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I-STEP

Layers of Security

The Intermodal Security Exercise Training Program (I-STEP) enhances the preparedness of our nation's surface-transportation sector network with meaningful evaluations of prevention, preparedness, and ability to respond to terrorist-related incidents. We have assembled a team of federal agencies and commercial vendors to provide planning, strategic support, and analytical and technical services for transportation security training exercises and the I-STEP program.

I-STEP improves the intermodal transportation industry's ability to prepare for and respond to a transportation security incident (TSI) by increasing awareness, improving processes, creating partnerships, and delivering transportation-sector network security training exercises. I-STEP provides security-exercise tools and services to modal operators through TSA general managers. The tools include software for exercise design, evaluation and tracking for a mix of tabletop, advanced tabletop and functional exercises.

I-STEP offers an intermodal transportation-security exercise program for our nation's transportation sector network communities. The program aligns with the nation's infrastructure protection policies and other programs.

Through outreach, we engage all modes of the intermodal transportation community to continuously improve security readiness. Our innovative and comprehensive system of tools and services will provide a foundation for stakeholders to strengthen their transportation-sector network security postures as they consider the economic impacts of a transportation security incident (TSI) on affected industries and the movement of people and commerce.

Goals & Strategies

Our Nation's transportation sector networks are vital to the economic health of this country. I-STEP will provide surface transportation communities with meaningful evaluations of prevention, preparedness, and ability to respond to terrorist-related incidents.

I-STEP's goals include:

• promoting stakeholder awareness and involvement through an outreach program;
• encouraging stakeholder participation in program development;
• aligning with national standards and requirements;
• conducting exercises relevant to stakeholders' challenges and risks; and
• refining the program through evaluation and continuous improvement.

We deliver exercise products and facilitate the exercises that address the unique transportation security issues found in the intermodal environment of the nation's transportation sector network. These exercise tools and recommendations will enable stakeholders to strengthen their organizations' security. I-STEP will promote sound principles and performance-based standards, providing guidance documents, lessons learned and best practices.

For continuous program involvement we have implemented oversight, enforcement and corrective-action monitoring through exercise evaluations and associated tools that support all program stakeholders. The ability of local stakeholders to manage TSIs has been enhanced with the incorporation of National Incident Management System (NIMS) standards. I-STEP builds on the principles of NIMS and provides our stakeholders the processes and procedures to use program forms and tools for delivering exercises and sponsoring workshops.