National preparedness
This directive is aimed at strengthening the security and resilience of the U.S. through systematic preparation for the threats
that pose the greatest risk to the security of the
Nation, including acts of terrorism, cyber-attacks,
pandemics, and catastrophic natural disasters. Our
national preparedness is the shared responsibility
of all levels of government, the private and nonprofit sectors, and individual citizens. Everyone can
contribute to safeguarding the Nation from harm.
As such, while this directive is intended to galvanize action by the Federal Government, it is also
aimed at facilitating an integrated, all-of-Nation,
capabilities-based approach to preparedness.
Therefore, I hereby direct the development of
a national preparedness goal that identifies the
core capabilities necessary for preparedness and
a national preparedness system to guide activities
that will enable the Nation to achieve the goal. The
system will allow the Nation to track the progress
of our ability to build and improve 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.
The Assistant to the President for Homeland
Security and Counterterrorism shall coordinate
the interagency development of an implementation plan for completing the national preparedness
goal and national preparedness system. The implementation plan shall be submitted to me within 60
days from the date of this directive, and shall assign
departmental responsibilities and delivery timelines for the development of the national planning
frameworks and associated interagency operational
plans described below.
Presidential Policy Directive:
National preparedness
by Barack H. Obama, President of the United States
The White House, Washington, DC
National preparedness goal
Within 180 days from the date of this directive, the
Secretary of Homeland Security shall develop and
submit the national preparedness goal to me, through
the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security
and Counterterrorism. The Secretary shall coordinate
this effort with other executive departments and agencies, and consult with State, local, tribal, and territorial
governments, the private and nonprofit sectors, and
the public.
The national preparedness goal shall be informed by
the risk of specific threats and vulnerabilities—taking
into account regional variations—and include concrete,
measurable, and prioritized objectives to mitigate that
risk. The national preparedness goal shall define the
core capabilities necessary to prepare for the specific
types of incidents that pose the greatest risk to the security of the Nation, and shall emphasize actions aimed
at achieving an integrated, layered, and all-of-Nation
preparedness approach that optimizes the use of available resources. The national preparedness goal shall
reflect the policy direction outlined in the National
Security Strategy (May 2010), applicable Presidential
Policy Directives, Homeland Security Presidential
Directives, National Security Presidential Directives,
and national strategies, as well as guidance from the
Interagency Policy Committee process. The goal shall
be reviewed regularly to evaluate consistency with
these policies, evolving conditions, and the National
Incident Management System.
National preparedness system
The national preparedness system shall be an integrated set of guidance, programs, and processes that
will enable the Nation to meet the national preparedness
goal. Within 240 days from the date of this directive,
the Secretary of Homeland Security shall develop and
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