Opinion/Editorial by Col. Robert Stephan, USAF (Ret.)
Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Rest assured there are no flea markets, petting zoos, popcorn factories, hot dog stands or other such facilities on the Department of Homeland Security’s critical “target lists.”  

Contrary to recent reporting, our Department uses a variety of tools to identify and assess the risk to our nation’s infrastructure.  One of those tools is the National Asset Database (NADB).  This database is not, as has been reported, a list of the most critical assets in our nation, nor does the database drive our funding decisions at the Department.

This database is merely the first step in creating a “phonebook” of more than 77,000 facilities, assets, and systems across our country. The federal government did not have this type of tool on 9/11. We asked federal partners and state and local officials to help build the database because they know their cities and communities best. We also welcomed voluntary private sector submissions and utilized commercial demographics products, external data sources, and subject matter experts to populate the database with information. 

The database represents an initial data platform from which more detailed risk analysis is conducted.  Common sense says that we would want to include all the data available, simply as a starting point.  The obvious next step in the process is to pull out the information that is actually important – and we are doing just that. 

As we develop our list of critical infrastructures and commercial facilities that may represent “terrorist targets,” raw data in the database is subjected to a complex series of threat, vulnerability, and consequence filters. The assets that represent significant public health and safety, economic, governance and national defense consequences and are inherently vulnerable to terrorist attack make the final cut on the “target list.”

Americans should know that this carefully screened set of target listings, roughly 600 nationwide, is what drives the Department’s decision making regarding operational focus, resource investments, and grant programs. The expansive raw data warehoused in the NADB does not. Obviously, these “target lists” are extremely sensitive and are classified to prevent their use as a road map by our enemies to inflict catastrophic damage upon our nation. 

Furthermore, it is important that the NADB continue to be broadly based and inclusive. Today’s terrorist target sets are not necessarily those of tomorrow.  We must be prepared for acute changes in targeting profiles—many of our partners around the globe have learned this lesson the hard way.  When the terrorist happens to be Mother Nature, we must also be prepared to clearly understand what facilities lie in the path of a storm, provide adequate warning and assist in post-event response and recovery. Our success in this depends directly on our ability to access data on a wide array of disparate facilities in a hurricane or earthquake impact zone.

The DHS Inspector General seems to have missed the purpose of the database entirely.  Never at any point did the Inspector General’s office interview me in preparing their report, which brings me to question their reporting process and their background on this topic.   I am unaware of any infrastructure protection experts working for the DHS Inspector General. 

They have chosen instead to focus on raw, unfiltered data resident within the NADB to create national level hype.  This is akin to looking at the clips on the cutting-room floor rather than the actual movie and giving it a half-star rating. By focusing inappropriately on this raw material, they have attempted to turn what is a very deliberative and analytic process into a national mockery. This approach does a huge disservice to the dedicated men and women of the Department who have worked hard for the past three years to keep this country safe. It also does an extreme disservice to the American people who are ably served by members of this Department.

The men and women of the Department of Homeland Security work every day with our partners to identify the infrastructure most at risk in this country and to build programs to protect it. We will continue to further our important and deliberate work in this area, and we will remain steadfast in our efforts to keep the American people safe.

Col. Robert Stephan, USAF (Ret.)
Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection
U.S. Department of Homeland Security