International Critical Infrastructure Engagement

Critical Five

The Critical Five was established in 2012 to enhance information sharing and work on issues of mutual interest between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. One of the first efforts was to understand how each country addresses critical infrastructure as a basis for clearly articulating and communicating a common message on the value, meaning, and importance of critical infrastructure. The result was shared narrative, "Forging a Common Understanding of Critical Infrastructure," published in March 2014.

This foundational work led to identification of another topic to explore: the linkage between infrastructure investment and economic growth and prosperity and the similarities in approach among the five countries at the government and owner/operator level. In October 2015, the Critical Five published a shared narrative: "The Role of Critical Infrastructure in National Prosperity." This paper highlights how resilient infrastructure enhances economic prosperity and provides examples of how each country works to enhance investment in infrastructure; challenges, disruptions, and their impacts to national economies; and the vital role of cyber infrastructure to growing and sustaining national economies.

Canada

On July 13, 2010, Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety Canada, announced the "Canada-U.S. Action Plan for Critical Infrastructure" designed to strengthen the safety, security, and resilience of critical infrastructure in the U.S. and Canada through an enhanced cross-border approach.

The Action Plan is part of ongoing cross-border collaboration between the U.S. and Canadian governments. The Action Plan identifies partnerships, information sharing, and risk management as the three key elements. Each area has specific actions that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Public Safety Canada will take to enhance coordination and cooperation and to better prevent, respond to, and recover from critical infrastructure disruptions.

CISA's Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP) actively engages our Canadian counterparts, providing counter-IED and Risk Mitigation Training supporting special events such as the Grey Cup. OBP trains Public Safety Canada in Surveillance Detection and other C-IED subjects, reaching hundreds of participants from the country's critical infrastructure community—from those in the transportation, healthcare, agriculture, law enforcement, and emergency management sectors, to state, local, territorial and tribal entities and those in the private sector.

OBP also participates in meetings related to the development of the Canadian Soft Target Protection Strategy, exemplifying the Infrastructure Security Division's efforts to further develop key partnerships and share information on infrastructure and soft target protection. Conversations included how OBP's Security and Resiliency Guide: Counter-IED Concepts, Common Goals, and Available Assistance can assist stakeholders by providing best practices in C-IED.

OBP, the DHS lead for coordinating implementation of Presidential Policy Directive 17, Countering-IEDs, actively shares information and lessons learned with Canada and many other international partners on this critical issue to assist CISA's domestic infrastructure security stakeholders.