United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2001-09-20 monographic deposited born digital 218 p. GA 1.13:GAO-01-822 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-822 P0b002ee180389e2b f:d01822 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-822 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-822 GAO-01-822 Advanced weapons systems Computer crimes Computer security Nuclear weapons Terrorism All-Hazard Emergency Operations Plan Critical Infrastructure Protection Grants Program DOD Defense-wide Information Assurance Program DOD Domestic Preparedness Program DOJ Five-Year Interagency Counterterrorism and Technology Crime Plan DOJ InfraGard Information-Sharing Program DOJ Metropolitan Firefighters and Emergency Services Program DOT Global Positioning System Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan FEMA Federal Response Plan ILOVEYOU Computer Virus National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan United States Interagency Domestic Terrorism Concept of Operations Plan Other Written Product A01496

Greater attention has been placed on combating terrorism as concerns have grown. Assignment of executive branch responsibilities and authorities also has received additional emphasis, including the appointment of a national coordinator in 1998 in the National Security Council to serve as a focal point for overall leadership and coordination. Congress and the President both have recognized the need to review and clarify the structure for overall leadership and coordination. At the recent request of the President, the Vice President will oversee the development of a coordinated national effort to improve national preparedness, including efforts to combat terrorism. Federal efforts to develop a national strategy to combat terrorism and related guidance have progressed, but key efforts remain incomplete. The first step toward developing a national strategy is to conduct a national threat and risk assessment. The Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have collaborated on such an assessment, but they have not formally coordinated with other departments and agencies on this task. Under current policy, the federal government also has improved its capabilities to respond to a domestic terrorist incident. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are tasked with leading federal efforts in their respective roles for managing a terrorist crisis and the consequences of an incident. These two agencies would be supported by a number of other federal agencies with response capabilities. Federal assistance to state and local governments to prepare for terrorist incidents has resulted in training for thousands of first responders--those state and local officials who would first respond at the scene of an incident. To improve this, state and local officials have called for a single federal liaison for state and local preparedness programs. Regarding risks to computer systems and, more importantly, to the critical operations and infrastructures they support, an array of efforts has been undertaken to implement a national strategy outlined in Presidential Decision Directive 63. However, progress in certain key areas has been slow. Specifically, federal agencies have taken initial steps to develop critical infrastructure protection plans, but independent audits continue to identify persistent, significant information security weaknesses that place federal operations at high risk of tampering and disruption. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-822/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-822.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-822/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-822.pdf GAO-01-822 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-822 Other Written Product GAO-01-822; Combating Terrorism: Selected Challenges and Related Recommendations; Advanced weapons systems Computer crimes Computer security Nuclear weapons Terrorism All-Hazard Emergency Operations Plan Critical Infrastructure Protection Grants Program DOD Defense-wide Information Assurance Program DOD Domestic Preparedness Program DOJ Five-Year Interagency Counterterrorism and Technology Crime Plan DOJ InfraGard Information-Sharing Program DOJ Metropolitan Firefighters and Emergency Services Program DOT Global Positioning System Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan FEMA Federal Response Plan ILOVEYOU Computer Virus National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan United States Interagency Domestic Terrorism Concept of Operations Plan Title 18 Section 1385 18 U.S.C. 1385 Title 42 Section 40 Title 42 Section 44 Title 42 Section 5121 Title 42 Section 5121et seq. Title 42 Section 9605 Title 42 Chapter 68 42 U.S.C. 40 42 U.S.C. 44 42 U.S.C. 5121 42 U.S.C. 5121et seq. 42 U.S.C. 9605 42 U.S.C. Chapter 68 Public Law 101-298 Public Law 103-62 Public Law 104-19 Public Law 104-201 Public Law 105-85 Public Law 105-119 Public Law 106-398 H. Rept. 105-405 S. Rept. 106-404