Office of Operations Coordination
Encyclopedia
The Office of Operations Coordination and Planning (OPS) is a component of the headquarters of the United States Department of Homeland Security
. It is designed to provide situational awareness and decision support for the Secretary of Homeland Security, and other key officials, during a crisis. OPS is responsible for the daily monitoring of the security of the United States
and coordinating activities within the Department of Homeland Security relating to prevention, protection, response, and recovery from all threats and hazards, including terrorist threats, and man-made and natural disasters.
Primarily through the National Operations Center, the Office is a key touchpoint for coordinating operational issues with federal, state, tribal, local governments Homeland Security Advisors
, law enforcement partners, and private sector critical infrastructure operators, and international partners. In accordance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 (Annex I), OPS is facilitating a Federal interagency planning effort to address various national contingencies. The Office is headed by RADM (Ret) John Acton, the Director for Operations Coordination and Planning.
OPS oversees the National Operations Center, which collects homeland security information, both classified and unclassified, from federal
, state, territorial, tribal, local, and private sector partners.
Through the National Operations Center, the Office provides real-time situational awareness and monitoring of the homeland, coordinates incidents and response activities, and, in conjunction with the Office of Intelligence and Analysis
, issues advisories and bulletins concerning threats to homeland security, as well as specific protective measures. The NOC coordinates information sharing to help deter, detect, and prevent terrorist acts and to manage domestic incidents. Information on domestic incident management is shared with Emergency Operations Centers
at all levels through the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN).
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
. It is designed to provide situational awareness and decision support for the Secretary of Homeland Security, and other key officials, during a crisis. OPS is responsible for the daily monitoring of the security of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and coordinating activities within the Department of Homeland Security relating to prevention, protection, response, and recovery from all threats and hazards, including terrorist threats, and man-made and natural disasters.
Primarily through the National Operations Center, the Office is a key touchpoint for coordinating operational issues with federal, state, tribal, local governments Homeland Security Advisors
Homeland Security Council
The Homeland Security Council is an entity within the White House Office tasked with advising the President on matters relating to Homeland Security...
, law enforcement partners, and private sector critical infrastructure operators, and international partners. In accordance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 (Annex I), OPS is facilitating a Federal interagency planning effort to address various national contingencies. The Office is headed by RADM (Ret) John Acton, the Director for Operations Coordination and Planning.
OPS oversees the National Operations Center, which collects homeland security information, both classified and unclassified, from federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
, state, territorial, tribal, local, and private sector partners.
Organization
Information is shared and fused on a daily basis by the two halves of the Office, the "Intelligence Side" and the "Law Enforcement Side". The two halves function in tandem. The Intelligence watch floor gathers intelligence and decides how it contributes to the current threats in a given area. The Law Enforcement Side tracks law enforcement activities across the country that may have a terrorist nexus. This information from the two halves accurately depicts the nation’s threat environment at any moment.Through the National Operations Center, the Office provides real-time situational awareness and monitoring of the homeland, coordinates incidents and response activities, and, in conjunction with the Office of Intelligence and Analysis
Office of Intelligence and Analysis
The Office of Intelligence and Analysis is a part of the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, of the United States Department of the Treasury and is responsible for the receipt, analysis, collation, and dissemination of foreign intelligence and foreign counterintelligence information...
, issues advisories and bulletins concerning threats to homeland security, as well as specific protective measures. The NOC coordinates information sharing to help deter, detect, and prevent terrorist acts and to manage domestic incidents. Information on domestic incident management is shared with Emergency Operations Centers
Emergency operations center
An emergency operations center, or EOC, is a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency preparedness and emergency management, or disaster management functions at a strategic level in an emergency situation, and ensuring the continuity of operation...
at all levels through the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN).