Goal

National Preparedness
Goal
Second Edition
September 2015

National Preparedness Goal

Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1
Core Capabilities ........................................................................................................... 3
Overview ...................................................................................................................................3
Risk and the Core Capabilities ...............................................................................................4
Mission Area: Prevention ........................................................................................................5
Mission Area: Protection .........................................................................................................8
Mission Area: Mitigation ......................................................................................................10
Mission Area: Response ........................................................................................................12
Mission Area: Recovery ........................................................................................................17
Conclusion and Next Steps ........................................................................................ 21
Appendix A: Terms and Definitions......................................................................... A-1

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Introduction
Preparedness is the shared responsibility of our entire nation. The whole community contributes,
beginning with individuals and communities, the private and nonprofit sectors, faith-based
organizations, and all governments (local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal1, territorial, insular
area2, and Federal). This second edition of the National Preparedness Goal reflects the insights
and lessons learned from four years of real world events and implementation of the National
Preparedness System.3
We describe our security and resilience posture through the core capabilities (see Table 1) that
are necessary to deal with the risks we face. We use an integrated, layered, and all-of-Nation
approach as our foundation for building and sustaining core capabilities and preparing to deliver
them effectively. The National Preparedness Goal is:
A secure and resilient Nation with the capabilities required across the
whole community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and
recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk.

Using the core capabilities, we achieve the National Preparedness Goal by:


Preventing, avoiding, or stopping a threatened or an actual act of terrorism.



Protecting our citizens, residents, visitors, assets, systems, and networks against the greatest
threats and hazards in a manner that allows our interests, aspirations, and way of life to
thrive.



Mitigating the loss of life and property by lessening the impact of future disasters.



Responding quickly to save lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic
human needs in the aftermath of an incident.



Recovering through a focus on the timely restoration, strengthening, and revitalization of
infrastructure, housing, and the economy, as well as the health, social, cultural, historic, and
environmental fabric of communities affected by an incident.

The core capabilities contained in the Goal are the distinct critical elements necessary for our
success. They are highly interdependent and require us to use existing preparedness networks
and activities, coordinate and unify efforts, improve training and exercise programs, promote
innovation, leverage and enhance our science and technology capacity, and ensure that
administrative, finance, and logistics systems are in place to support these capabilities. The core
capabilities serve as both preparedness tools and a means of structured implementation. All
manner of incidents across the whole community have proven the usefulness of the core
capabilities and the coordinating structures that sustain and deliver them. These range from
1

The Federal Government recognizes that the tribal right of self-government flows from the inherent sovereignty of
American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes as nations and that federally recognized tribes have a unique and direct
relationship with the Federal Government.
2
Per the Stafford Act, insular areas include Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American
Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Other statutes or departments and agencies may define the term insular area
differently.
3
The National Preparedness System outlines an organized process for the whole community to move forward with
its preparedness activities and achieve the National Preparedness Goal.

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localized and regional incidents, larger events involving both Stafford Act4 disaster and
emergency declarations, and operations conducted under other authorities (e.g., response to an
emerging infectious disease outbreak).
Individual and community preparedness is fundamental to our National success. Providing
individuals and communities with information and resources will facilitate actions to adapt to
and withstand an emergency or disaster. As we have seen in tragic incidents both at home and
abroad, anyone can contribute to safeguarding the Nation from harm. Our national resilience can
be improved, for example, by raising awareness of the techniques that can save lives through
such basic actions as stopping life-threatening bleeding. By providing the necessary knowledge
and skills, we seek to enable the whole community to contribute to and benefit from national
preparedness. Whole community contributors include children5; older adults; individuals with
disabilities and others with access and functional needs; those from religious, racial, and
ethnically diverse backgrounds; people with limited English proficiency; and owners of animals
including household pets and service animals. Their needs and contributions must be integrated
into our efforts. Each community contributes to the Goal by individually preparing for the risks
that are most relevant and urgent for them individually. By empowering individuals and
communities with knowledge and skills they can contribute to achieving the National
Preparedness Goal.
We continue to make progress in building and sustaining our national preparedness. The Goal
builds on these achievements, but our aspirations must be even higher to match the greatest risks
facing our Nation. As we prepare for these challenges, our core capabilities will evolve to meet
those challenges.

4

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) authorizes the President to
provide financial and other assistance to local, state, tribal, territorial, and insular area governments, as well as
Federal agencies, to support Response and Recovery efforts in the wake of emergency or major disaster
declarations.
5
Children require a unique set of considerations across the core capabilities contained within this document. Their
needs must be taken into consideration as part of any integrated planning effort.

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Core Capabilities
O ve r vi ew
Core capabilities are essential for the execution of each of the five mission areas: Prevention,
Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery (see Table 1). The core capabilities are not
exclusive to any single government or organization, but rather require the combined efforts of
the whole community.
Table 1: Core Capabilities by Mission Area6
Prevention

Protection

Mitigation

Response

Recovery

Planning
Public Information and Warning
Operational Coordination
Intelligence and Information Sharing

Community
Resilience

Interdiction and Disruption

Long-term
Vulnerability
Reduction

Screening, Search, and Detection
Forensics and
Attribution

Access Control
and Identity
Verification
Cybersecurity
Physical
Protective
Measures
Risk
Management for
Protection
Programs and
Activities
Supply Chain
Integrity and
Security

Risk and Disaster
Resilience
Assessment
Threats and
Hazards
Identification

Infrastructure Systems
Critical Transportation

Economic
Recovery

Environmental
Response/Health and
Safety

Health and
Social Services

Fatality Management
Services
Fire Management and
Suppression

Housing
Natural and
Cultural
Resources

Logistics and Supply
Chain Management
Mass Care Services
Mass Search and
Rescue Operations
On-scene Security,
Protection, and Law
Enforcement
Operational
Communications
Public Health,
Healthcare, and
Emergency Medical
Services
Situational
Assessment

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Planning, Public Information and Warning, and Operational Coordination are common to all mission areas.

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These five mission areas serve as an aid in organizing our national preparedness activities and
enabling integration and coordination across core capabilities. The mission areas are interrelated
and require collaboration in order to be effective. The National Planning Frameworks and
Federal Interagency Operational Plans expand on these relationships, to include how the mission
areas and core capabilities are used to achieve the goal of a secure and resilient nation.
Three core capabilities: Planning, Public Information and Warning, and Operational
Coordination span all five mission areas. They serve to unify the mission areas and, in many
ways, are necessary for the success of the remaining core capabilities. Additionally, a number of
core capabilities directly involve more than one mission area and are listed in each mission area
as appropriate.
The core capabilities, like the risks we face, are not static. They will be vetted and refined, taking
into consideration the evolving risk and, changing resource requirements. Further, there is an
expectation that each of the core capabilities will leverage advances in science and technology
and be improved through post-event evaluation and assessment.

R i s k an d t h e Co re C ap ab i l i t i e s
Understanding the greatest risks to the Nation’s security and resilience is a critical step in
identifying the core capabilities. All levels of government and the whole community should
assess and present risk in a similar manner to provide a common understanding of the threats and
hazards confronting our Nation. The information gathered during a risk assessment also enables
a prioritization of preparedness efforts and an ability to identify our capability requirements
across the whole community.
The Strategic National Risk Assessment indicates that a wide range of threats and hazards
continue to pose a significant risk to the Nation, affirming the need for an all-hazards, capabilitybased approach to preparedness planning. Key findings include:


Natural hazards, including hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, droughts, wildfires, winter
storms, and floods, present a significant and varied risk across the country. Climate change
has the potential to cause the consequence of weather-related hazards to become more severe.



A virulent strain of pandemic influenza could kill hundreds of thousands of Americans, affect
millions more, and result in economic loss. Additional human and animal infectious diseases,
including those undiscovered, may present significant risks.



Technological and accidental hazards, such as transportation system failures, dam failures,
chemical spills or releases, have the potential to cause extensive fatalities and severe
economic impacts. In addition, these hazards may increase due to aging infrastructure.



Terrorist organizations or affiliates may seek to acquire, build, and use weapons of mass
destruction (WMD). Conventional terrorist attacks, including those by “lone actors”
employing physical threats such as explosives and armed attacks, present a continued risk to
the Nation.



Cyber-attacks can have catastrophic consequences, which in turn, can lead to other hazards,
such as power grid failures or financial system failures. These cascading hazards increase the
potential impact of cyber incidents. Cybersecurity threats exploit the increased complexity

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and connectivity of critical infrastructure systems, placing the Nation’s security, economy,
and public safety and health at risk.


Some incidents, such as explosives attacks or earthquakes, generally cause more localized
impacts, while other incidents, such as human pandemics, may cause impacts that are
dispersed throughout the Nation, thus creating different types of impacts for preparedness
planners to consider.

In addition to these findings, climate change has the potential to adversely impact a number of
threats and hazards. Rising sea levels, increasingly powerful storms, and heavier downpours are
already contributing to an increased risk of flooding. Droughts and wildfires are becoming more
frequent and severe in some areas of the country.
Cybersecurity poses its own unique challenges. In addition to the risk that cyber-threats pose to
the nation, cybersecurity represents a core capability integral to preparedness efforts across the
whole community. In order to meet the threat, preparedness planners must not only consider the
unique core capability outlined in the Protection mission area, but must also consider integrating
cyber preparedness throughout core capabilities in every mission area.
These findings supported the update of the core capabilities. Additionally, the Response and
Recovery mission areas go one step further by focusing on a set of core capabilities based on the
impact of a series of cascading incidents. Such incidents would likely stress the abilities of our
Nation. A developed set of planning factors, intended to mimic this cascading incident and
identify the necessary core capabilities, draws upon three hazards identified by the Strategic
National Risk Assessment (i.e., large-scale earthquake, major hurricane, WMD attack).
The risks faced by a community can directly impact those responsible for delivering core
capabilities. The whole community must maintain the ability to conduct mission essential
functions during an actual hazard or incident to ensure delivery of core capabilities for all
mission areas. The scope and magnitude of a catastrophic incident may result in a resource
scarce environment. Because such incidents may affect an organization’s ability to provide
assets, assistance, and services, continuity planning and operations are an inherent component of
each core capability and the coordinating structures that provide them. Continuity operations
increase resilience and the likelihood that organizations can perform essential functions and
deliver core capabilities that support the mission areas.

M i s si o n A r e a: P r ev en t i o n
Prevention includes those capabilities necessary to avoid, prevent, or stop a threatened or actual
act of terrorism. Unlike other mission areas, which are all-hazards by design, Prevention core
capabilities are focused specifically on imminent terrorist threats, including on-going attacks or
stopping imminent follow-on attacks.
In addition, preventing an imminent terrorist threat will trigger a robust counterterrorism
response wherein all instruments of national power may be used to resolve threats and save lives.
Prevention also includes activities such as intelligence, law enforcement, and homeland defense
as examples of activities conducted to address and resolve the threat.
The terrorist threat is dynamic and complex, and combating it is not the sole responsibility of a
single entity or community. Ensuring the security of the homeland requires terrorism prevention
through extensive collaboration with government and nongovernmental entities, international

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partners, and the private sector. We will foster a rapid, coordinated, all-of-Nation, effective
terrorism prevention effort that reflects the full range of capabilities critical to avoid, prevent, or
stop a threatened or actual act of terrorism in the homeland.
The Prevention mission area relies on ongoing support activities from across all mission areas
that prepare the whole community to execute the core capabilities for preventing an imminent
terrorist threat. These activities include information sharing efforts that directly support local
communities in preventing terrorism and other activities that are precursors or indicators of
terrorist activity and violent extremism.
Table 2 defines and details the Prevention core capabilities and the preliminary targets
associated with each.
Table 2: Prevention Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets

Prevention Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Planning

Conduct a systematic process engaging the whole community as appropriate in
the development of executable strategic, operational, and/or tactical-level
approaches to meet defined objectives.

1. Identify critical objectives during the planning process, provide a complete and integrated picture of
the sequence and scope of the tasks to achieve the objectives, and ensure the objectives are
implementable within the time frame contemplated within the plan using available resources for
prevention-related plans.
2. Develop and execute appropriate courses of action in coordination with local, state, tribal, territorial,
Federal, and private sector entities in order to prevent an imminent terrorist attack within the United
States.

Public Information
and Warning

Deliver coordinated, prompt, reliable, and actionable information to the whole
community through the use of clear, consistent, accessible, and culturally and
linguistically appropriate methods to effectively relay information regarding any
threat or hazard, as well as the actions being taken and the assistance being
made available, as appropriate.

1. Share prompt and actionable messages, to include National Terrorism Advisory System alerts, with
the public and other stakeholders, as appropriate, to aid in the prevention of imminent or follow-on
terrorist attacks, consistent with the timelines specified by existing processes and protocols.
2. Provide public awareness information to inform the general public on how to identify and provide
terrorism-related information to the appropriate law enforcement authorities, thereby enabling the
public to act as a force multiplier in the prevention of imminent or follow-on acts of terrorism.
Operational
Coordination

Establish and maintain a unified and coordinated operational structure and
process that appropriately integrates all critical stakeholders and supports the
execution of core capabilities.

1. Execute operations with functional and integrated communications among appropriate entities to
prevent initial or follow-on terrorist attacks within the United States in accordance with established
protocols.

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Prevention Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Forensics and
Attribution

Conduct forensic analysis and attribute terrorist acts (including the means and
methods of terrorism) to their source, to include forensic analysis as well as
attribution for an attack and for the preparation for an attack in an effort to
prevent initial or follow-on acts and/or swiftly develop counter-options.

1. Prioritize physical evidence collection and analysis to assist in preventing initial or follow-on terrorist
acts.
2. Prioritize chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) material (bulk and trace)
collection and analysis to assist in preventing initial or follow-on terrorist acts.
3. Prioritize biometric collection and analysis to assist in preventing initial or follow-on terrorist acts.
4. Prioritize digital media, network exploitation, and cyber technical analysis to assist in preventing initial
or follow-on terrorist acts.

Intelligence and
Information Sharing

Provide timely, accurate, and actionable information resulting from the planning,
direction, collection, exploitation, processing, analysis, production, dissemination,
evaluation, and feedback of available information concerning physical and cyber
threats to the United States, its people, property, or interests; the development,
proliferation, or use of WMDs; or any other matter bearing on U.S. national or
homeland security by local, state, tribal, territorial, Federal, and other
stakeholders. Information sharing is the ability to exchange intelligence,
information, data, or knowledge among government or private sector entities, as
appropriate.

1. Anticipate and identify emerging and/or imminent threats through the intelligence cycle.
2. Share relevant, timely, and actionable information and analysis with local, state, tribal, territorial,
Federal, private sector, and international partners and develop and disseminate appropriate
classified/unclassified products.
3. Ensure local, state, tribal, territorial, Federal, and private sector partners possess or have access to a
mechanism to submit terrorism-related information and/or suspicious activity reports to law
enforcement.
Interdiction and
Disruption

Delay, divert, intercept, halt, apprehend, or secure threats and/or hazards.

1. Maximize our ability to interdict specific conveyances, cargo, and persons associated with an
imminent terrorist threat or act in the land, air, and maritime domains to prevent entry into the United
States or to prevent an incident from occurring in the Nation.
2. Conduct operations to render safe and dispose of CBRNE hazards in multiple locations and in all
environments, consistent with established protocols.
3. Prevent terrorism financial/material support from reaching its target, consistent with established
protocols.
4. Prevent terrorist acquisition of and the transfer of CBRNE materials, precursors, and related
technology, consistent with established protocols.
5. Conduct tactical counterterrorism operations in multiple locations and in all environments, consistent
with established protocols.

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Prevention Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Screening, Search,
and Detection

Identify, discover, or locate threats and/or hazards through active and passive
surveillance and search procedures. This may include the use of systematic
examinations and assessments, biosurveillance, sensor technologies, or physical
investigation and intelligence.

1. Maximize the screening of targeted cargo, conveyances, mail, baggage, and people associated with
an imminent terrorist threat or act using technical, non-technical, intrusive, or non-intrusive means.
2. Initiate operations immediately to locate persons and networks associated with an imminent terrorist
threat or act.
3. Conduct CBRNE search/detection operations in multiple locations and in all environments, consistent
with established protocols.

M i s si o n A r e a: P ro t e ct i o n
Protection includes the capabilities to safeguard the homeland against acts of terrorism and manmade or natural disasters. It focuses on actions to protect our people, our vital interests, and our
way of life.
Protection core capabilities are the product of diverse activities. These activities include defense
against WMD threats; defense of agriculture and food; critical infrastructure protection7;
protection of key leadership and events; border security; maritime security; transportation
security; immigration security; and cybersecurity.
Table 3 defines and details the Protection core capabilities and the preliminary targets
associated with each.
Table 3: Protection Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets

Protection Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Planning

Conduct a systematic process engaging the whole community, as appropriate, in
the development of executable strategic, operational, and/or tactical-level
approaches to meet defined objectives.

1. Develop protection plans that identify critical objectives based on planning requirements, provide a
complete and integrated picture of the sequence and scope of the tasks to achieve the planning
objectives, and implement planning requirements within the time frame contemplated within the plan
using available resources for protection-related plans.
2. Implement, exercise, and maintain plans to ensure continuity of operations.

Public Information
and Warning

Deliver coordinated, prompt, reliable, and actionable information to the whole
community through the use of clear, consistent, accessible, and culturally and
linguistically appropriate methods to effectively relay information regarding any
threat or hazard and, as appropriate, the actions being taken and the assistance
being made available.

1. Use effective and accessible indication and warning systems to communicate significant hazards to
involved operators, security officials, and the public (including alerts, detection capabilities, and other
necessary and appropriate assets).

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See Critical Infrastructure in Appendix A for a full explanation.

National Preparedness Goal

Protection Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Operational
Coordination

Establish and maintain a unified and coordinated operational structure and
process that appropriately integrates all critical stakeholders and supports the
execution of core capabilities.

1. Establish and maintain partnership structures among Protection elements to support networking,
planning, and coordination.
Access Control and
Identity Verification

Apply and support necessary physical, technological, and cyber measures to
control admittance to critical locations and systems.

1. Implement and maintain protocols to verify identity and authorize, grant, or deny physical and cyber
access to specific locations, information, and networks.
Cybersecurity

Protect (and, if needed, restore) electronic communications systems, information,
and services from damage, unauthorized use, and exploitation.

1. Implement risk-informed guidelines, regulations, and standards to ensure the security, reliability,
integrity, and availability of critical information, records, and communications systems and services
through collaborative cybersecurity initiatives and efforts.
2. Implement and maintain procedures to detect malicious activity and to conduct technical and
investigative-based countermeasures, mitigations, and operations against malicious actors to counter
existing and emerging cyber-based threats, consistent with established protocols.

Intelligence and
Information Sharing

Provide timely, accurate, and actionable information resulting from the planning,
direction, collection, exploitation, processing, analysis, production, dissemination,
evaluation, and feedback of available information concerning threats to the
United States, its people, property, or interests; the development, proliferation, or
use of WMDs; or any other matter bearing on U.S. national or homeland security
by local, state, tribal, territorial, Federal, and other stakeholders. Information
sharing is the ability to exchange intelligence, information, data, or knowledge
among government or private sector entities, as appropriate.

1. Anticipate and identify emerging and/or imminent threats through the intelligence cycle.
2. Share relevant, timely, and actionable information and analysis with local, state, tribal, territorial,
Federal, private sector, and international partners and develop and disseminate appropriate
classified/unclassified products.
3. Provide local, state, tribal, territorial, Federal, and private sector partners with or access to a
mechanism to submit terrorism-related information and/or suspicious activity reports to law
enforcement.
Interdiction and
Disruption

Delay, divert, intercept, halt, apprehend, or secure threats and/or hazards.

1. Deter, detect, interdict, and protect against domestic and transnational criminal and terrorist activities
that threaten the security of the homeland across key operational activities and critical infrastructure
sectors.
2. Intercept the malicious movement and acquisition/transfer of CBRNE materials and related
technologies.

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Protection Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Physical Protective
Measures

Implement and maintain risk-informed countermeasures, and policies protecting
people, borders, structures, materials, products, and systems associated with
key operational activities and critical infrastructure sectors.

1. Identify, assess, and mitigate vulnerabilities to incidents through the deployment of physical protective
measures.
2. Deploy protective measures commensurate with the risk of an incident and balanced with the
complementary aims of enabling commerce and maintaining the civil rights of citizens.
Risk Management for
Identify, assess, and prioritize risks to inform Protection activities,
Protection Programs
countermeasures, and investments.
and Activities
1. Ensure critical infrastructure sectors and Protection elements have and maintain risk assessment
processes to identify and prioritize assets, systems, networks, and functions.
2. Ensure operational activities and critical infrastructure sectors have and maintain appropriate threat,
vulnerability, and consequence tools to identify and assess threats, vulnerabilities, and
consequences.

Screening, Search,
and Detection

Identify, discover, or locate threats and/or hazards through active and passive
surveillance and search procedures. This may include the use of systematic
examinations and assessments, biosurveillance, sensor technologies, or physical
investigation and intelligence.

1. Screen cargo, conveyances, mail, baggage, and people using information-based and physical
screening technology and processes.
2. Detect WMD, traditional, and emerging threats and hazards of concern using:
a. A laboratory diagnostic capability and the capacity for food, agricultural (plant/animal),
environmental, medical products, and clinical samples
b. Bio-surveillance systems
c. CBRNE detection systems
d. Trained healthcare, emergency medical, veterinary, and environmental laboratory professionals.
Supply Chain
Strengthen the security and resilience of the supply chain.
Integrity and Security
1. Secure and make resilient key nodes, methods of transport between nodes, and materials in transit.

M i s si o n A r e a: M i t i g at i o n
Mitigation includes those capabilities necessary to reduce loss of life and property by lessening
the impact of disasters. It is focused on the premise that individuals, the private and nonprofit
sectors, communities, critical infrastructure, and the Nation as a whole are made more resilient
when the consequences and impacts, the duration, and the financial and human costs to respond
to and recover from adverse incidents are all reduced.
Given the trend of increasing impacts from extreme events and catastrophic incidents, hazard
mitigation stands as a critical linchpin to reduce or eliminate the long-term risks to life, property,

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and well-being. Spanning across community planning, housing, information systems, critical
infrastructure, public health, healthcare, and future land use, Mitigation requires an
understanding of the threats and hazards that, in turn, feed into the assessment of risk and
disaster resilience in the community both now and in the future. The whole community,
therefore, has a role in risk reduction, by recognizing, understanding, communicating, and
planning for a community’s future resilience. Mitigation links the long-term activities of the
whole community to reduce or eliminate the risk of threats and hazards developing into disasters
and the impacts of the disasters that occur.
Although Mitigation is the responsibility of the whole community, a great deal of mitigation
activity occurs at the local level. Individual and community preparedness is fundamental to our
success, as preparedness activities contribute to strengthening resilience and mitigate the impact
of disasters through adaptability and capacity for rapid recovery. The assessment of risk and
resilience must therefore begin at the community level and serve to inform our state, regional,
and national planning. For risk information to result in specific risk reduction actions, leaders—
whether elected in a jurisdiction, appointed in a given department, a nongovernmental director, a
sector official, or in business or community—must have the ability to recognize, understand,
communicate, and plan for a community’s future resilience. The establishment of trusted
relationships among leaders in a community prior to a disaster can greatly reduce the risks to life,
property, the natural environment, and well-being. When these leaders are prepared, the whole
community matures and becomes better prepared to reduce the risks over the long-term.
Table 4 defines and details the Mitigation core capabilities and the preliminary targets
associated with each.
Table 4: Mitigation Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets

Mitigation Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Planning

Conduct a systematic process engaging the whole community as appropriate in
the development of executable strategic, operational, and/or tactical-level
approaches to meet defined objectives.

1. Develop approved hazard mitigation plans that address relevant threats/hazards in accordance with
the results of their risk assessment within all local, state, tribal, territorial, and Federal partners.

Public Information
and Warning

Deliver coordinated, prompt, reliable, and actionable information to the whole
community through the use of clear, consistent, accessible, and culturally and
linguistically appropriate methods to effectively relay information regarding any
threat or hazard and, as appropriate, the actions being taken and the assistance
being made available.

1. Communicate appropriate information, in an accessible manner, on the risks faced within a
community after the conduct of a risk assessment.
Operational
Coordination

Establish and maintain a unified and coordinated operational structure and
process that appropriately integrates all critical stakeholders and supports the
execution of core capabilities.

1. Establish protocols to integrate mitigation data elements in support of operations with local, state,
tribal, territorial, and insular area partners and in coordination with Federal agencies.
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Mitigation Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Community
Resilience

Enable the recognition, understanding, communication of, and planning for risk
and empower individuals and communities to make informed risk management
decisions necessary to adapt to, withstand, and quickly recover from future
incidents.

1. Maximize the coverage of the U.S. population that has a localized, risk-informed mitigation plan
developed through partnerships across the entire community.
2. Empower individuals and communities to make informed decisions to facilitate actions necessary to
adapt to, withstand, and quickly recover from future incidents.
Long-term
Vulnerability
Reduction

Build and sustain resilient systems, communities, and critical infrastructure and
key resources lifelines so as to reduce their vulnerability to natural, technological,
and human-caused threats and hazards by lessening the likelihood, severity, and
duration of the adverse consequences.

1. Achieve a measurable decrease in the long-term vulnerability of the Nation against current baselines
amid a growing population base, changing climate conditions, increasing reliance upon information
technology, and expanding infrastructure base.
Risk and Disaster
Resilience
Assessment

Assess risk and disaster resilience so that decision makers, responders, and
community members can take informed action to reduce their entity’s risk and
increase their resilience.

1. Ensure that local, state, tribal, territorial, and insular area governments and the top 100 Metropolitan
Statistical Areas (MSAs) complete a risk assessment that defines localized vulnerabilities and
consequences associated with potential natural, technological, and human-caused threats and
hazards to their natural, human, physical, cyber, and socioeconomic interests.
Threats and Hazards
Identification

Identify the threats and hazards that occur in the geographic area; determine the
frequency and magnitude; and incorporate this into analysis and planning
processes so as to clearly understand the needs of a community or entity.

1. Identify the threats and hazards within and across local, state, tribal, territorial, and insular area
governments, and the top 100 MSAs, in collaboration with the whole community, against a national
standard based on sound science.

M i s si o n A r e a: Res p o n s e
Response includes those capabilities necessary to save lives, protect property and the
environment, and meet basic human needs after an incident has occurred. It is focused on
ensuring that the Nation is able to effectively respond to any threat or hazard, including those
with cascading effects. Response emphasizes saving and sustaining lives, stabilizing the incident,
rapidly meeting basic human needs, restoring basic services and technologies, restoring
community functionality, providing universal accessibility, establishing a safe and secure
environment, and supporting the transition to recovery.
Communities regularly deal with emergencies and disasters that have fewer impacts than those
considered to be the greatest risk to the Nation. In addition, communities may have resident
capacities to deal with the public’s needs locally for many of these lesser incidents. Catastrophic

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incidents require a much broader set of atypical partners to deliver equal access to the Response
core capabilities other than those routinely addressed. Community involvement is a vital link to
providing additional support to response personnel and may often be the primary source of
manpower in the first hours and days after an incident. Because of this, community members
should be encouraged to train, exercise, and partner with emergency management officials.
A catastrophic incident with cascading events may impact the execution of applicable laws and
policies. Certain circumstances may trigger legal and policy exceptions that better aid delivery of
core capabilities. Planners should identify applicable laws and policies with their respective
counsel in the pre-planning phase.8 These challenges should be identified during pre-incident
planning to ensure they are accounted for during an incident.
Table 5 defines and details the Response core capabilities and the preliminary targets associated
with each.
Table 5: Response Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets

Response Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Planning

Conduct a systematic process engaging the whole community as appropriate in
the development of executable strategic, operational, and/or tactical-level
approaches to meet defined objectives.

1. Develop operational plans that adequately identify critical objectives based on the planning
requirement, provide a complete and integrated picture of the sequence and scope of the tasks to
achieve the objectives, and are implementable within the time frame contemplated in the plan using
available resources.

Public Information
and Warning

Deliver coordinated, prompt, reliable, and actionable information to the whole
community through the use of clear, consistent, accessible, and culturally and
linguistically appropriate methods to effectively relay information regarding any
threat or hazard and, as appropriate, the actions being taken and the assistance
being made available.

1. Inform all affected segments of society by all means necessary, including accessible tools, of critical
lifesaving and life-sustaining information to expedite the delivery of emergency services and aid the
public to take protective actions.
2. Deliver credible and actionable messages to inform ongoing emergency services and the public about
protective measures and other life-sustaining actions and facilitate the transition to recovery.

8

Given the scope and magnitude of a catastrophic incident, waivers, exceptions, and exemptions to policy,
regulations, and laws may be available in order to save and sustain life, and to protect property and the environment.
However, any such waivers, exceptions, and exemptions must be consistent with laws that preserve human and civil
rights and protect individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.

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National Preparedness Goal

Response Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Operational
Coordination

Establish and maintain a unified and coordinated operational structure and
process that appropriately integrates all critical stakeholders and supports the
execution of core capabilities.

1. Mobilize all critical resources and establish command, control, and coordination structures within the
affected community and other coordinating bodies in surrounding communities and across the Nation
and maintain as needed throughout the duration of an incident.
2. Enhance and maintain command, control, and coordination structures, consistent with the National
Incident Management System (NIMS), to meet basic human needs, stabilize the incident, and
transition to recovery.

Critical
Transportation

Provide transportation (including infrastructure access and accessible
transportation services) for response priority objectives, including the evacuation
of people and animals, and the delivery of vital response personnel, equipment,
and services into the affected areas.

1. Establish physical access through appropriate transportation corridors and deliver required resources
to save lives and to meet the needs of disaster survivors.
2. Ensure basic human needs are met, stabilize the incident, transition into recovery for an affected
area, and restore basic services and community functionality.
3. Clear debris from any route type, (i.e., road, rail, airfield, port facility, waterway) to facilitate response
operations.
Environmental
Conduct appropriate measures to ensure the protection of the health and safety
Response/Health and of the public and workers, as well as the environment, from all-hazards in support
Safety
of responder operations and the affected communities.
1. Identify, assess, and mitigate worker health and safety hazards and disseminate health and safety
guidance and resources to response and recovery workers.
2. Minimize public exposure to environmental hazards through assessment of the hazards and
implementation of public protective actions.
3. Detect, assess, stabilize, and clean up releases of oil and hazardous materials into the environment,
including buildings/structures, and properly manage waste.
4. Identify, evaluate, and implement measures to prevent and minimize impacts to the environment,
natural and cultural resources, and historic properties from all-hazard emergencies and response
operations.

Fatality Management
Services

Provide fatality management services, including decedent remains recovery and
victim identification, working with local, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and
Federal authorities to provide mortuary processes, temporary storage or
permanent internment solutions, sharing information with mass care services for
the purpose of reunifying family members and caregivers with missing
persons/remains, and providing counseling to the bereaved.

1. Establish and maintain operations to recover a significant number of fatalities over a geographically
dispersed area.

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Response Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Fire Management
and Suppression

Provide structural, wildland, and specialized firefighting capabilities to manage
and suppress fires of all types, kinds, and complexities while protecting the lives,
property, and the environment in the affected area.

1. Provide traditional first response or initial attack firefighting services.
2. Conduct expanded or extended attack firefighting and support operations through coordinated
response of fire management and specialized fire suppression resources.
3. Ensure the coordinated deployment of appropriate local, regional, national, and international fire
management and fire suppression resources to reinforce firefighting efforts and maintain an
appropriate level of protection for subsequent fires.
Infrastructure
Systems

Stabilize critical infrastructure functions, minimize health and safety threats, and
efficiently restore and revitalize systems and services to support a viable,
resilient community.

1. Decrease and stabilize immediate infrastructure threats to the affected population, to include survivors
in the heavily-damaged zone, nearby communities that may be affected by cascading effects, and
mass care support facilities and evacuation processing centers with a focus on life-sustainment and
congregate care services.
2. Re-establish critical infrastructure within the affected areas to support ongoing emergency response
operations, life sustainment, community functionality, and a transition to recovery.
3. Provide for the clearance, removal, and disposal of debris.
4. Formalize partnerships with governmental and private sector cyber incident or emergency response
teams to accept, triage, and collaboratively respond to cascading impacts in an efficient manner.
Deliver essential commodities, equipment, and services in support of impacted
Logistics and Supply communities and survivors, to include emergency power and fuel support, as
Chain Management9 well as the coordination of access to community staples. Synchronize logistics
capabilities and enable the restoration of impacted supply chains.
1. Mobilize and deliver governmental, nongovernmental, and private sector resources to save lives,
sustain lives, meet basic human needs, stabilize the incident, and transition to recovery, to include
moving and delivering resources and services to meet the needs of disaster survivors.
2. Enhance public and private resource and services support for an affected area.

Mass Care Services

Provide life-sustaining and human services to the affected population, to include
hydration, feeding, sheltering, temporary housing, evacuee support, reunification,
and distribution of emergency supplies.

1. Move and deliver resources and capabilities to meet the needs of disaster survivors, including
individuals with access and functional needs.
2. Establish, staff, and equip emergency shelters and other temporary housing options (including
accessible housing) for the affected population.
3. Move from congregate care to non-congregate care alternatives and provide relocation assistance or
interim housing solutions for families unable to return to their pre-disaster homes.

9

This replaces the previous “Public and Private Services and Resources” core capability.

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Response Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Mass Search and
Rescue Operations

Deliver traditional and atypical search and rescue capabilities, including
personnel, services, animals, and assets to survivors in need, with the goal of
saving the greatest number of endangered lives in the shortest time possible.

1. Conduct search and rescue operations to locate and rescue persons in distress.
2. Initiate community-based search and rescue support operations across a wide geographically
dispersed area.
3. Ensure the synchronized deployment of local, regional, national, and international teams to reinforce
ongoing search and rescue efforts and transition to recovery.
On-scene Security,
Protection, and Law
Enforcement

Ensure a safe and secure environment through law enforcement and related
security and protection operations for people and communities located within
affected areas and also for response personnel engaged in lifesaving and lifesustaining operations.

1. Establish a safe and secure environment in an affected area.
2. Provide and maintain on-scene security and meet the protection needs of the affected population over
a geographically dispersed area while eliminating or mitigating the risk of further damage to persons,
property, and the environment.
Operational
Communications

Ensure the capacity for timely communications in support of security, situational
awareness, and operations by any and all means available, among and between
affected communities in the impact area and all response forces.

1. Ensure the capacity to communicate with both the emergency response community and the affected
populations and establish interoperable voice and data communications between Federal, tribal,
state, and local first responders.
2. Re-establish sufficient communications infrastructure within the affected areas to support ongoing lifesustaining activities, provide basic human needs, and transition to recovery.
3. Re-establish critical information networks, including cybersecurity information sharing networks, in
order to inform situational awareness, enable incident response, and support the resiliency of key
systems.
Public Health,
Healthcare, and
Emergency Medical
Services

Provide lifesaving medical treatment via Emergency Medical Services and
related operations and avoid additional disease and injury by providing targeted
public health, medical, and behavioral health support, and products to all affected
populations.

1. Deliver medical countermeasures to exposed populations.
2. Complete triage and initial stabilization of casualties and begin definitive care for those likely to
survive their injuries and illness.
3. Return medical surge resources to pre-incident levels, complete health assessments, and identify
recovery processes.

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Response Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Situational
Assessment

Provide all decision makers with decision-relevant information regarding the
nature and extent of the hazard, any cascading effects, and the status of the
response.

1. Deliver information sufficient to inform decision making regarding immediate lifesaving and lifesustaining activities and engage governmental, private, and civic sector resources within and outside
of the affected area to meet basic human needs and stabilize the incident.
2. Deliver enhanced information to reinforce ongoing lifesaving and life-sustaining activities, and engage
governmental, private, and civic sector resources within and outside of the affected area to meet
basic human needs, stabilize the incident, and transition to recovery.

M i s si o n A r e a: Rec o v e r y
Recovery includes those capabilities necessary to assist communities affected by an incident to
recover effectively. Support for recovery ensures a continuum of care for individuals to maintain
and restore health, safety, independence and livelihoods, especially those who experience
financial, emotional, and physical hardships. Successful recovery ensures that we emerge from
any threat or hazard stronger and positioned to meet the needs of the future. Recovery
capabilities support well-coordinated, transparent, and timely restoration, strengthening, and
revitalization of infrastructure and housing; an economic base; health and social systems; and a
revitalized cultural, historic, and environmental fabric.
The ability of a community to accelerate the recovery process begins with its efforts in preincident preparedness: increasing resilience; collaborative, inclusive planning; and developing
capacity to manage disaster recovery effectively. Developing and maintaining Recovery core
capabilities requires a multi-agency, interdisciplinary approach that engages the whole
community, including a wide range of service and resource providers and stakeholders.
Whole community and government leaders have primary responsibility for planning and
coordinating all aspects of their recovery and ensuring that organizations and individuals that
play a key role in recovery are included and actively engaged. Following an incident, a wellcoordinated management process allows recovery and community leaders to maintain open and
transparent communication, share decision making, expand and engage traditional and nontraditional partners, identify needs and priorities more effectively, reallocate and share existing
resources, and identify other potential resources and expertise from both inside and outside the
community.
Following any incident, recovery efforts are an opportunity to leverage solutions that increase
overall community resilience and capitalize on existing strengths, while addressing weaknesses
that may have existed pre-incident. Lessons learned from the post-incident environment on
establishing leadership, a coordinating structure, and developing whole community partnerships
can help influence pre-incident planning and build capability for future incidents.
Table 6 defines and details the Recovery core capabilities and the preliminary targets
associated with each.

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Table 6: Recovery Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets

Recovery Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Planning

Conduct a systematic process engaging the whole community as appropriate in
the development of executable strategic, operational, and/or tactical- level
approaches to meet defined objectives.

1. Convene the core of an inclusive planning team (identified pre-disaster), which will oversee disaster
recovery planning.
2. Complete an initial recovery plan that provides an overall strategy and timeline, addresses all core
capabilities, and integrates socioeconomic, demographic, accessibility, technology, and risk
assessment considerations (including projected climate change impacts), which will be implemented
in accordance with the timeline contained in the plan.

Public Information
and Warning

Deliver coordinated, prompt, reliable, and actionable information to the whole
community through the use of clear, consistent, accessible, and culturally and
linguistically appropriate methods to effectively relay information regarding any
threat or hazard and, as appropriate, the actions being taken and the assistance
being made available.

1. Reach all populations within the community with effective actionable recovery-related public
information messaging and communications that are accessible to people with disabilities and
people with limited English proficiency, protect the health and safety of the affected population, help
manage expectations, and ensure stakeholders have a clear understanding of available assistance
and their roles and responsibilities.
2. Support affected populations and stakeholders with a system that provides appropriate, current
information about any continued assistance, steady state resources for long-term impacts, and
monitoring programs in an effective and accessible manner.
Operational
Coordination

Establish and maintain a unified and coordinated operational structure and
process that appropriately integrates all critical stakeholders and supports the
execution of core capabilities.

1. Establish tiered, integrated leadership, and inclusive coordinating organizations that operate with a
unity of effort and are supported by sufficient assessment and analysis to provide defined structure
and decision-making processes for recovery activities.
2. Define the path and timeline for recovery leadership to achieve the jurisdiction’s objectives that
effectively coordinates and uses appropriate local, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal
assistance, as well as nongovernmental and private sector resources. This plan is to be
implemented within the established timeline.

Economic Recovery

Return economic and business activities (including food and agriculture) to a
healthy state and develop new business and employment opportunities that
result in an economically viable community.

1. Conduct a preliminary assessment of economic issues and identify potential inhibitors to fostering
stabilization of the affected communities.
2. Ensure the community recovery and mitigation plan(s) incorporates economic revitalization and
removes governmental inhibitors to post-disaster economic sustainability, while maintaining the civil
rights of citizens.
3. Return affected area’s economy within the specified time frame in the recovery plan.

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Recovery Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets
Health and Social
Services

Restore and improve health and social services capabilities and networks to
promote the resilience, independence, health (including behavioral health), and
well-being of the whole community.

1. Identify affected populations, groups and key partners in short-term, intermediate, and long-term
recovery.
2. Complete an assessment of community health and social service needs, and prioritize these needs,
including accessibility requirements, based on the whole community's input and participation in the
recovery planning process, and develop a comprehensive recovery timeline.
3. Restore health care (including behavioral health), public health, and social services functions.
4. Restore and improve the resilience and sustainability of the health care system and social service
capabilities and networks to promote the independence and well-being of community members in
accordance with the specified recovery timeline.
Housing

Implement housing solutions that effectively support the needs of the whole
community and contribute to its sustainability and resilience.

1. Assess preliminary housing impacts and needs, identify currently available options for temporary
housing, and plan for permanent housing.
2. Ensure community housing recovery plans continue to address interim housing needs, assess
options for permanent housing, and define a timeline for achieving a resilient, accessible, and
sustainable housing market.
3. Establish a resilient and sustainable housing market that meets the needs of the community,
including the need for accessible housing within the specified time frame in the recovery plan.
Infrastructure
Systems

Stabilize critical infrastructure functions, minimize health and safety threats, and
efficiently restore and revitalize systems and services to support a viable,
resilient community.

1. Restore and sustain essential services (public and private) to maintain community functionality.
2. Develop a plan with a specified timeline for redeveloping community infrastructures to contribute to
resiliency, accessibility, and sustainability.
3. Provide systems that meet the community needs while minimizing service disruption during
restoration within the specified timeline in the recovery plan.

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National Preparedness Goal

Recovery Mission Area Core Capabilities and Preliminary Targets

Natural and Cultural
Resources

Protect natural and cultural resources and historic properties through
appropriate planning, mitigation, response, and recovery actions to preserve,
conserve, rehabilitate, and restore them consistent with post-disaster
community priorities and best practices and in compliance with applicable
environmental and historic preservation laws and executive orders.

1. Implement measures to protect and stabilize records and culturally significant documents, objects,
and structures.
2. Mitigate the impacts to and stabilize the natural and cultural resources and conduct a preliminary
assessment of the impacts that identifies protections that need to be in place during stabilization
through recovery.
3. Complete an assessment of affected natural and cultural resources and develop a timeline for
addressing these impacts in a sustainable and resilient manner.
4. Preserve natural and cultural resources as part of an overall community recovery that is achieved
through the coordinated efforts of natural and cultural resource experts and the recovery team in
accordance with the specified timeline in the recovery plan.

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Conclusion and Next Steps
The Goal is designed to prepare our Nation for the risks that will severely stress our collective
capabilities and resources. Each community contributes to the Goal by assessing and preparing
for the risks that are most relevant and urgent for them individually, which in turn strengthens
our collective security and resilience as a Nation. National preparedness is strengthened through
collaboration and cooperation with international partners, including working closely with Canada
and Mexico, with whom we share common borders.
The National Preparedness Goal is the cornerstone of implementing the National Preparedness
System. Several National Preparedness System components contribute to building, sustaining,
and delivering the core capabilities described in the National Preparedness Goal. These include:


A National Planning System, which supports the integration of planning across all levels of
government and the whole community to provide an agile, flexible, and accessible delivery
of the core capabilities.



A series of National Frameworks and Federal Interagency Operational Plans. The National
Frameworks address the roles and responsibilities across the whole community to deliver the
core capabilities. The Federal Interagency Operational Plans address the critical tasks,
responsibilities, and resourcing, personnel, and sourcing requirements for the core
capabilities.



A National Preparedness Report, which provides a summary of the progress being made
toward building, sustaining, and delivering the core capabilities described in the Goal. The
annual National Preparedness Report provides an opportunity to measure the advancement
the whole community has made in preparedness and to identify where challenges remain.



A Campaign to Build and Sustain Preparedness, which provides an integrating structure for
new and existing community-based, nonprofit, and private sector preparedness programs,
research and development activities to include post-event evaluation of the use of science and
technology tools, and preparedness assistance.

The results of these efforts inform current and future budget planning and decisions. Analysis of
current performance against intended capabilities and associated performance measures can
enable the whole community to individually and collectively determine necessary resource
levels, inform resource allocation plans, and guide Federal preparedness assistance. This detailed
information can augment assessments of budget implications across the preparedness enterprise.
This approach allows for annual adjustments based on updated priorities and resource posture.
This National Preparedness Goal is a living document; regular reviews of the Goal will ensure
consistency with existing and new policies, evolving conditions, and the National Incident
Management System. These periodic reviews of the National Preparedness Goal will evaluate
the Nation’s progress toward building, sustaining, and delivering the core capabilities that are
essential to a secure and resilient Nation.

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A p p e n d i x A : Te r m s a n d D e f i n i t i o n s
Access and Functional Needs: Persons who may have additional needs before, during and after
an incident in functional areas, including but not limited to: maintaining health, independence,
communication, transportation, support, services, self-determination, and medical care.
Individuals in need of additional response assistance may include those who have disabilities;
live in institutionalized settings; are older adults; are children; are from diverse cultures; have
limited English proficiency or are non-English speaking; or are transportation disadvantaged.
All-of-Nation: See Whole Community.
All Hazard: A threat or an incident, natural or manmade, that warrants action to protect life,
property, the environment, and public health or safety, and to minimize disruptions of
government, social, or economic activities. It includes natural disasters, cyber incidents,
industrial accidents, pandemics, acts of terrorism, sabotage, and destructive criminal activity
targeting critical infrastructure. This also includes the effects climate change has on the threats
and hazards.
Animal: Animals include household pets, service and assistance animals, working dogs,
livestock, wildlife, exotic animals, zoo animals, research animals, and animals housed in shelters,
rescue organizations, breeding facilities, and sanctuaries.
Community: Unified groups that share goals, values, or purposes; they may exist within
geographic boundaries or unite geographically dispersed individuals. Communities bring people
together in different ways for different reasons, but each provides opportunities for sharing
information and promoting collective action.
Coordinating Structures: Groups composed of representatives from multiple departments or
agencies, public and/or private sector organizations, or a combination of these for the purpose of
facilitating the preparedness and delivery of capabilities. They share information and provide
guidance, support, and integration to aid in the preparedness of the whole community and
building resilience at the local, regional, and national levels.
Core Capabilities: Distinct critical elements necessary to achieve the National Preparedness
Goal.
Critical Infrastructure: Systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United
States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating
impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any
combination of those matters. The Nation’s critical infrastructure is composed of 16 sectors:
chemical; commercial facilities; communications; critical manufacturing; dams; defense
industrial base; emergency services; energy; financial services; food and agriculture; government
facilities; healthcare and public health; information technology; nuclear reactors, material, and
waste; transportation systems; and water and wastewater systems.
Cultural Resources: Aspects of a cultural system that are valued by or significantly
representative of a culture or that contain significant information about a culture.
Cybersecurity: The process of protecting information by preventing, detecting, and responding
to attacks.

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Disability: A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life
activities of such individual; a record of such an impairment; or being regarded as having such an
impairment. This does not apply to impairments that are transitory and minor. A transitory
impairment is an impairment with an actual or expected duration of six months or less.
Imminent Threat: Intelligence or operational information that warns of a credible, specific, and
impending terrorist threat or ongoing attack against the United States.
Intelligence Cycle: The process of developing raw information into finished intelligence for
policymakers, military commanders, law enforcement partners, and other consumers to use in
making decisions. The cycle is highly dynamic and continuous. For the purposes of the National
Prevention Framework, there are six steps in the intelligence cycle: planning and direction
(establish the intelligence requirements of the consumer); collection (gather the raw data required
to produce the desired finished product); processing and exploitation (convert the raw data into
comprehensible form that is usable for producing the finished product); analysis and production
(integrate, evaluate, analyze, and prepare the processed information for inclusion in the finished
product); dissemination (deliver the finished product to the consumer who requested it and to
others as applicable); and evaluation and feedback (acquire continual feedback during the cycle
that aids in refining each individual stage and the cycle as a whole).
Mission Areas: Groups of core capabilities, including Prevention, Protection, Mitigation,
Response, and Recovery.
Mitigation: The capabilities necessary to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact
of disasters.
National Health Security: The Nation and its people are prepared for, protected from, and
resilient in the face of health threats or hazards with potentially negative health consequences.
National Preparedness: The actions taken to plan, organize, equip, train, and exercise to build
and sustain the capabilities necessary to prevent, protect against, mitigate the effects of, respond
to, and recover from those threats that pose the greatest risk to the security of the Nation.
Prevention: The capabilities necessary to avoid, prevent, or stop a threatened or actual act of
terrorism. For the purposes of the prevention framework, the term “prevention” refers to
preventing imminent threats.
Protection: The capabilities necessary to secure the homeland against acts of terrorism and
manmade or natural disasters.
Recovery: The capabilities necessary to assist communities affected by an incident to recover
effectively.
Resilience: The ability to adapt to changing conditions and withstand and rapidly recover from
disruption due to emergencies.
Response: The capabilities necessary to save lives, protect property and the environment, and
meet basic human needs after an incident has occurred.
Risk Assessment: A product or process that collects information and assigns a value to risks for
the purpose of informing priorities, developing or comparing courses of action, and informing
decision making.
Security: The protection of the Nation and its people, vital interests, and way of life.
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National Preparedness Goal

Stabilization: The process by which the immediate impacts of an incident on community
systems are managed and contained.
Steady State: A condition where operations and procedures are normal and ongoing.
Communities are considered to be at a steady state prior to disasters and after recovery is
complete.
Terrorism: Any activity that involves an act that is dangerous to human life or potentially
destructive of critical infrastructure or key resources and is a violation of the criminal laws of the
United States or of any state or other subdivision of the United States; and, appears to be
intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, or to influence the policy of a government
by intimidation or coercion, or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction,
assassination, or kidnapping. (Note that although the definition of terrorism includes both
domestic and international acts of terrorism, the scope of the planning system is the prevention
and protection against acts of terrorism in the homeland.)
Weapons of Mass Destruction: Materials, weapons, or devices that are intended or capable of
causing death or serious bodily injury to a significant number of people through release,
dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals or precursors, a disease organism, or
radiation or radioactivity, to include, but not limited to, biological devices, chemical devices,
improvised nuclear devices, radiological dispersion devices, and radiological exposure devices.
Whole Community: A focus on enabling the participation in national preparedness activities of
a wider range of players from the private and nonprofit sectors, including nongovernmental
organizations and the general public, in conjunction with the participation of all levels of
government in order to foster better coordination and working relationships. Used
interchangeably with “all-of-Nation.”

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