Infrastructure protection and maintenance are a responsibility vested to states. Hence, there exists a need for exceptional strategies that ensure the sucurity of national assets. For instance, both the USA and Abu Dhabi have various departments that oversee the protection of their transportation assets such as roads, railways, airports, and sea vessels. The CICPA situated in Abu Dhabi and the US Department of Transportation are the examples of organizations that protect Critical National Infrastructure in the transportation sector. The roles and responsibilities of the sectors of CNI are discussed in the following paper.
The CICPA
Abu Dhabi with the help of various organizations collaborates to overcome the problems facing transportation and national infrastructure. For instance, the organization named theCritical Infrastructure and Coastal Protection Authority (CICPA) was formed in 2007 to protect the assets and infrastructures within their region. Furthermore, the organization assesses, plans, and prevents any possible destruction of the available major assets and infrastructures (Seguna-Serrano, 2015). The vision of the organization revolves around having world-class security that could retain the national pride by protecting and preventing massive damages. Furthermore, the mission of the organization is to safeguard the national infrastructure as well as the national assets within the economies of Abu Dhabi as a way of retaining economic stability in the region. The organization provides services to the public and the government by working closely with the armed forces and security organizations (Spiess, 2012). The protection methods involve analyzing any possible failures of infrastructure and protecting roads and buildings from any anthropogenic harm. The CICPA in Abu Dhabi performs under speculated standards that are set by the government through the program of provision of professional health and safety to the employees. . Therefore, the CICPA is focused on providing adequate services and establishing safety precautions for the people of the UAE.
Comparison of CICPA and US Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation was founded due to the responsibility of the government in the provision of safety precaution that oversaw the prevention and protection of national infrastructures and assets from harm or any hazardous actions. For instance, the transport authority in the US has a Sector Specific Plan that revolves around ensuring security and strengthening the transportation sector of the US infrastructure. Both the Abu Dhabi’s CICPA and the American Transportation System Sector protect and enhance their national infrastructures from any possible damages (Zhang, 2013). Similarly, both organizations are programs initiated and monitored by the presidents of each country. However, the CICPA works in conjunction with the armed forces of the UAE countries, while the US organization works independently in the provision of services to the whole transportation sector of the country (Al-Neaimi, Ranginya, & Lutaaya, 2015). Additionally, a similarity is seen because both organizations work with other organizations in the protection sector. For instance, the American Transportation System Sector collaborates with Federal departments and sectors, non-governmental organizations, private-public infrastructure owners, and local governments in an effort to achieve their joint goals of protecting infrastructure. The CICPA also works with other agencies in the country, such as police departments, fire brigades, sea and water transport organizations, airport authorities, and other reliable transport agencies to bring closer all the organizations that are vital in the protection and prevention of any possible catastrophic accidents involving transport or buildings in the country (Chen, 2013). Both organizations prepare reports that are reliable in predicting accidents, such as broken bridges, hazardous buildings, or any other assets that can pose a risk to the lives of the citizens.
Threats Facing US Transportation
The US Transportation System Sector has been affected by various threats, including disasters, threats, cyber threats, terrorism, vandalism, theft, technological failures, and unexpected accidents (Shwani, 2014). These threats put the lives of the individuals involved at risk. For instance, terrorism affects national assets and infrastructure making the country incur costs of repairs or replacements of the affected/damaged assets. Similarly, accidents and theft cause the infrastructure to be destroyed, causing unpredictable costs in repairs and replacements. Another effect of natural disasters is the loss of lives of the citizens which is a blow to the government (Rudner, 2013). The role of the Transportation System Sector in the US is to prevent and protect the national infrastructure and the assets of the government from harm or theft, hence providing safety precautions to the public. Additionally, private sector partners and US federal agencies work in conjunction with the transport agency in the US (Shwani, 2014). Similarly, the Federal agency collaborates with the Department of Homeland Security in the US to coordinate with infrastructure owners and independent organizations for the sake of protecting roads and infrastructure and improving the transport system in the US.
Partners of US CNI
The US Transportation System Sector has diverse partners from different organizations, such as the US Federal Agency, foreign government entities, infrastructure owners, infrastructure operators, infrastructure securities, professional entities involved in infrastructure, and other non-governmental entities that deal with the management of infrastructures. The CICPA partners with the UAE armed forces and Abu Dhabi security agencies (Panteli & Mancarella, 2015). Partners of both organizations have similar roles, but the US Transportation System Sector has more partners as compared to the CICPA of Abu Dhabi. Similarly, the CICPA has other partners, including Abu Dhabi Ports (ADP) which handle the sea transportation industry. The ADP deals with the world’s biggest ships as well as shipping infrastructure. Another CICPA partner is the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority which handles food processing and transportation, hence maintaining and securng the infrastructure of the food industry. Therefore, the US Transportation System Sector has similar strategies in maintaining the infrastructure to those of the CICPA in Abu Dhabi.
Sectors of CNI in UAE
The Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) in Abu Dhabi has several sectors such as the communication system, transportation system, defense, energy, and healthcare system. The CNI deals with the protection of national security and prevents any possible distractions to national or governmental operations. For instance, the transport sector has to protect its elements, such as roads, airlines, and water locations. The assets responsible for transportation include roads, public vehicles, airplanes, ships, boats, trains, and other means of transport. Every sector in the infrastructure is responsible for their operations and protection as a way of ensuring a smooth running of the country’s operations (Panteli & Mancarella, 2015). For instance, the transport sector secures and maintains the flows of energy, including oil, natural gas, and electricity. Additionally, the defense system has elements that cover research and development, education awareness, intelligence, and technology logistics. The communication sector is concerned with the flow of information within the country. The two communication elements are the media, which include radio, television, and newsprints, and the telecommunication system such as phones (Givens & Busch, 2013). The healthcare system covers the elements of ambulatory services and the healthcare infrastructures such as hospital buildings. Additionally, the energy sector under the CNI has several elements such as pipelines, oil refinery companies, and vessels transporting the manufactured products.
Methods of Protecting the CNI
The transport sector of the Critical National Infrastructure in the UAE has several potential challenges that can affect its overall operations. For instance, a failure of one CNI sector could lead to the failure of another (Rudner, 2013). A good example is the failure of power that could lead to the failure of communication, affecting the role played by the airport transportation sector. The CNI department should ensure that it has a backup power supply to avoid the risk of a blackout. Similarly, most CNI could be affected by the emergence of terrorism connected cybercrime. Cybercrime affects the operations of almost every sector, leading to the need for decentralized management cooperation necessary for a smooth running of operations (Harrop & Matteson, 2015). The threat of cybercrime can be avoided by employing advanced information technology that would monitor online operations. Additionally, natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoon, and extreme weather could affect the operations, running, and protection of the CNI in the UAE. Examples include the destruction of airports, roads, railways, and harbor ports that could hinder the running of the country’s economic operations. The country should develop disaster detection technologies and weather forecast procedures to predict any catastrophes that could affect the infrastructure. Therefore, the vulnerability and resilience of CNI are necessary in order to protect and prevent the emergence of dangerous incidences that could bring extreme danger to the lives of citizens and the economic growth of the country.
Conclusion
Critical infrastructure management depends on the strategies employed by a country. For instance, the US covers the entire incorporation of the threats affecting the national infrastructure through the Department of Transportation. Similarly, the Abu Dhabi protects the country’s infrastructure and ensues the safety of the citizens from international threats through the CICPA. Therefore, both organizations protecting the infrastructure have similar responsibilities despite being based at different locations. Several challenges affect the operations of these organizations, including cyber-security, extreme weather conditions, and terrorism. The USA and the UAE have several sectors that have different responsibilities in the preservation and protection of national infrastructure. The transport sector protects such elements as roads, bridges, railways, airports, and others. Both countries have different methods of protecting national infrastructure. For instance, NESA is a government organization hat helps identify and fight cyber crimes by establishing standards and regulations such as the Critical Infrastructure Protection Policy. The government has to overcome many challenges by preparing infrastructures that could withstand extreme weather conditions. Furthermore, the case of defense entails the use of armed forces along the Abu Dhabi borders to enhance security in keeping foreign criminals such as terrorists from entering the country and promote the safety of national wealth as well as the health and safety of the citizens.
This text was written by Eric Walker who is a writing editor at https://essayelites.com/
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