A SIA Priority: R&D for Critical Infrastructure Protection at DHS

Earlier this month, the Security Industry Association (SIA) wrotea letter of support to Rep. Pat Meehan (R-Pa.) to support H.R. 2952, the Critical Infrastructure Research and Development Act of 2013 (CIRDA). This legislation calls for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a research and development strategy for critical infrastructure technologies, to increase public-private partnerships and to create a clearinghouse through which the public and private sectors can access and share security technologies for use in protecting critical infrastructure.
 
The House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies, chaired by Meehan, passed CIRDA on Sept. 18. It is now pending a vote by the full House Homeland Security Committee, where it enjoys bipartisan support.
 
“U.S. critical infrastructure keeps America safe, secure, free and prosperous,” said Meehan upon approval by the subcommittee. “However, the infrastructure is technologically complex and potentially vulnerable to both physical and cyber attacks. New security technologies are necessary to keep pace with evolving threats and the rapid advancement of technology itself.”
 
SIA believes that this legislation will assist DHS in developing their R&D priorities, which will pave the way for cutting-edge security technologies to protect our critical infrastructure. As a participant on the Emergency Services Sector Coordinating Council, SIA strongly supports a proposed R&D strategy by the DHS Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate that draws upon the expertise of sector coordinating councils to identify security risks and technology gaps.
 
SIA also recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the DHS S&T Directorate in which the two organizations will work toward furthering research, product development, commercialization and economic development. SIA will assist DHS by communicating publicly available information on DHS capability gaps, technology requirements and outreach opportunities to its members in order to increase awareness of DHS into the private sector.
 
SIA looks forward to working with DHS in this new capacity!