Presidential Policy Directive 8
National Preparedness: Frequently Asked Questions
On March 30, 2011, President Obama signed Presidential Policy Directive 8 / PPD-8: National Preparedness (available at www.dhs.gov/xabout/laws/gc_1215444247124.shtm).
The following “Frequently Asked Questions” address the elements of the directive and will be updated as additional information becomes available through the PPD implementation process. Please submit questions to nationalpreparednessppd@fema.gov.
Q: What is a PPD?
A: A Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) is used by the President of the United States to promulgate decisions on matters of national security. A PPD clearly communicates the President’s expectations and objectives on a particular issue to the Executive Branch of the Federal Government.
Q: Why was the PPD developed?
A: The directive was developed to strengthen our Nation’s security and resilience against a variety of hazards, including terrorism, pandemics and catastrophic natural disasters. It also reflects the Administration’s belief that the entire emergency management team – which includes all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors and individual citizens – plays a key role in keeping our communities safe and secure, meeting the needs of survivors when disaster strikes and preventing the loss of life and property. Specifically, the directive will help us continue to strengthen the entire emergency management team by directing the government to develop a new National Preparedness Goal, National Preparedness System, comprehensive campaign to build and sustain national preparedness, and National Preparedness Report based on this new Goal.
Q: What are the key concepts of the PPD?
A: The key concepts embedded in the PPD are that building the security and resilience of the Nation will require:
- Employing an all-of-Nation/whole community approach to security and resilience, integrating efforts across Federal, State, local, tribal and territorial governments;
- Building the key capabilities required to confront any challenge; and
- Developing a consistent assessment system methodology, focused on outcomes that can be used to measure and track progress to achieve our National Preparedness Goal.
Q: What are the major deliverables of the PPD?
A: The following are the major deliverables of the PPD:
A National Preparedness Goal to define the core capabilities necessary to prepare for the specific types of incidents that pose the greatest risk to the security of the Nation. The National Preparedness Goal establishes concrete, measurable, prioritized objectives to mitigate that risk and emphasize actions to achieve an integrated, layered and all-of-Nation preparedness approach, optimizing use of available resources.
A National Preparedness System to provide an integrated set of guidance, programs and processes to enable the nation to meet the National Preparedness Goal. The National Preparedness System will provide guidance for planning, organization, resources, training and exercises needed to build and maintain domestic capabilities in support of the National Preparedness Goal.
The System will also include a series of integrated National Planning Frameworks covering prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery. These Frameworks will be built upon scalable, flexible and adaptable coordinating structures that align and integrate key preparedness roles, responsibilities and terminology.
Additionally, the National Preparedness System will include Interagency Operational Plans supporting each National Planning Framework with corresponding planning guidance for State, local, tribal and territorial governments.
A coordinated campaign to build and sustain preparednessnationwide. The campaign involves public outreach and community-based and private sector programs to enhance national resilience, provision of Federal financial assistance and Federal support to preparedness efforts, as well as national research and development efforts.
A National Preparedness Report based on progress towards achieving the National Preparedness Goal. The Report will be used as a tool to inform the President’s budget annually.
Q: When are the deliverables due?
A: The National Preparedness Goal is to be submitted to the President no later than September 25, 2011.
A description of the National Preparedness System will be developed by the Department of Homeland Security in coordination with other executive departments and agencies and in consultation with State, local, tribal and territorial governments, the private sector and the public. It will be submitted to the President no later than November 24, 2011.
The National Planning Frameworks will be provided to the White House by June 30, 2012, as described in the Implementation Plan.
The campaign for building and sustaining preparedness will be ongoing.
The first of the annual National Preparedness Reports is due no later than March 30, 2012.
Q: How will the PPD be implemented?
A: A detailed Implementation Plan was released on July 8, 2011 and is being coordinated by the White House National Security Staff. DHS and FEMA look forward to working extensively with stakeholders at all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors and the public to carry out implementation efforts once the plan has been finalized.
Q: How can I get involved?
A: All of us can contribute to national preparedness. As the PPD Implementation Plan is executed, FEMA is dedicated to working with all members of our emergency management team to build a stronger national preparedness system that leverages all elements of our society – Federal, State and local governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, faith-based and community partnerships and individuals – to meet the security, preparedness and resilience needs of our communities. Some examples of ways to contribute include:
- use the resources on Ready.gov,
- get involved in the Citizen Corps program, and
- stay informed through local, state and FEMA social media outlets.
We will continue to provide additional information on contributing to these efforts as it becomes available.
Q: Why did it take so long to develop and issue the PPD?
A: The development and issuance of the PPD was a collaborative effort that took into account perspectives and experiences from all levels of government and across the interagency community. Just as HSPD-8 changed the foundation of how emergency management and homeland security is implemented across the Nation, PPD-8 will set the stage for the next evolution of how emergency management / homeland security operates at all levels and across all mission areas; thus, a thoughtful approach and deliberation was required to reflect the current environment and future end-state. This required enough time to ensure a robust product that would meet all of the Nation’s needs.
Q: What will it cost to implement?
A: The Program Executive Office (PEO), as it finalizes its approach and the deliverables, will track the costs associated with PPD-8 implementation. As many of the deliverables are still in development, exact costs are not clear.
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