The Case for NSEP: National Security Emergency Preparedness

Thanks to climate change and the increasingly interconnected nature of our society, there is a growing need to adopt a national security emergency preparedness (NSEP) approach in the U.S.  This is the conclusion of a recent white paper from the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association (AFCEA), entitled “COVID-19 Compels Better NSEP Planning.”

Why the Adoption of a NSEP Makes Sense

The AFCEA white paper argues that a plan is only as good as the ability to implement it, and theorizes that although national and local agencies tend to have decent emergency plans, the necessary infrastructure to carry out these plans is not always adequate for successful implementation.  This includes considerations around supply chains, roles and responsibilities, and command and control structures. 

The white paper uses the coronavirus outbreak as an example, as the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) probably could have been mitigated if a tightly coordinated national procurement and distribution strategy were applied.   

Another justification for a NSEP is the growing need for cybersecurity.  With so much interconnectivity across systems and networks, the effect of a breach on the east coast could theoretically domino to the west coast.  Once a ‘bad actor’ gains backdoor access, it’s feasible that wide swaths of infrastructure could be taken down within hours. 

Still another justification has been demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic – over 18,000 governmental agencies were involved in some way, yet no clear rules around their authority and decision-making autonomy were in place.  This led to a very haphazard response that may have actually worsened the situation. 

In order to encourage NSEP readiness, the white paper suggests launching a ‘readiness evaluation’ program that would assign grades to each agency based on its degree of readiness.  The paper also recommends emphasizing public/private partnerships, and requiring that all NSEP plans follow the same format and structure. 

The exciting part of this for me is that if the deployment of a NSEP strategy works at the governmental agency level, it might serve as a model for the utility industry.  We have a long way to go before this can be considered, but it’s an exciting proposition nonetheless.