-year anniversary of Presidential Policy Directive 8 approaches, policy makers and responders are learning much more about the planning opportunities, and new challenges, they are likely to encounter in the years to come. 
The Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits “the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer or use of chemical weapons by States Parties.” However, when a nation refuses to sign the agreement and continues to stockpile chemical warfare agents, it raises worldwide concerns. In the case of Syria, its own citizens have good reason to fear being the target of attack. 