Thomas J. Lockwood, Director, Office of National Capital Region (NCR) Coordination, DHS

DomPrep’s John F. Morton met with Thomas J. Lockwood, Director, Office of National Capital Region (NCR) Coordination, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to discuss Lockwood's views on the need to work in close coordination with the Washington, D.C., Council of Governments, the prioritization of all-hazards security plans, integrated training requirements, & the special roles played by regional CIOs & CTOs. The background, composition, and coordination of the NCR. Working through the Washington Council of Governments (COG). Leveraging coordination through existing bodies to prioritize all–hazards/homeland-security focus and investments.  Regional assessment of the NCR via the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP); the challenges to development and implementation of the NCR Homeland Security Strategic Plan; coordinating an NCR awareness campaign on the need for personal-preparedness plans. Prioritizing information sharing for CBRNE prevention/mitigation and response/recovery – e.g., provision of regional radio caches and common tool sets. The role of regional CIOs and CTOs in providing an architectural framework for tactical integration. Integrated training. How the NCR brings the appropriate players to the table to set regional requirements, write budget lines, and develop grant funding plans. The importance of knowing the regional players to prioritize, plan, and leverage interstate information fusion. The example of the “Quad State” Initiative created by Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The need for first-responder authentication. The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201 as a “trust model” for an open-architectureentity-management standard. The U.S. Fire Administrator’s case for consistent terminology based on emergency support function (ESF) to facilitate authentication. Use of first-responder authentication cards for after-action reports and assessments, and as a performance measure for future NCR exercises. Background on NCR CoordinationImpact on the NCROperational ImpactsApplication to Other Regions in the CountryNCR Coordination and First Responder Authentication