Presidential Policy Directive 21 (PPD-21) designated responsibility to various Federal Government departments and agencies to serve as Sector-Specific Agencies (SSAs) for each of the critical infrastructure sectors and established criteria for identifying additional sectors.

The National Strategy for Information Sharing and Safeguarding (NSISS) identifies, as one of 16 national priorities, the need to establish “information-sharing processes and sector-specific protocols with private sector partners, to improve information quality and timeliness and secure the Nation’s infrastructure.”

SSAs are responsible for working with the Department of Homeland Security to implement the NIPP sector partnership model and risk management framework; develop protective programs, resilience strategies and related requirements; and provide sector-level critical infrastructure protection guidance.

DHS, in close collaboration with the SSAs, is responsible for overall coordination of the NIPP partnership organization and information-sharing network.

The National Goals are supported by objectives and priorities developed collaboratively at the sector level, which may be articulated in Sector-Specific Plans (SSPs) and serve as targets for joint planning among SSAs and their sector partners in government and the private sector.