Operationalizing Resilience: A Systems-based Approach Emphasizing Risk Management is Required

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Sat, 2011-10-15 19:31 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Linton Wells - October 13, 2011

Today, The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) Preparedness, Response, and Resilience Task Force released the latest in its series of reports on resilience policy. The report, entitled "Operationalizing Resilience," calls on policymakers to implement a systems-based approach that emphasizes risk management practices as a unifying theme for resilience policy.

"As a country, we correctly continue to advance the notion of a whole community, all-of-nation approach to addressing natural and man-made disasters," said Task Force co-chair and former Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency R. David Paulison. "As we look to operationalize the concept of national resilience, the Task Force believes that we should apply systems-thinking and risk management as underpinnings of the homeland security enterprise writ large."

The report is released as the Department of Homeland Security is working with public, private, and non-profit sector partners to implement Presidential Policy Directive 8 (PPD-8), National Preparedness. "Given the hard work being done to develop the National Preparedness System called for by PPD-8, we felt that now was an appropriate time to offer recommendations to policymakers that will help to ensure an integrated approach to the policy now being implemented," said Michael Balboni, Task Force co-chair and former New York State Deputy Secretary for Public Safety.

The Task Force offers several recommendations in the report, all of which seek to promote enhanced unity of effort between the homeland security enterprise and the public writ large. "Our hope is that policymakers will take our recommendations to heart as they look to advance resilience policy to the next level," said Daniel Kaniewski, Task Force co-chair and Deputy Director of HSPI. "The Task Force looks forward to continuing its efforts in the months ahead."

The report was released at an HSPI/MITRE Corporation event entitled "Systems Approaches to Improving National Resilience" held this morning in McLean, Virginia.

For more information, visit the report webpage.

HSPI's Preparedness, Response, and Resilience Task Forcebrings together experts from government, academia, and the private and non-profit sectors to consider contemporary policy issues facing the nation's homeland security, first responder, and emergency management communities. To this end, the Task Force convenes sessions with the nation's policymakers and publishes policy papers and reports with actionable policy recommendations for the future. The Task Force is predicated on the idea that a more nuanced approach to these policy issues can contribute to a greater level of resiliency for all levels of government, the private sector, and the public writ large. Recent considerations of the Task Force include the meaning of resiliency; the critical junctures that exist between policy and implementation; the nexus between preparedness, response, and resilience; and the future of resiliency as it relates to a diverse and changing operational environment.

The Preparedness, Response and Resilience Task Force is supported by ICF International, a global professional services firm.

http://www.gwumc.edu/hspi/policy/taskforce_resilience_riskmgmt.cfm