Threat

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
INTERAGENCY DOMESTIC TERRORISM
CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS PLAN

January 2001


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents
Foreword
Letter of Agreement
Signatories to the Plan
List of Figures I. Introduction and Background II. Policies III. Situation IV. Concept of Operations V. Phasing of the Federal Response Appendix A - Acronyms
Appendix B - Definitions


FOREWORD

Publication of the United States Government Interagency Domestic Terrorism Concept of Operations Plan (CONPLAN) represents a concerted effort by a number of Federal departments and agencies to work together to achieve a common goal. The CONPLAN was developed through the efforts of six primary departments and agencies with responsibilities as identified in Presidential Decision Directive/NSC-39 (PDD-39). This plan has been developed consistent with relevant PDDs, Federal law, the Attorney General's Critical Incident Response Plan, the PDD-39 Domestic Guidelines, and the Federal Response Plan and its Terrorism Incident Annex. The FBI has worked with these departments and agencies to provide a forum to participate in planning and exercise activities in order to develop, maintain, and enhance the Federal response capability.

To ensure the policy in PDD-39 and PDD-62 is implemented in a coordinated manner, the CONPLAN is designed to provide overall guidance to Federal, State and local agencies concerning how the Federal government would respond to a potential or actual terrorist threat or incident that occurs in the United States, particularly one involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The CONPLAN outlines an organized and unified capability for a timely, coordinated response by Federal agencies to a terrorist threat or act. It establishes conceptual guidance for assessing and monitoring a developing threat, notifying appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies of the nature of the threat, and deploying the requisite advisory and technical resources to assist the Lead Federal Agency (LFA) in facilitating interdepartmental coordination of crisis and consequence management activities.

Actions will continue to refine and identify the mission, capabilities, and resources of other supporting departments and agencies; and the actions each agency or department must perform during each phase of the response, to include crisis management and consequence management actions that are necessary for chemical, biological, nuclear/radiological, and conventional materials or devices.

Inquiries concerning this CONPLAN should be addressed to the appropriate Lead Agency under this plan:


LETTER OF AGREEMENT

The United States Government Interagency Domestic Terrorism Concept of Operations Plan, hereafter referred to as the CONPLAN, is designed to provide overall guidance to Federal, State and local agencies concerning how the Federal government would respond to a potential or actual terrorist threat or incident that occurs in the United States, particularly one involving WMD.

The following departments and agencies agree to support the overall concept of operations of the CONPLAN in order to carry out their assigned responsibilities under PDD-39 and PDD-62. The departments and agencies also agree to implement national and regional planning efforts and exercise activities in order to maintain the overall Federal response capability. Specifically:

Signatories to the United States Government
Interagency Domestic Terrorism
Concept of Operations Plan


I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

II. POLICIES

III. SITUATION

IV. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS

V. PHASING OF THE FEDERAL RESPONSE

Phasing of the Federal response to a threat or act of terrorism includes Notification; Activation and Deployment; Response Operations; Response Deactivation; and Recovery. Phases may be abbreviated or bypassed when warranted.


APPENDIX A: ACRONYMS


CONPLAN		Concept of Operations Plan
DEST		Domestic Emergency Support Team
DOD		Department of Defense
DOE		Department of Energy
DOJ		Department of Justice
EM		Emergency Management
EMS		Emergency Medical Services
EOC		Emergency Operations Center
EPA		Environmental Protection Agency
ERT		Evidence Response Team (FBI)
FBI		Federal Bureau of Investigation
FCO		Federal Coordinating Officer
FEMA		Federal Emergency Management Agency
FRP		Federal Response Plan
HAZMAT		Hazardous Materials
HHS		Department of Health and Human Services
HMRU		Hazardous Materials Response Unit
JIC		Joint Information Center
JIISE		Joint Interagency Intelligence Support Element
JOC		Joint Operations Center
JTTF		Joint Terrorism Task Force
ICS		Incident Command System
LFA		Lead Federal Agency
NCP		National Oil and Hazardous Substances
			Pollution Contingency Plan
NOC		Negotiations Operations Center
OSC		On-Scene Commander (FBI)
		On-Scene Coordinator (EPA)
PIO		Public Information Officer
PDD-39		Presidential Decision Directive 39
ROC		Regional Operations Center
SAC		Special Agent-in-Charge
SFO		Senior FEMA Official
SIOC		Strategic Information and Operations Center
STOC		Sniper Tactical Operations Center
TOC		Tactical Operations Center
UC		Unified Command
USCG		United States Coast Guard
WMD		Weapon of Mass Destruction


APPENDIX B: DEFINITIONS

Assessment - The evaluation and interpretation of measurements and other information to provide a basis for decision-making.

Combating Terrorism - The full range of Federal programs and activities applied against terrorism, domestically and abroad, regardless of the source or motive.

Consequence Management - Consequence management is predominantly an emergency management function and includes measures to protect public health and safety, restore essential government services, and provide emergency relief to governments, businesses, and individuals affected by the consequences of terrorism. In an actual or potential terrorist incident, a consequence management response will be managed by FEMA using structures and resources of the Federal Response Plan (FRP). These efforts will include support missions as described in other Federal operations plans, such as predictive modeling, protective action recommendations, and mass decontamination.

Coordinate - To advance systematically an exchange of information among principals who have or may have a need to know certain information in order to carry out their role in a response.

Counterterrorism - The full range of activities directed against terrorism, including preventive, deterrent, response and crisis management efforts.

Crisis Management - Crisis management is predominantly a law enforcement function and includes measures to identify, acquire, and plan the use of resources needed to anticipate, prevent, and/or resolve a threat or act of terrorism. In a terrorist incident, a crisis management response may include traditional law enforcement missions, such as intelligence, surveillance, tactical operations, negotiations, forensics, and investigations, as well as technical support missions, such as agent identification, search, render safe procedures, transfer and disposal, and limited decontamination. In addition to the traditional law enforcement missions, crisis management also includes assurance of public health and safety.

Disaster Field Office (DFO) - The office established in or near the designated area to support Federal and State response and recovery operations. The Disaster Field Office houses the Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO), the Emergency Response Team, and, where possible, the State Coordinating Officer and support Staff.

Emergency - Any natural or man-caused situation that results in or may result in substantial injury or harm to the population or substantial damage to or loss of property.

Emergency Operations Center (EOC)- The site from which civil government officials (municipal, county, State and Federal) exercise direction and control in an emergency.

Emergency Public Information - Information which is disseminated primarily in anticipation of an emergency or at the actual time of an emergency and in addition to providing information, frequently directs actions, instructs, and transmits direct orders.

Emergency Response Team - (1) A team composed of Federal program and support personnel, which FEMA activates and deploys into an area affected by a major disaster or emergency. This team assists the FCO in carrying out his/her responsibilities under the Stafford Act, the declaration, applicable laws, regulations, and the FEMA-State agreement. (2) The team is an interagency team, consisting of the lead representative from each Federal department or agency assigned primary responsibility for an Emergency support Function and key members of the FCO's staff, formed to assist the FCO in carrying out his/her responsibilities. The team provides a forum for coordinating the overall Federal consequence management response requirements.

Emergency Support Function - A functional area of response activity established to facilitate coordinated Federal delivery of assistance required during the response phase to save lives, protect property and health, and maintain public safety. These functions represent those types of Federal assistance which the State likely will need most because of the overwhelming impact of a catastrophic event on local and State resources.

Evacuation - Organized, phased, and supervised dispersal of civilians from dangerous or potentially dangerous areas, and their reception and care in safe areas.

Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) - (1) The person appointed by the FEMA Director, or in his/her absence, the FEMA Deputy Director, or alternatively the FEMA Associate Director for Response and Recovery, following a declaration of a major disaster or of an emergency by the President, to coordinate Federal assistance. The FCO initiates action immediately to assure that Federal Assistance is provided in accordance with the declaration, applicable laws, regulations, and the FEMA-State agreement. (2) The FCO is the senior Federal official appointed in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 93-288, as amended (the Stafford Act), to coordinate the overall consequence management response and recovery activities. The FCO represents the President as provided by Section 303 of the Stafford Act for the purpose of coordinating the administration of Federal relief activities in the designated area. Additionally, the FCO is delegated responsibilities and performs those for the FEMA Director as outlined in Executive Order 12148 and those responsibilities delegated to the FEMA Regional Director in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 44, Part 205.

Federal On-Scene Commander (OSC) - The FBI official designated upon JOC activation to ensure appropriate coordination of the overall United States government response with Federal, State and local authorities, until such time as the Attorney General transfers the LFA role to FEMA.

Federal Response Plan (FRP) - (1) The plan designed to address the consequences of any disaster or emergency situation in which there is a need for Federal assistance under the authorities of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U. S.C. 5 121 et seq. (2) The FRP is the Federal government's plan of action for assisting affected States and local jurisdictions in the event of a major disaster or emergency.

First Responder - Local police, fire, and emergency medical personnel who first arrive on the scene of an incident and take action to save lives, protect property, and meet basic human needs.

Joint Information Center (JIC) - A center established to coordinate the Federal public information activities on-scene. It is the central point of contact for all news media at the scene of the incident. Public information officials from all participating Federal agencies should collocate at the JIC. Public information officials from participating State and local agencies also may collocate at the JIC.

Joint Interagency Intelligence Support Element (JIISE) - The JIISE is an interagency intelligence component designed to fuse intelligence information from the various agencies participating in a response to a WMD threat or incident within an FBI JOC. The JIISE is an expanded version of the investigative/intelligence component which is part of the standardized FBI command post structure. The JIISE manages five functions including: security, collections management, current intelligence, exploitation, and dissemination.

Joint Operations Center (JOC) - Established by the LFA under the operational control of the Federal OSC, as the focal point for management and direction of onsite activities, coordination/establishment of State requirements/priorities, and coordination of the overall Federal response.

Lead Agency - The Federal department or agency assigned lead responsibility under U.S. law to manage and coordinate the Federal response in a specific functional area. For the purposes of the CONPLAN, there are two lead agencies, the FBI for Crisis Management and FEMA for Consequence Management. Lead agencies support the overall Lead Federal Agency (LFA) during all phases of the response.

Lead Federal Agency (LFA) - The agency designated by the President to lead and coordinate the overall Federal response is referred to as the LFA and is determined by the type of emergency. In general, an LFA establishes operational structures and procedures to assemble and work with agencies providing direct support to the LFA in order to provide an initial assessment of the situation; develop an action plan; monitor and update operational priorities; and ensure each agency exercises its concurrent and distinct authorities under US law and supports the LFA in carrying out the President's relevant policy. Specific responsibilities of an LFA vary according to the agency's unique statutory authorities.

Liaison - An agency official sent to another agency to facilitate interagency communications and coordination.

Local Government - Any county, city, village, town, district, or political subdivision of any State, and Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, or Alaska Native village or organization, including any rural community or unincorporated town or village or any other public entity.

On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) - The Federal official pre-designated by the EPA and U.S. Coast Guard to coordinate and direct response and removals under the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan.

Public Information Officer - Official at headquarters or in the field responsible for preparing and coordinating the dissemination of public information in cooperation with other responding Federal, State, and local agencies.

Recovery - Recovery, in this document, includes all types of emergency actions dedicated to the continued protection of the public or to promoting the resumption of normal activities in the affected area.

Recovery Plan - A plan developed by each State, with assistance from the responding Federal agencies, to restore the affected area.

Regional Director - The Director of one of FEMA's ten regional offices and principal representative for working with other Federal regions, State and local governments, and the private sector in that jurisdiction.

Regional Operations Center (ROC) - The temporary operations facility for the coordination of Federal response and recovery activities, located at the FEMA Regional Office (or at the Federal Regional Center) and led by the FEMA Regional Director or Deputy Regional Director until the Disaster Field Office becomes operational.

Response - Those activities and programs designed to address the immediate and short-term effects of the onset of an emergency or disaster.

Senior FEMA Official (SFO) - The official appointed by the Director of FEMA, or his representative, that is responsible for deploying to the JOC to: (1) serve as the senior interagency consequence management representative on the Command Group, and (2) manage and coordinate activities taken by the Consequence Management Group.

State Coordinating Officer - An official designated by the Governor of the affected State, upon a declaration of a major disaster or emergency, to coordinate State and local disaster assistance efforts with those of the Federal government, and to act in cooperation with the FCO to administer disaster recovery efforts.

Terrorism - Terrorism includes the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) - A WMD is any device, material, or substance used in a manner, in a quantity or type, or under circumstances evidencing an intent to cause death or serious injury to persons or significant damage to property.


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