National Security Memoranda and Presidential Directives

Homeland Security Presidential Directives are issued by the President on matters pertaining to Homeland Security. Three directives directly affect EPA's role in the national emergency response system.

HSPD-5 Management of Domestic Incidents establishes a single, comprehensive national incident management system (NIMS) and the National Response Framework (NRF). EPA must support and adopt both.

Additional directives:

HSPD-12 Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors (3 pp, 131 K, About PDF) assigned responsibility for setting standards for the identification to be shown by persons entering federal government buildings. EPA has adopted these standards.

HSPD-14 Domestic Nuclear Detection established a Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to coordinate efforts to protect the domestic U.S. against dangers from nuclear or radiological materials. EPA supports the detection, response, law enforcement, and information sharing aspects of the office's mission.

PPD-21 Presidential Policy Directive on Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience

Presidential Policy Directive 21), released on February 12, 2013, by President Barak Obama, outlines a comprehensive national strategy for safeguarding and enhancing the resilience of critical infrastructure. This directive promotes coordinated action among federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as private sector partners. This directive aims to create a more integrated, collaborative approach to critical infrastructure security and resilience, emphasizing the importance of information sharing, coordinated planning, and adaptive strategies to address evolving threats and hazards.

PPD 8 Presidential Policy Directive on National Preparedness

PPD-8 mandates federal agencies to enhance U.S. security and resilience through systematic preparation for critical threats, including terrorism, cyber-attacks, pandemics, and natural disasters. The directive emphasizes shared responsibility across government levels, private and nonprofit sectors, and individual citizens, advocating for an integrated, capabilities-based preparedness approach. PPD-8 structures national preparedness around five mission areas: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery.

NSM-16 Strengthening the Security and Resilience of U.S. Food and Agriculture Sector

National Security Memorandum‑16 replaces HSPD‑9 and updates federal roles for protecting the U.S. food and agriculture sector, reaffirming the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services/Food and Drug Administration as co–Sector Risk Management Agencies and aligning efforts with critical infrastructure policy. It directs a risk‑based, all‑hazards approach—spanning natural, accidental, and intentional biological, chemical, radiological, and cyber threats—to strengthen surveillance and early warning, vulnerability assessments and prioritization, information sharing, and preparedness/response capabilities (including vaccines, laboratory capacity, and forensic attribution). The memo emphasizes supply‑chain resilience and incident management, assigns interagency coordination and reporting responsibilities, and leverages public‑private structures like the Government Coordinating Council and Sector Coordinating Council to drive implementation.

PPD-40 National Continuity Policy

Presidential Policy Directive 40 established a comprehensive national framework for maintaining essential government functions during crises and catastrophic events. This directive serves as a fundamental pillar of national security and resilience, ensuring the preservation of constitutional processes while integrating continuity planning throughout federal operations and external partnerships. PPD-40's fundamental mission centers on three critical objectives: safeguarding the constitutional form of government, maintaining National Essential Functions and Primary Mission Essential Functions, and embedding operational continuity into routine governmental operations. PPD[1]40 requires systematic testing, updates, and training programs, while establishing robust protocols for interagency coordination and communication.