I know we throw a lot of acronyms out there – even after just a few months in government, you can’t resist! – but this is one that has meaning for all of us. CIKR stands for “Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources” – an umbrella term referring to the assets of the United States essential to the nation's security, public health and safety, economic vitality, and way of life. Simply put, it’s power grids and water filtration plants; national monuments and government facilities; telecommunications and transportation systems; chemical facilities and much more.

The vast majority of our national CIKR is privately owned and operated, which means ensuring its protection and resiliency involves an unprecedented partnership between government and the private sector. This partnership is at the heart of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan, which establishes a unique coordination and information-sharing framework that unifies protection of our nation’s CIKR into an integrated plan. The partnership now includes more than 200 trade associations from every CIKR sector, representing more than 4 million members.

Check out the video below to learn more about how this public-private groundbreaking partnership works to safeguard the nation’s Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources.