Sector-Specific Plans

Overview

Sector-Specific Plans (SSPs) support the National Infrastructure Protection Plan by establishing a coordinated approach to national priorities, goals, and requirements for critical infrastructure and key resources protection. The SSPs provide the means by which the NIPP is implemented across all critical infrastructure and key resources sectors, as well as a national framework for each sector to address its unique characteristics and risk landscape. This coordinated approach allows federal funding and resources to be applied in the most effective manner to manage risk.

Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 7 establishes a national policy for federal departments and agencies to identify and prioritize U.S. critical infrastructure and key resources and to protect them from terrorist attack. HSPD-7 identifies 17 sectors that require protective actions to prepare for, protect, or mitigate against a terrorist attack or other hazards.

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Sector Partnership Model

The SSPs are the culmination of a national planning effort that reflects thousands of hours of outreach and collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security and other federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector security partners.

The NIPP relies on the sector partnership model as the primary organizational structure for coordinating the nation’s protection mission. For each critical infrastructure and key resources sector, a Sector Coordinating Council representing the private sector and a Government Coordinating Council have been created to share data, techniques, best practices, and to support systematic risk-based planning. The Department provides guidance, tools, and support to assist these sector-specific groups in working together to carry out their responsibilities.

This collaborative framework has yielded a dynamic plan. The SSPs reflect a consensus starting point, substantial progress made, and a road ahead for further  protection activities. Each SSP will be continuously reviewed and regularly updated, improved, and modified as appropriate.

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The Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKR) Sectors and Plans

The 17 critical infrastructure and key resources sectors and designated Sector-Specific Agencies (SSAs) for each of the sectors are listed below. Plans available with unrestricted access can be downloaded. Plans with restricted access (For Official Use Only, FOUO) require security partners to follow the information below. See information on how sector security partners can request access to the restricted plans.

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Availability and Access to the Plans

The Department seeks to balance the information needs of its security partners while ensuring that sensitive information is protected. Because of the security sensitivity of the SSPs, some of the plans have been designated "For Official Use Only" (FOUO). This allows for distribution on a need- to-know basis within the specific sectors and is intended to discourage inappropriate sharing of sensitive security information. The SSPs provided in the table above do not require these restrictions.

If you are a representative of a sector whose SSP is not available on this page, contact the NIPP program office at NIPP@dhs.gov for further information or the particular SSA that is responsible for that SSP(s).

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