infrastructure, emergency management, homeland security, and cyber .... CFATS is a relatively new regulation (implemented by the Department of Homeland.
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Book Review
CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS R. Radvanovsky and Allan McDougall, Critical Infrastructure: Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Third Edition (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2013), 257 pp.; US $99.95. Hardcover.
ABDUL-AKEEM SADIQ Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, USA
This book provides an up-to-date account of the significant strides in understanding the fundamentals of safeguarding global critical infrastructures, which include assets, industries, and landmarks. This book, which is the culmination of several years of research carried out by Radvanovsky and McDougall in the areas of critical infrastructure and asset protection, is a must-read for those interested or working in the areas of critical infrastructure, emergency management, homeland security, and cyber security, whether in the private, public, or nonprofit sector. In addition, enthusiasts of asset protection, enterprise risk management, risk assessment, asset assurance, automated control systems, and information technology will enjoy reading this book. Furthermore, those working in these aforementioned areas at the international level would benefit from Radvanovsky and McDougall’s insights into international regulations, guidelines, and procedures pertaining to critical infrastructure, homeland security, and emergency management. In chapter one Radvanovsky and McDougall introduce the reader to the concept of critical infrastructure assurance and protection, including a discussion of relevant terminology such as redundancy, resilience, and robustness. In chapter two, which has a theoretical feel, the authors identify the emerging trends within the critical infrastructure community. One of the main trends discussed is the move from force protection at the local level to protection of critical infrastructures at a higher level due to interdependencies of critical infrastructure systems. In chapter three Radvanovsky and McDougall discuss the National Response Framework. Here, they try to revise the NRF to fit the global context. Chapter four examines the relationship between the public and private sectors, and the authors argue that the distinction between the two with regard to critical infrastructure is becoming increasingly blurred as a result of collaboration. In chapter
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five Radvanovsky and McDougall argue that there needs to be a shift “from the concept of the need to know to the concept of the need to share information” (p. xx), because the latter concept can resolve some of the inherent problems with the former. Chapter six discusses emergency preparedness and readiness and provides extensive planning and management-level guidelines for responders. In addition, the authors discuss the Incident Command System (ICS) procedures and preparedness and readiness measures for hazardous material, including weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Chapter seven is about security vulnerability assessment. Here, Radvanovsky and McDougall discuss what a security vulnerability assessment is, and why, where, and how to conduct one. Chapter eight examines the regulations that pertain to critical infrastructure protection and takes a critical look at the notion of oversight and the impact of globalization on oversight. In addition, the authors distinguish, quite brilliantly, the differences between prescriptive and performance-based regulations. In chapter nine Radvanovsky and McDougall present significant information about different information-sharing and analysis centers (ISACs), including what an ISAC is and the advantages of belonging to an ISAC. Chapter ten focuses on supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and distinguishes between two important concepts—distributed control systems (DCS) and SCADA. The authors also discuss some challenges faced by security-related systems, and how to overcome these challenges. In chapter eleven the authors look at critical infrastructure information (CII), defining it and discussing the challenges of establishing a trusted network. They also present important and relevant information regarding the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the enforcement of CII. In general, the authors’ arguments, presuppositions, and conclusions are strong, although there are exceptions. For example, Radvanovsky and McDougall make the interesting and thoughtful point that many countries are moving away from the force protection doctrine that has dominated the critical infrastructure community for a long time, to a focus on the assurance of critical services and increasing the resilience of critical infrastructures. While I agree with this point, the strength of the authors’ argument is undermined because the authors neither formally define nor extensively discuss the notion of resilience. The discussion of preparedness in chapter six suggests a homogeneous population. Both the U.S. and global populations, however, are heterogeneous. To recognize this heterogeneity, the authors could have included a discussion on emergency preparedness and readiness for vulnerable populations or individuals with access and functional needs. Also in this same chapter, the authors might have strengthened their presentation by discussing challenges posed by a lack of funds for engaging in preparedness and readiness measures and suggesting potential sources of funding for preparedness. For example, in the United States, two sources of funds are the State Homeland Security Grant Program and the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). Finally, in the same chapter, the authors’ recommendations regarding response training for ordinary citizens is really not a novel idea, because there are programs in the United States that focus on response training for ordinary citizens. For
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example, some communities have Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs). One of the goals of CERT is to train ordinary citizens in basic response activities such as light search and rescue so that citizens could initiate the response to an emergency before first responders get to the scene. It is also noteworthy that the authors did not discuss the Chemical Facility AntiTerrorism Standards (CFATS) in chapter eight, although they mention it briefly on page 200. CFATS is a relatively new regulation (implemented by the Department of Homeland Security in 2007) aimed at safeguarding the United States’ chemical infrastructures and is particularly germane to the issues addressed by this book, especially the argument about creating resilient critical infrastructure. Another area where Radvanovsky and McDougall could strengthen Critical Infrastructure is in its international focus. Currently this book focuses mainly on critical infrastructure-related issues, policies, procedures, and regulations in the United States and Canada. This may be particularly disappointing given the diverse International Review of Public Administration (IRPA) international readership. These aforementioned weaknesses notwithstanding, Critical Infrastructure is a onestop shop for those interested in knowing where to obtain critical infrastructure security tools (e.g., Cyber Security Evaluation Tools [CSET]) and the latest developments in critical infrastructures. In addition, the links to important government and public domain websites provided by Radvanovsky and McDougall are a good addition, because they allow readers to dig deeper into some of the topics discussed. This book covers a wide range of new developments in the area of critical infrastructure, homeland security, and emergency preparedness, including but not limited to regulations, procedures, laws, and guidelines. Practitioners and academics interested in critical infrastructure, homeland security, and emergency preparedness will find it a worthwhile read. I personally have benefitted from the new developments regarding critical infrastructure and the international perspective of the authors. I do think that the authors should consider incorporating more examples to substantiate their arguments and expand the discourse by bringing in perspectives from parts of the world other than the United States and Canada. Abdul-Akeem Sadiq is an assistant professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. His research and teaching interests are in emergency management, homeland security, terrorism, and public safety. Abdul-Akeem has published in such journals as Natural Hazards, Natural Hazard Review, and Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Email: asadiq@iupui. edu.
