National Infrastructure Coordinating Center

The National Infrastructure Coordinating Center (NICC) serves as the Office of Infrastructure Protection's focal point for coordination with the 18 national critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) sectors during normal (steady state) operations and during incident management activities.

The NICC is both an operational component of the Contingency Planning and Incident Management Division of the Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP) and a watch operations element of the Department of Homeland Security National Operations Center.

The NICC operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to facilitate coordination and information sharing with the CIKR sectors. The NICC produces consolidated CIKR reports for incorporation into the Federal Interagency DHS Common Operating Picture.

During normal operations, the NICC:

• Monitors, analyzes, and reports on developing incidents with the potential to impact CIKR.
• Shares information on threats and incidents with CIKR partners in government and industry.
• Responds to Requests for Information from CIKR partners.
• Collects, vets, and shares Suspicious Activity Reports related to CIKR.

Incident Management Cell

An element of the NICC, the Incident Management Cell (IMC) provides a mechanism for incident management coordination among all government and private sector stakeholders. The IMC integrates information regarding infrastructure status, risk management, and incident response and recovery operations, in order to develop comprehensive CIKR-focused situational awareness, impact assessments, and courses of action.

During steady-state operations, the IMC has a small core staff; however, during significant events, the IMC is augmented by subject matter experts drawn from across IP and its partners. Situational awareness of emerging threats or developing incidents is further increased through a cadre of liaisons at the National Operations Center, DHS Crisis Action Team, and FEMA's National Response Coordination Center.

During significant incidents, the NICC:

• Receives liaison support from the private sector, U.S. Northern Command, and other offices within the Department of Homeland Security.
• Deploys support elements to Joint Field Offices in support of the Infrastructure Liaison.
• Coordinates national-level reporting on CIKR.
• Develops prioritized CIKR courses of action and recommendations.