As part of a
series of initiatives to improve coordination and communication among all levels
of government and the American public in the fight against terrorism, President
Bush signed Homeland Security Presidential Directive 3, creating the Homeland
Security Advisory System (HSAS). The advisory system will be the foundation for
building a comprehensive and effective communications structure for the
dissemination of information regarding the risk of terrorist attacks to all
levels of government and the American people.
The Attorney
General will be responsible for developing, implementing and managing the
system. In conjunction with the development of this new system, the Attorney
General will open a 45-day comment period in order to seek the views of
officials at all levels of government, law enforcement and the American public.
Ninety days after the conclusion of the comment period, the Attorney General, in
coordination with the Director of the Office of Homeland Security, will present
a final Homeland Security Advisory System to the President for approval. The
Homeland Security Advisory System will provide the following:
National
framework for Federal, State, and local governments, private industry and the
public. There are many federal alert systems in our country, each
tailored and unique to different sectors of our society: transportation,
defense, agriculture, and weather, for example. These alert systems fill vital
and specific requirements for a variety of situations in both the commercial and
government sectors. The Homeland Security Advisory System will provide a
national framework for these systems, allowing government officials and citizens
to communicate the nature and degree of terrorist threats. This advisory system
characterizes appropriate levels of vigilance, preparedness and readiness in a
series of graduated Threat Conditions. The Protective Measures that correspond
to each Threat Condition will help the government and citizens decide what
action they take to help counter and respond to terrorist activity. Based on the
threat level, Federal agencies will implement appropriate Protective Measures.
States and localities will be encouraged to adopt compatible systems.
Factors for
assignment of Threat Conditions. The Homeland Security Advisory System
will provide a framework for the Attorney General, in consultation with the
Director of the Office of Homeland Security, to assign Threat Conditions, which
can apply nationally, regionally, by sector or to a potential target. Cabinet
Secretaries and other members of the Homeland Security Council will be consulted
as appropriate. A variety of factors may be used to assess the threat.
Unified system for
public announcements. Public
announcements of threat advisories and alerts help deter terrorist activity,
notify law enforcement and State and local government officials of threats,
inform the public about government preparations, and provide them with the
information necessary to respond to the threat. State and local officials will
be informed in advance of national threat advisories when possible. The Attorney
General will develop a system for conveying relevant information to Federal,
State, and local officials, and the private sector expeditiously. Heightened
Threat Conditions can be declared for the entire nation, or for a specific
geographic area, functional or industrial sector. Changes in assigned Threat
Conditions will be made when necessary.
A tool to combat
terrorism. Threat Conditions characterize the risk of terrorist attack.
Protective Measures are the steps that will be taken by government and the
private sector to reduce vulnerabilities. The HSAS establishes five Threat
Conditions with associated suggested Protective Measures:
“It is a
national framework; yet it is flexible to apply to threats made against a city,
a state, a sector, or an industry. It
provides a common vocabulary, so officials from all levels of government can
communicate easily with one another and to the public.
It provides clear, easy-to-understand factors which help measure
threat.”
“Most importantly, it empowers government and citizens to take actions
to address the threat. For every
level of threat, there will be a level of preparedness. It is a system that is equal to the threat.”
“The system will not eliminate risk; no system can.
We face an enemy as ruthless and as cunning and as unpredictable as any
we have ever faced. Our intelligence may not pick up every threat.
And unlike natural disasters, as hurricanes, terrorists can change their
patterns and their plans based on our response, based on what they see that
we’re doing. But the President
has certainly pledged to bring every possible human and technological resource
to the task of implementing this advisory system.”
“The Homeland Security Advisory System is designed to encourage
partnerships. And this can’t be
emphasized and reiterated enough. The
system is designed to encourage partnerships between the public and the private
sectors, between all levels of law enforcement and public safety officials, and
between and among all levels of government.”
“Our emerging national homeland security strategy will rely on the
anti-terrorism plans of all 50 states and the territories.
But there are 3,300 counties and parishes, and there are about 18,000
cities. So we all need to work
together to coordinate and collaborate our effort to be prepared.
Working together is the only way this system will work.
It’s the only way we can have a national system.”
“However, we should not expect a V-T day, a victory over terrorism day
anytime soon. But that does not
mean Americans are powerless against the threat. On the contrary, ladies and
gentlemen, we are more powerful than the terrorists. We can fight them not just with conventional arms, but with
information and expertise and common sense; with freedom and openness and truth;
with partnerships born from our cooperation. If we do, then, like the men and women who fought Nazism and
Fascism 60 years ago, our outcome will be equally certain: victory for America,
and safety for Americans.”
Low risk of terrorist
attacks. The following Protective Measures may be applied:
• Refining and
exercising preplanned Protective Measures
• Ensuring personnel receive training on HSAS, departmental, or
agency-specific Protective Measures
• Regularly assessing facilities for vulnerabilities and taking measures to
reduce them
GUARDED CONDITION
General risk of
terrorist attack. In addition to the previously outlined Protective Measures,
the following may be applied:
• Checking communications with designated emergency response or command
locations
• Reviewing and updating emergency response procedures
• Providing the public with necessary information
LEVATED
CONDITION
Significant risk of
terrorist attacks. In addition to the previously outlined Protective Measures,
the following may be applied:
• Increasing
surveillance of critical locations
• Coordinating emergency plans with nearby jurisdictions
• Assessing further refinement of Protective Measures within the context of
the current threat information
• Implementing, as appropriate, contingency and emergency response plans
HIGH CONDITION
High risk of terrorist
attacks. In addition to the previously outlined Protective Measures, the
following may be applied:
• Coordinating
necessary security efforts with armed forces or law enforcement agencies
• Taking additional precaution at public events
• Preparing to work at an alternate site or with a dispersed workforce;
restricting access to essential personnel
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