Threat and Vulnerability Assessment: NYC and NJ Locations
This paper conducts a security vulnerability and threat assessment of three locations in and near New York City: the Kuehne Chemical plant in South Kearny, New Jersey; the United Nations Headquarters in Midtown Manhattan; and Carnegie Hall. Each site is evaluated using established homeland security frameworks, including Facility Characterization Matrices, Risk Management Plans, and Levels of Likelihood of Attack. The paper prioritizes the three locations by security risk, concluding that the Kuehne Chemical plant poses the greatest danger due to its catastrophic worst-case scenario potential affecting up to 12 million people, followed by the United Nations Headquarters and Carnegie Hall, both of which are vulnerable primarily as high-profile public landmarks.
- Introduction and Site Prioritization: Three NYC-area sites ranked by security priority
- Kuehne Chemical Plant: Chemical facility risk, chlorine gas threat analysis
- Attributes of Manhattan and New York City: Population density and counter-terrorism context
- United Nations Headquarters: UN complex vulnerabilities and threat likelihood
- Carnegie Hall: Historic venue threats and security measures
- Conclusion and Security Prioritization Summary: Final ranking and comparative risk summary
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What makes this paper effective
- Applies concrete DHS frameworks — including Facility Characterization Matrices, threshold quantities, and Levels of Likelihood of Attack — to real-world sites, grounding the analysis in official methodology rather than general observation.
- Provides a clear, reasoned hierarchy of security priorities from the outset, then supports each ranking with site-specific evidence, giving the paper strong argumentative coherence.
- Balances quantitative data (population density figures, seating capacities, chemical quantities) with qualitative threat analysis, demonstrating the multi-dimensional nature of security assessment.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied risk analysis by consistently using a three-part framework — threat type, severity level, and likelihood of attack — across all three sites. This parallel structure allows direct comparison between sites and shows how the same analytical methodology can yield meaningfully different conclusions depending on site characteristics.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an executive-style introduction that states the sites and their priority ranking upfront. Each subsequent section addresses one location in order of security priority, applying the same analytical categories before moving to contextual material on Manhattan. The paper implicitly closes by having established its prioritization through accumulated evidence rather than a formal conclusion section, a structure common in applied security assessments.
Introduction and Site Prioritization
Three locations in and near New York City are assessed for vulnerabilities and threats, and then prioritized according to security considerations and analysis. The Kuehne Chemical plant in South Kearny, New Jersey, is the only one of the three selected locations that is inherently a risk to citizens. The other two selected locations — Carnegie Hall and the United Nations headquarters — are vulnerable to threats and at risk primarily because they are notable Manhattan landmarks that frequently contain large assemblages of people.
Of the three locations, the Kuehne Chemical plant is the highest security priority due to the worst-case scenario for the site as estimated by the Department of Homeland Security, and as defined in their Risk Management Plan submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency. The United Nations Headquarters is the second security priority, primarily because so many other opportunities to threaten and attack UN personnel exist around the globe. Carnegie Hall, a world-class destination performance venue located just two short blocks from Central Park South in Manhattan, is the third security priority in this selection of locations.
References
Radford, P. (2010, June 22). New Jersey chemical plant puts 12 million at risk, threatens most lives in New York City. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/philip-radford/new-york-chemical-plant-p_b_620849.html
Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. (1994, December 9). Office of Legal Affairs, Codification Division, United Nations. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/law/cod/safety.htm
A method to assess the vulnerability of U.S. chemical facilities. (2002, November). U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/195171.pdf
Vulnerability assessment methodologies report, Phase I, final report. (2003, July). U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office for Domestic Preparedness. Retrieved from
New York State Homeland Security Strategy. (2014). Retrieved from
Voluntary initiatives are under way at chemical facilities but the extent of security preparedness is unknown. (2003, March). United States General Accounting Office, Homeland Security. [Report GAO-03-439 to Congressional Requesters.] Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03439.pdf
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