Policy Analysis: Building Preparedness and Resilience in the Water and Wastewaters Systems Sector

Draft paper from HLS 594 Fall 2021 - Capstone Course in the Base Program of the Penn State World Campus Intercollege Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security

Executive Summary: Twenty years after 9/11, it should not be assumed that technological advancement is unrelated to fanning the imagination of foreign or domestic actors determined to damage and disrupt the American Way of Life. Drawing on the lessons of the 1993 and 2201 World Trade Center (WTC) attacks, it should not be underestimated how the weaponization of technology can facilitate a large-scale tragedy, capable of surpassing the overall cascading effects of 9/11. Recent breach incidents of water treatment plants in metropolitan areas provide compelling evidence to reexamine counterterrorism policies and strategies and contingency plans in the event of a successful attack due to persistent vulnerabilities. Even with minimal resources or without the involvement of a solid terrorist organization, several interconnected critical infrastructure sectors face continued security risks. Preparedness, mitigation, and increasing community resilience require the Department of Homeland Security and Congress to anticipate challenges and take logical action to close security gaps in line with the Department's counterterrorism mission. Assessing plausible scenarios suggests a viable and forward-looking way to identify and counteract potential and unfamiliar detrimental tactics of adversaries.

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Work Title Policy Analysis: Building Preparedness and Resilience in the Water and Wastewaters Systems Sector
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Jenelle M Deliz
License CC BY-ND 4.0 (Attribution-NoDerivatives)
Work Type Capstone Project
Publication Date October 2021
Deposited October 16, 2021

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Version 1
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  • Created
  • Updated Description Show Changes
    Description
    • Draft paper from HLS 594 Fall 2021 - Capstone Course in the Base Program of the Penn State World Campus Intercollege Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security
  • Added Creator Jenelle M Deliz
  • Added Scenario_Policy_Paper_Building Preparedness and Resilience - Deliz - Water.pdf
  • Updated License Show Changes
    License
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/
  • Published
  • Updated
  • Updated Work Title Show Changes
    Work Title
    • Building Preparedness and Resilience in the Water and Wastewaters Systems Sector
    • Policy Analysis: Building Preparedness and Resilience in the Water and Wastewaters Systems Sector
  • Updated Description Show Changes
    Description
    • Draft paper from HLS 594 Fall 2021 - Capstone Course in the Base Program of the Penn State World Campus Intercollege Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security
    • Draft paper from HLS 594 Fall 2021 - Capstone Course in the Base Program of the Penn State World Campus Intercollege Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security
    • Executive Summary: Twenty years after 9/11, it should not be assumed that technological advancement is unrelated to fanning the imagination of foreign or domestic actors determined to damage and disrupt the American Way of Life. Drawing on the lessons of the 1993 and 2201 World Trade Center (WTC) attacks, it should not be underestimated how the weaponization of technology can facilitate a large-scale tragedy, capable of surpassing the overall cascading effects of 9/11. Recent breach incidents of water treatment plants in metropolitan areas provide compelling evidence to reexamine counterterrorism policies and strategies and contingency plans in the event of a successful attack due to persistent vulnerabilities. Even with minimal resources or without the involvement of a solid terrorist organization, several interconnected critical infrastructure sectors face continued security risks. Preparedness, mitigation, and increasing community resilience require the Department of Homeland Security and Congress to anticipate challenges and take logical action to close security gaps in line with the Department's counterterrorism mission. Assessing plausible scenarios suggests a viable and forward-looking way to identify and counteract potential and unfamiliar detrimental tactics of adversaries.
  • Updated