IMPORTANCE OF REGIONALISM IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION
The National Capital Region (NCR) is a collection of sovereign jurisdictions, including cities, counties, states, and the District of Columbia. In a regional system, there is no single point of accountability or authority, and each sovereign jurisdiction is expected to coordinate, share information, and allocate resources when needed during mutual aid events that require situational awareness.
In the NCR, the stakes are especially high. It is the In the NCR, the stakes are especially high. It is the nation’s capital, home of the President, Congress, the Supreme Court, the executive departments of government, the Defense Department, Pentagon, and many national treasures. More than four and a half million people call this region home.
Communication, coordination, and emergency preparedness within the region are complex, given the number of federal, state, local, and private sector entities and tasks involved. The case for regionalism is especially clear when:
- A major storm or natural disaster passes through the region
- Something catastrophic occurs in a single location, impacting multiple jurisdictions in the region
- Multiple incidents occur across the region simultaneously
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Play the video below to hear more from the regional leaders about HSEC 2.0
PROFILE OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION (NCR)
A number of factors add to the challenge and complexity of coordinating and communicating across multiple jurisdictions. Some of these factors include:
- There are twelve (12) independent planning and implementation cycles across the region—eight (8) local, three (3) state, and the federal government.
- There are sixteen (16) additional local jurisdictions represented in the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments that will be impacted by regional decisions.
- All jurisdictions within the NCR are expected to coordinate, share information, and allocate resources in support of the whole region, yet there is no single point of accountability or authority to dictate how jurisdictions should work together.
- Further, each local, state, and federal jurisdiction within the NCR follows a distinct cycle for planning, budgeting, implementing, and assessing homeland security and preparedness programs.
The regional role is not to interfere with these jurisdictional cycles, but to educate and influence decision-making and to enhance preparedness. The heart of regional preparedness is in individual jurisdictions making planning and budget decisions that address regional risks and unmet needs. The Homeland Security Executive Committee’s highest leverage point is its ability to communicate regional homeland security priorities in a way that influences local, state, and federal planning, spending, and action.
More information on the history of preparedness in the NCR can be found here: Partners in Preparedness: The Regional Emergency Coordination Plan at Work and Final Report of the Incident Management and Response Oversight Committee
History of the Homeland Security Executive Committee (HSEC)
While 9/11 was a driving force in the HSEC’s formation, a number of events in the NCR’s history have highlighted the importance of a group like the HSEC. Regional coordination, interoperability, and mutual aid agreements played a critical role in responding to many regional incidents, including the anthrax attacks, sniper attacks, Snowmaggedon, the Navy Yard shooting, the Ebola crisis, and the L’Enfant Metro smoke incident.
The HSEC was formed to foster regional collaboration, establish priorities, and set strategic direction for the NCR to ensure coordinated regional preparedness and response.
Over time, the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funding allocation process became the group’s main focus and the driving force behind the HSEC’s meeting agendas.
In 2016, the Chief Administrative Officers–Senior Policy Group–Homeland Security Executive Committee (CAO-SPG-HSEC) was restructured and renamed as the Homeland Security Executive Committee (HSEC). The purpose of this transition was to reduce the Committee’s focus on the delegation of Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant funding and rather, discuss strategic, funding agnostic initiatives to bolster the region’s preparedness and response efforts.
Today, the HSEC works to identify regional priorities and use resources to implement solutions to meet these priorities rather than focusing solely on UASI. The National Capital Region is interdependent, and the HSEC members rely on each other to make jurisdictional funding decisions that positively impact the region as a whole.
For more information on past Homeland Security efforts in the NCR, please see the National Capital Region Strategic Plan and the presentation from the HSEC 2.0 SME Summit.
“While no emergency response is flawless, the response to the terrorist attack at the Pentagon was mainly a success for three reasons: first, the strong professional relationships and trust established among emergency responders; second, the adoption of the Incident Command System; and third, the pursuit of a regional approach to emergency response."
9/11 Commission Report p. 314
HOMELAND SECURITY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2.0
HSEC Mission Statement
The HSEC was established to help jurisdictions across the NCR anticipate and prepare for homeland security and public safety events that require regional coordination and response.
The HSEC mission will be accomplished through:
- Establishing a shared perspective, or common understanding, across local, state, and federal decision-makers on the risks and unmet security needs of the region. This keeps these issues at the forefront when decisions are being made.
- Informing jurisdictional decision-makers of the threats, capability gaps, innovations and opportunities, and actions of other jurisdictions to drive the best decisions. We make sure that good ideas are shared so all can benefit.
- Continuously forging essential, trust-based relationships among regional stakeholders. This helps facilitate understanding and decision-making and becomes critical during emergency events.
- Understanding and setting regional priorities, then using these to drive further collaboration.
- Promoting a culture of regionalism and fostering regional learning and leadership.
- Publishing annual guidance to inform and influence jurisdictional leaders and decision-making processes.
- Guiding regional preparedness and response training experiences.
HSEC Stance
To be successful, the Homeland Security Executive Committee must embody regionalism, and work together to increase the impact of mitigation actions in the NCR.
Specifically, the HSEC will:
- Increase regional interoperability through smart funding decisions, well allocated resources, and standardization (when appropriate).
- Support NCR jurisdictions by demonstrating leadership in response to regional risks that cannot necessarily be absorbed or prioritized locally.
- Consider solutions to fill regional gaps that don’t require funding, including MOUs, partnerships, and regional commitments.
- Leverage the individual assets of local jurisdictions to develop regional capabilities, new efficiencies, improved coordination, and cost sharing/savings.
- Build regional capacity for identifying priorities and developing solutions through clear processes and metrics with measurable outcomes.
HSEC 2.0 PROCESS & STRUCTURE
The HSEC designed a process and structure to consider unmet regional needs and emerging threats as it determines regional priorities.
“HSEC 2.0” is the NCR’s approach to setting direction, leveraging expertise in the homeland security community, and taking action to build regional capabilities and capacity.
The HSEC 2.0 Process
- Identifies unmet regional needs and emerging threats, and determines regional priorities to build capacity and capabilities.
- Charters problem-solving teams to address needs/threats and build capability with a regional perspective.
- Provides shared learning experiences so all stakeholders have the best and most up-to-date information as they make decisions.
- Publishes annual regional guidance to jurisdictional decision-makers so they understand the regional priorities and can take action on behalf of their jurisdictions.
- Advocates for these priorities and supports jurisdictional decision-makers with trusted advisory assistance (as they review the guidance).
- Assesses the effectiveness of the HSEC’s influence with the jurisdictions adopting a regional perspective.
The Annual Rhythm, also referred to as the Annual Workflow, is a cycle that depicts a multi-year process of establishing regional priorities, community those priorities, assisting regional leaders in applying the Regional Planning Guidance, and gathering new data to assess opportunities and threats throughout the region
This process will allow the HSEC to determine priorities, identify solutions and their appropriate funding sources, and influence jurisdictional decisions.
The HSEC 2.0 Structure
The HSEC 2.0 structure(“Figure 8” diagram) outlines the process by which the HSEC identifies unmet regional needs and emerging threats, charters problem-solving teams, and ultimately, issues Regional Planning Guidance and provides solutions.
HSEC – Set strategic direction and allocate resources.
HSEC Advisory Council – Share intelligence on regional threats and opportunities and provide recommendations on homeland security and emergency response priorities.
Regional Subject Matter Expert (SME) Universe – Provide guidance as part of a body of experts in the form of Discipline Committees (Regional Emergency Support Functions or RESF), Working Groups (Regional Programmatic Working Groups or RPWG), Emergency Response Systems (ERS), and other homeland security stakeholder groups.
Working Groups – Address unmet needs or risks as chartered initiative teams; existing for a defined period of time to perform a discrete task.
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Play the video below to hear more from the regional leaders about HSEC 2.0
What’s at Stake?
The case for regional preparedness is clear in light of our ever-changing threat and hazard profile. We must prepare for natural disasters, epidemics, complex coordinated attacks, and other homeland security events.
The HSEC needs to remain vigilant and continue to look for ways to strengthen coordination and cooperation across the region to be on call at a moment’s notice. The HSEC is committed to building and maintaining strong relationships to ensure continued preparedness and coordination throughout the region.
How to Engage
The HSEC’s success depends on the thoughtful and active engagement of the region’s stakeholders across jurisdictions and disciplines.
HSEC 2.0 brings together Subject Matter Experts from across the region to collect the best ideas and insights. Our regional experts share their expertise within their discipline, Regional Emergency Support Functions, and jurisdictions so that we can identify unmet needs and emerging threats and develop effective solutions to address them.
Call to Action
Regionalism begins when jurisdictional leaders make local decisions that positively impact regional capabilities. As a critical member of the National Capital Region:
- Be a leader in your community. Set an example of leading in your jurisdiction with a regional perspective.
- When it comes time to make decisions, include your regional perspective. Think about what impact your decision has on the rest of the NCR.
- Prepare for the future. Continue to identify regional needs and innovate solutions.
- Finally, invest in the leaders of tomorrow. Help to prepare those who will come behind you and on whom the region will rely in the years to come.
Play the video below to hear more from the regional leaders about HSEC 2.0