By Kevin Taylor
Faculty Member, Homeland Security at American Military University
In 2011, President Obama put forth the Presidential Policy Directive (PPD-8) that dealt directly with the all-encompassing issue of national preparedness. The president recognized that every facet of our society (whole community) was needed to accomplish such a daunting task; strengthening the security and resilience of the United States.
A number of initiatives and products have resulted from this Directive; one being the National Preparedness Goal. This document highlights a number of core capabilities, those distinct, critical elements that are essential for the execution of each of the five mission areas (prevention, protection, mitigation, response & recovery). To get a finger on the pulse of how progress is being made (or not) concerning this Goal, PPD-8 also required the production of a National Preparedness Report on an annual basis.
Recently, the 2015 version of this Report was released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), one that highlighted a number of issues that outline both national trends and additional findings for each of the five preparedness mission areas. The following offers but a brief review of some of the initiatives taking place in these areas.
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