The 2018 National Preparedness Report provides an overview of key developments in national preparedness – incorporating findings and lessons learned from incidents in 2017 in combination with data and inputs from federal interagency and whole community partners. Focus on emerging and persistent challenges concentrates the discussion on what the whole community – including individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and all levels of government – needs to address to increase the nation’s preparedness.
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released an emergency planning and response Safety Digest, which outlines responsibilities of first responders, companies, and communities when preparing for and responding to chemical incidents. This resource stresses the importance of preparation, training, and communication.
The Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration’s (DOE/NNSA) Fiscal Year 2019 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan – Biennial Plan Summary describes DOE/NNSA’s plans to ensure the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile and to maintain the scientific and engineering tools, capabilities, and infrastructure that underpin the nuclear security enterprise.
The 2018 Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capabilities: National Standards for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Public Health recognizes the maturity and experience jurisdictional public health emergency preparedness and response programs have gained since 2011. The document describes the components necessary to advance jurisdictional public health preparedness and response capacity.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office was asked to review the decision to declare a public health emergency for the opioid crisis and what actions have been taken under the declaration. This report describes: (1) the factors HHS indicated as affecting its decision to declare and renew the public health emergency for the opioid crisis, and (2) the public health emergency authorities the federal government has used to address the opioid crisis.
This report highlights 15 technologies or categories of technologies that, with further scientific attention and investment, as well as attention to accompanying legal, regulatory, ethical, policy, and operational issues, could help make the world better prepared and equipped to prevent future infectious disease outbreaks from becoming catastrophic events.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has made progress by taking a number of actions to address the 35 recommendations from the Army’s 2015 investigation report on the inadvertent shipments of live Bacillus anthracis (anthrax). The U.S. Government Accountability Office reviewed DOD documents and key actions in response to the Army’s recommendations and conducted site visits to DOD’s laboratories to develop this report.
As all facets of American life have become more dependent on a secure cyberspace, new vulnerabilities have been revealed and new threats continue to emerge. Building on the National Security Strategy and the Administration’s progress over its first 18 months, the 2018 National Cyber Strategy outlines how the United States will ensure the American people continue to reap the benefits of a secure cyberspace.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) goal for federally supported surveillance activities is to get the right information into the right hands at the right time. A strategic plan to improve surveillance at the CDC was launched in February 2014 to better achieve this goal. This report is a summary of highlighted results from their work to improve surveillance.
In 2016, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Policy– Strategy, Plans, Analysis, and Risk, asked the RAND National Defense Research Institute to design and implement a risk identification and characterization of natural and manmade threats and hazards to identify the greatest risks to homeland security and support prioritization of DHS mission elements as part of DHS strategic planning processes. This report describes the risk assessment methodology RAND researchers devel- oped to address these goals.
