About the Department

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Sector Specific Agency Mission

The Sector Specific Agency Executive Management Office (SSA EMO) develops, coordinates, and implements programs that help achieve security by effectively reducing vulnerabilities and consequences of attack using risk-based assessments, industry best practices, protective measures, and comprehensive information sharing between industry and government. The mission of SSA EMO is to build, sustain, align, and leverage relationships with sector security partners to effectively coordinate the identification, prioritization, and protection of our nation’s critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) within the six of eighteen sectors of critical infrastructure delegated to the Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

SSA Branches

SSA EMO has been delegated DHS’s SSA responsibilities for six sectors - chemical, commercial facilities, critical manufacturing, dams, emergency services, and nuclear. These sectors comprise the five SSA branches. The consolidation of the six sector branches within SSA EMO provides a unique opportunity for the branches to incorporate shared knowledge and experiences into sector planning for the mutual benefit of the sectors and the communities they serve.

Chemical Branch

The Chemical branch is responsible for preparedness and infrastructure protection for all critical commercial chemical facilities against a terrorist attack or natural disaster. Several hundred thousand facilities in the United States in some manner use, manufacture, store, transport, or deliver chemicals, encompassing everything from petroleum refineries to pharmaceutical manufacturers to hardware stores.

Commercial Facilities Branch

The Commercial Facilities branch coordinates preparedness and infrastructure protection for a wide range of asset categories, such as hotels, commercial office buildings, convention centers, stadiums, theme parks, apartment buildings, and shopping centers.

Critical Manufacturing

The Critical Manufacturing branch is responsible for preparedness and infrastructure protection in four broad manufacturing industries: Primary Metal Manufacturing; Machinery Manufacturing; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; and Transportation Equipment Manufacturing. Critical Manufacturing facilities include, but are not limited to, iron and steel mills, aluminum production, engine and transmission production, and motor vehicle, aerospace, and railroad rolling stock manufacturing.

Dams Branch

The Dams branch is responsible for preparedness and infrastructure protection for assets, systems, networks, and functions related to dam projects, navigation locks, levees, hurricane barriers, mine tailings impoundments, or other similar water retention and/or control facilities. Dam projects are complex facilities that typically include water impoundment or control structures, reservoirs, spillways, outlet works, powerhouses, and canals or aqueducts.

Emergency Services Branch

The Emergency Services branch is responsible for a system of preparedness, response, and recovery elements that forms the nation’s first line of defense for preventing and mitigating the risk from terrorist attacks and manmade and natural disasters. The emergency services sector is a primary “protector” for other CIKR sectors.

Nuclear Branch

The Nuclear branch is responsible for the preparedness and protection of assets including nuclear power plants, research and test reactors, nuclear fuel cycle facilities, radioactive waste management facilities, nuclear material transport systems, deactivated nuclear facilities, radioactive material users, and radioactive source production and distribution facilities.

This page was last reviewed/modified on September 10, 2008.