In this lesson we will discuss each of the mission areas, and the planning requirements, activities, and specific mission-area-related considerations associated with each.

Upon completion of this lesson, you should be able to:

• Identify planning considerations for Prevention
• Identify planning considerations for Protection
• Identify planning considerations for Mitigation
• Identify planning considerations for Response
• Identify planning considerations for Recovery

The National Preparedness Goal identified core capabilities for each of the homeland security mission areas—Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery (P/P/M/R/R). The core capabilities are the critical elements necessary for ensuring the nation’s safety and achieving the National Preparedness Goal. Planning is one of only three core capabilities common to all of the mission areas.

Planning for each of the mission areas provides a systematic process that engages the whole community as appropriate in the development of executable strategic, operational, and/or tactical approaches to meet defined objectives.

For the remainder of the lesson, we will discuss:

• The definition of each mission area
• The description, requirements, and activities related to planning for each mission area
• The planning considerations for each mission area
• The additional core capabilities for each mission area

Text Description of the Planning Core Capability Table

Image of Table 1 Core Capabilities by Mission Area from the National Preparedness Goal document. The five mission areas are: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery. Planning, Public Information and Warning, and Operational Coordination are core capabilities common to all five mission areas.

For Prevention, the capabilities listed are: Forensics and Attribution, Intelligence and Information Sharing, Interdiction and Disruption, and Screening, Search, and Detection.

For Protection, the capabilities listed are: Access Control and Identity Verification; Cybersecurity; Intelligence and Information Sharing; Interdiction and Disruption; Physical Protective Measures; Risk Management for Protection Programs and Activities; Screening, Search, and Detection; and Supply Chain Integrity and Security.

For Mitigation, the capabilities listed are: Community Resilience, Long-term Vulnerability Reduction, Risk and Disaster Resilience Assessment, and Threats and Hazard Identification.

For Response, the capabilities listed are: Critical Transportation, Environmental Response/Health and Safety, Fatality Management Services, Infrastructure Systems, Mass Care Services, Mass Search and Rescue Operations, On-scene Security and Protection, Operational Communications, Public and Private Services and Resources, Public Health and Medical Services, Situational Assessment.

For Recovery, the capabilities listed are: Economic Recovery, Health and Social Services, Housing, Infrastructure Systems, and Natural and Cultural Resources.

Definition of Mission Area:

Prevention includes those capabilities necessary to avoid, prevent, or stop a threatened or actual act of terrorism. Unlike the other mission areas, which are all-hazards, PPD-8 specifically designates prevention-related activities for terrorist threats.

Planning Core Capability Target:

1. Identify critical objectives based on the planning requirement, provide a complete and integrated picture of the sequence and scope of the tasks to achieve the objectives, and ensure that the objectives are implementable within the timeframe contemplated in the plan using available resources for prevention-related plans.
2. Develop and execute appropriate courses of action in coordination with Federal, State, Local, and private-sector entities in order to prevent a terrorist attack within the United States.

Planning Considerations:

1. Prevention and Protection actions, including planning, occur prior to, during, and after an incident.
2. Terrorist threats are dynamic and complex.
3. It is not the sole responsibility of a single entity or community to combat terrorism.
4. Following an incident, Prevention actions would include a collaborative investigative process that includes the systematic collection and analysis of information suspected of being, contributing to, or having caused, a terrorist threat or incident.

Other Core Capabilities:

In addition to planning, the other core capabilities of the prevention mission area are:

• Public Information and Warning
• Operational Coordination
• Forensics and Attribution
• Intelligence and Information Sharing
• Interdiction and Disruption
• Screening, Search, and Detection

For additional information on each of these core capabilities, review the National Preparedness Goal available on the resources page.

Definition of Mission Area:

Protection includes capabilities to safeguard the homeland against acts of terrorism and man-made or natural disasters. It is focused on action to protect the citizens, residents, visitors, and critical assets, systems, and networks against the greatest risk to our Nation in a manner that allows our interests, aspirations, and way of life to thrive.

Planning Core Capability Target:

1. Develop protection plans that identify critical objectives based on planning requirements, provide a complete and integrated picture of the sequence and scope of the tasks to achieve the planning objectives, and implement planning requirements within the timeframe contemplated in the plan using available resources for protection-related plans.
2. Implement, exercise, and maintain plans to ensure continuity of operations (COOP).

Planning Considerations:

1. The Protection core capabilities are achieved through specific mission activities. In planning for the Protection Mission Area, it is important to keep in mind these mission activities, which include, but are not limited to:

• Critical infrastructure protection
• Cybersecurity
• Border security
• Immigration security
• Protection of key leadership & events 
• Maritime security
• Transportation security
• Defense of agriculture and food
• Defense against weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
• Health security

2. Protection is the ability to safeguard the homeland against acts of terrorism as well as human-caused or natural disasters.
3. When writing protection plans, take into account COOP.
4. Prevention and Protection actions, including planning, occur prior to, during, and after an incident.

Other Core Capabilities:

In addition to planning, the other core capabilities of the protection mission area are:

• Public Information and Warning ##Operational Coordination
• Access Control and Identity Verification
• Cybersecurity
• Intelligence and Information Sharing
• Interdiction and Disruption
• Physical Protective Measures
• Risk Management for Protection Programs and Activities
• Screening, Search, and Detection
• Supply Chain Integrity and Security

For additional information on each of these core capabilities, review the National Preparedness Goal available on the resources page.

Definition of Mission Area:

Mitigation includes those capabilities necessary to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. Due to the impacts of disasters and catastrophic incidents on the Nation, Mitigation is the most critical element to reduce or eliminate the long-term risks to life, property, and well-being.

Planning Core Capability Target:

1. Develop approved hazard mitigation plans that address all relevant threats/hazards in accordance with the results of risk assessments conducted within all states and territories.

Planning Considerations:

1. Assessment of risk and resilience must begin at the local level and serve to inform state, regional, and national planning.
2. Determine structural (i.e. building of levees) or non-structural (i.e. building codes) initiatives that reduce likelihood of identified incidents occurring or reduce vulnerability to those incidents and/or reduce the consequences of the incident.
3. Determine those projects with the highest return on investment in mitigating potential loss.
4. Remember to plan for:
• Persons with access and functional needs
• Animals and pets
• Private-sector and community involvement
• Hard-to-reach or otherwise isolated areas and territories

Other Core Capabilities:

In addition to planning, the other core capabilities of the mitigation mission area are:

• Public Information and Warning
• Operational Coordination
• Community Resilience
• Long-Term Vulnerability Reduction
• Risk and Disaster Resilience Assessment
• Threats and Hazard Identification

For additional information on each of these core capabilities, review the National Preparedness Goal available on the resources page.

Definition of Mission Area:

Response includes those capabilities necessary to save lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic human needs after an incident has occurred.

Planning Core Capability Target:

1. Develop operational plans at the Federal and Regional level, and in states and territories, that adequately identify critical objectives based on the planning requirement, provide a complete and integrated picture of the sequence and scope of the tasks to achieve the objectives, and ensure that the objectives are implementable within the timeframe contemplated in the plan using available resources.

Planning Considerations:

1. Communities regularly deal with emergencies and disasters that have impacts of lesser magnitude than those considered to be the greatest risk to the Nation.
2. Communities have capacities to deal with the public’s needs locally for many lesser incidents.
3. Take into account the needs of State, Local and Tribal communities.
4. Remember to plan for:

• Persons with access and functional needs
• Animals and pets
• Private-sector and community involvement
• Hard-to-reach or otherwise isolated areas and territories

5. Catastrophic incidents will require a much broader set of partners to accomplish capability targets.
6. The scope and magnitude of a catastrophic event can involve legal, policy, and regulatory waivers/exemptions/exceptions to achieve capability targets.
7. These waivers/exemptions/exceptions should be identified during pre-incident planning.

Other Core Capabilities:

In addition to planning, the other core capabilities of the response mission area are:

• Public Information and Warning
• Operational Coordination
• Critical Transportation
• Environmental Response/Health and Safety
• Fatality Management Services
• Infrastructure Systems
• Mass Care Services
• Mass Search and Rescue Operations
• On-scene Security and Protection
• Operational Communications
• Public and Private Services and Resources
• Public Health and Medical Services
• Situational Assessment

For additional information on each of these core capabilities, review the National Preparedness Goal available on the resources page.

Definition of Mission Area:

Recovery includes those capabilities necessary to assist communities affected by an incident in development, coordination, and execution of service- and site-restoration plans.

Planning Core Capability Target:

1. Establish tiered, integrated leadership, and inclusive coordinating organizations that operate with a unity of effort and are supported by sufficient assessment and analysis to provide defined structure and decision-making processes for recovery activities.
2. Define the path and timeline for recovery leadership to achieve the jurisdiction’s objectives that effectively coordinate and use appropriate Federal, State, and Local assistance, as well as nongovernmental and private-sector resources. This plan is to be implemented within the established timeline.

Planning Considerations:

1. The ability of a community to accelerate the recovery process begins with its effort in pre-disaster preparedness.
2. Remember that after an incident, recovery is more than the restoration of a community’s physical structures.
3. Successful recovery requires informed and coordinated leadership throughout the whole community during all phases of the recovery process.
4. Successful recovery takes into account the linkages between recovery of individuals, families, and communities and addresses the full range of physical, programmatic, communications, psychological, and emotional needs of the community.
5. Remember to plan for:
• Persons with access and functional needs
• Animals and pets
• Private-sector and community involvement
• Hard-to-reach or otherwise isolated areas and territories
• Needs of response and recovery personnel

Other Core Capabilities:

In addition to planning, the other core capabilities of the recovery mission area are:

• Public Information and Warning
• Operational Coordination
• Economic Recovery
• Health and Social Services
• Housing
• Infrastructure Systems
• Natural and Cultural Resources

For additional information on each of these core capabilities, review the National Preparedness Goal available on the resources page.

It is important to realize that while we discussed each of the mission areas separately, there is an interdependent relationship among the mission areas that is required to meet the planning needs.

1. Prevention and Protection actions, including planning, occur prior to, during, and after an incident.
2. Response and Recovery are specific to the incident.
3. Mitigation is ongoing—always occurring.
   • The effort put into Mitigation should reduce the requirements of Prevention, Protection, Response, and Recovery.
4. Planning considerations that are common to all of the mission areas include:
   • Not all resources come from one agency (i.e., Interagency agreements, Legislation establishing multiple agency coordination, Memorandums of Agreement, Memorandums of Understanding, Emergency Management Assistance Compact).
   • Consider stakeholders including Federal, State, Local, Tribal, and private sectors.
   • Consider critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR).
5. It is important that you understand the environment for which you are planning. Keep in mind the cultural and special geospatial features of the area.
6. You have finite resources, so you will need to set priorities.
   • What you prioritize is specific to each mission area.
7. Identify and define critical communications.

In this lesson we discussed each of the mission areas, and the planning requirements, activities, and specific mission-area-related considerations associated with each. You should now be able to:

• Identify planning considerations for Prevention
• Identify planning considerations for Protection
• Identify planning considerations for Mitigation
• Identify planning considerations for Response
• Identify planning considerations for Recovery

Some key points from this lesson include:

• The Prevention mission area is specific to terrorism incidents.
• Planning is a critical element that is common to all of the mission areas.
• Mitigation should reduce the requirements for the other mission areas.
• Success of the National Preparedness Goal depends on the interdependent relationship among the mission areas.

In Lesson 5, you will have the opportunity to apply what you have learned about planning to a scenario based on the mission area in which your job falls.