Summary

Protecting and ensuring the resiliency of the Nation's CIKR is essential to the our security, public health and safety, economic vitality, and way of life. Attacks on the those CIKR deemed nationally-critical could significantly disrupt the functioning of government and business alike and produce cascading effects far beyond the targeted sector and physical location of the incident. Incidents – whether from direct terrorist attacks and/or natural, man-made, or technological hazards - could produce catastrophic losses in terms of human casualties, property destruction, and economic impact. More importantly, consider the profound psychological damage to public morale and confidence.

As you proceed through this Course, try to maintain a dual perspective of how much the public-sector (government - all levels) should be involved and how much the private-sector should bear responsibility for protecting the Nation’s CIKR. It may surprise you to know that over 85% of the Nation’s CIKR reside in the private-sector.

Two questions will eventually surface during any discussion of CIKR protection:

1. Should your tax dollars fund protection measures for private-sector owned/operated CIKR?
2. What responsibilities do the owners/operators of CIKR bear in protecting their assets and resources?