[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 83 (Monday, May 3, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23419-23420]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09234]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Transportation Security Administration


Intent To Request Extension From OMB of One Public Collection of 
Information: Exercise Information System

AGENCY: Transportation Security Administration, DHS.

ACTION: 60-Day notice.

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SUMMARY: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) invites 
public comment on one currently approved Information Collection Request 
(ICR), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number 1652-0057, 
abstracted below that we will submit to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for an extension in compliance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act. The ICR describes the nature of the information 
collection and its expected burden for the TSA Exercise Information 
System (EXIS). EXIS is a web portal designed to serve stakeholders in 
the transportation industry in regard to security training exercises. 
EXIS provides stakeholders with transportation security exercise 
scenarios and objectives, best practices and lessons learned, and a 
repository of the user's own historical exercise data for use in future 
exercises. It also allows stakeholders to design and evaluate their own 
security exercises based on the unique needs of their specific 
transportation mode or method of operation. Using and inputting 
information into EXIS is completely voluntary.

DATES: Send your comments by July 2, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be emailed to [email protected] or delivered to 
the TSA PRA Officer, Information Technology (IT), TSA-11, 
Transportation Security Administration, 6595 Springfield Center Drive, 
Springfield, VA 20598-6011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christina A. Walsh at the above 
address, or by telephone 571-227-2062.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq.), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is 
not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it 
displays a valid OMB control number. The ICR documentation will be made 
available at http://www.reginfo.gov upon its submission to OMB. 
Therefore, in preparation for OMB review and approval of the following 
information collection, TSA is soliciting comments to--
    (1) Evaluate whether the proposed information requirement is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including using appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.

Information Collection Requirement

    OMB Control Number 1652-0057; Exercise Information System. EXIS is 
an internet-accessible knowledge-management system developed by TSA to 
serve its relevant stakeholders (such as members of the transportation 
industry, port authorities, Federal agencies, and State, local, 
territorial, and tribal governments). EXIS integrates security-related 
training and exercise components constituting Sensitive Security 
Information (SSI).\1\ It gives stakeholders valuable security exercise 
scenarios and objectives, best practices and lessons learned, and a 
repository of the users' own historical exercise data for use in future 
exercises. Transportation industry stakeholders can choose scenarios 
and objectives based on their vulnerabilities, mode of transportation, 
and the size of their operation.
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    \1\ SSI is information which, if publicly released, would be 
detrimental to transportation security, and is defined at 49 U.S.C. 
114(r) and 49 CFR part 1520.
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    TSA will collect five types of information through EXIS. The 
collection is voluntary. While EXIS users are not required to provide 
all information requested, if users choose to withhold information, 
they may not receive the benefits of EXIS associated with that 
information collection.
    1. User registration information. Because EXIS includes SSI 
information, TSA must collect information upon registration to ensure 
only those members of the transportation community with a relevant 
interest in conducting security training exercises, and with an 
appropriate level of need to access security training information, are 
provided access to EXIS.
    TSA collects: The User's Name, Agency/Organization Name and Type, 
Job Title, Supervisor or other Sponsor's Name, Professional Phone 
Number, Professional Email Address, Employment Verification Contact 
Name, Employment Verification Contact Information, and the Reason for 
Needing an EXIS account. In addition, the following optional 
registration information can be added by the user: Professional 
(business), Country, City, State, Zip Code, Mobile Phone Number, 
Alternate Email, and Preferred Transportation Sector.
    2. Desired nature and scope of the exercise. TSA collects this 
information to generate an EXIS training exercise appropriate for the 
particular user. Users are asked to submit their desired transportation 
mode, exercise properties, objectives, scenario events, and 
participating agencies/attendees.
    3. Corrective actions/lessons learned/best practices. TSA collects 
this information to document and share the users' ideas and methods for 
improving transportation security with other transportation 
stakeholders in the wider EXIS user base. The TSA Intermodal Security 
Training and Exercise Program office may send lessons learned and best 
practices to subject matter experts within TSA for review. Once the 
information is reviewed, any company or user identifying information is 
removed and the content is published to the site for all users to 
access.
    4. Evaluation feedback. TSA collects this information for the 
purpose of evaluating the usefulness of EXIS in facilitating security 
training exercises for the users. TSA can then modify EXIS to better 
suit its users' needs.
    5. After-Action Reports (AARs). The EXIS automatically summarizes 
information from items (2) and (3) mentioned above in order to create 
formal AARs for users. These AARs include an exercise overview, goals 
and objectives, scenario event synopsis, analysis of critical issues, 
exercise design characteristics, conclusions, and the executive 
summary. The AAR is the output of the exercise process.

[[Page 23420]]

Stakeholders use the report to identify strengths or areas in which 
they can assign resources to mitigate risk and enhance the security 
posture within their organization.
    Based on industry population estimates and growth rates, and 
interest generated amongst the transportation modes during the years 
following EXIS' release to the public, TSA estimates that there will be 
approximately 11,500 full access and limited access users in Year 1; 
14,350 users in Year 2; and 18,250 users in Year 3, for an average 
annual respondents estimate of 14,700. TSA estimates a proportion of 
full access users and limited access users will spend approximately 3.5 
hours per EXIS user inputting the information described above. TSA 
estimates limited access users will also spend approximately 0.25 hours 
completing a survey. Given this information, the annual hourly burden 
for EXIS's collection of information is 7,090.63 hours.

    Dated: April 28, 2021.
Christina A. Walsh,
TSA Paperwork Reduction Act Officer, Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 2021-09234 Filed 4-30-21; 8:45 am]
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