Public Private Partnerships and Critical Infrastructure

Private Security and Homeland Defense
Most of the critical infrastructure in the United States is regulated by the public sector, but owned by the private sector. As a result, protection of U.S. critical infrastructure is a major challenge because of complexities in both the public and private sectors. Moreover, safeguarding critical infrastructure is complicated by the sophisticated and growing assortment of cybersecurity challenges (Brooks par, 2). Given the involvement of the public and private sectors in U.S. critical infrastructure, public-private partnerships are vital. These partnerships refer to collaboration between the government and private sector entities in order to realize certain goals or objectives (Busch & Givens par, 4). Public-private partnerships continue to play an important role in homeland security through acting as a suitable means for protection of critical infrastructure. The creation of public-private partnerships provides risk management frameworks that address growing threats to homeland security and critical infrastructure across the country.
An example of public-private partnerships toward protection of U.S. critical infrastructure is evident in the field of emergency management. Emergency management is a critical infrastructure that affects nearly all aspects of homeland security. Private sector organizations have increasingly partnered with the government in various aspects of emergency management as part of public-private partnerships. Such partnerships are geared toward improving efforts in emergency response and recovery in the aftermath of a disaster. Moreover, they focus on enhancing the nation’s emergency prevention and mitigation capabilities. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the Department of Homeland Security entered into a partnership with the private sector to help in recovery efforts. For example, this department partnered with Verizon to help in rebuilding network infrastructure, which was affected by the terror attacks (Busch & Givens par, 10).
Works Cited
Brooks, Chuck. “Public Private Partnerships And The Cybersecurity Challenge Of Protecting Critical Infrastructure.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 6 May 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/05/06/public-private-partnerships-and-the-cybersecurity-challenge-of-protecting-critical-infrastructure/#764fd8255a57.
Busch, Nathan E, and Austen D Givens. “Public-Private Partnerships in Homeland Security: Opportunities and Challenges.” Homeland Security Affairs, vol. 8, no. 18, Oct. 2012, https://www.hsaj.org/articles/233.