The draft of the National Infrastructure Plan is a step forward for the Department of Homeland Security because it establishes a model of public-private cooperation across all sectors responsible for the country?s critical infrastructure ? including IT, water, energy, food, banking, medical care and transportation. Unfortunately, this ?interim? plan only endeavors to create the methodology for how federal, state, local, and tribal entities should interact with the private sector. This is an important task that will ultimately help protect the nation’s critical infrastructure.

However, critics of this plan charge that it did not produce a coordinated approach to cyber security. According to the plan, it is the responsibility of DHS to manage and coordinate all cyber security initiatives. In support of DHS, state and local governments are to conduct cyber vulnerability assessments and to develop information security measures for their portions of the critical infrastructure. Moreover, DHS should work with academia and other research institutions to develop information security ?best practices? that can be reused across all state, local, and tribal jurisdictions. Finally, DHS is also charged with overseeing the private sector implementation of these information security ?best practices.?