Critical Infrastructure & Key Resources: Using Commercialization to Develop Solutions Efficiently and Effectively

DHS is comprised of many organizational elements with a single purpose: to enable, support and expedite the mission-critical objectives of DHS’ seven operating components and Directorates to protect our most valuable asset – our citizens. Transportation Security Administration (TSA); U.S. Customs and Border Protection(CBP); U.S. Secret Service (USSS); U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS); U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); U.S. Coast Guard (USCG); and NPPD are the major organizations chartered within the Department to coordinate the transition of multiple agencies and programs into a single, integrated agency focused on protecting the American people and their homeland. The operating components and directorates work closely with, support and are supported by a large network of first responders at the state, local, tribal and territorial levels, along with the critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) owners and operators. These groups comprise DHS’ stakeholder community and play critical roles in planning, preparedness, response and recovery efforts of DHS. The DHS stakeholders rely on the support of its many organizational elements to ensure mission success and address challenges confronting these stakeholders. Among the challenges facing DHS is how to gather and refine the needs and requirements of its various stakeholders, who represent a wide variety of mission spaces and operating environments, in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
The purpose of this guide is simple and straightforward: to enable the reader to effectively engage with the Department of Homeland Security in a simple and straightforward way. This resource will facilitate methods to articulate detailed operational requirements and define mission problems effectively, specifically those of the CIKR community. Readers will be able to better understand stakeholder interaction channels through various organizational elements and learn how to improve the communication of their needs and requirements to others in DHS, other Federal agencies, or the private sector.