ASSESSING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE DEPENDENCIES AND INTERDEPENDENCIES

Today's infrastructure is connected to many other infrastructure assets, systems, and networks that it depends on for normal day-to-day operations. These connections, or dependencies, may be geographically limited or span great distances (NIPP 2013). The many points of infrastructure connections, and their geographic distribution, make the infrastructure environment much more complex. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) works to strengthen critical infrastructure security and resilience by generating greater understanding and action across a (largely) voluntary partnership landscape. This is achieved by working with private and public infrastructure stakeholders to resolve infrastructure security and resilience knowledge gaps, inform infrastructure risk management decisions, identify resilience-building opportunities and strategies, and improve information sharing among stakeholders through a collaborative partnership approach. This paper highlights the Department's efforts to present a more comprehensive picture of security and resilience through a "system of systems" approach.