DHS could strengthen the management of its Regional Resiliency Assessment Program by better documenting its decisions, GAO has said
It said DHS has developed nine criteria that consider various factors – including the willingness of various stakeholders, such as asset owners and operators, to participate and concentrations of high-risk critical infrastructure – when identifying possible locations for Regional Resiliency Assessment Program projects.
DHS officials say final project selections are then made from a list of possible locations based on factors including geographic distribution and DHS priorities, among other considerations, according to GAO-13-616.
It said however that it is unclear why some RRAP projects are recommended over others because DHS does not fully document its decisions.
DHS has also taken action to measure efforts to enhance security and resilience among facilities that participate in the RRAP, but faces challenges measuring results associated with RRAP projects, GAO said.
DHS agreed with recommendations to document final RRAP selections and develop a mechanism to measure whether RRAP participation influences facilities to make RRAP-related enhancements.
