DHS Introduces the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS)

This week the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) introduced the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS), replacing the color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System. Among other things, NTAS simplifies the alert process and provides more precise threat and intelligence information.

There are two categories of NTAS Alerts: the Imminent Threat Alert “[w]arns of a credible, specific, and impending terrorist threat against the United States” while the Elevated Threat Alert “[w]arns of a credible terrorist threat against the United States.” Regardless of the type, DHS will communicate them broadly (including through social media such as Facebook and Twitter). NTAS Alerts automatically expire after a prescribed time (unless extended by DHS).

For additional information on NTAS, see DHS’s National Terrorism Advisory System Public Guide.

ISCD Updates CVI Webpage

This week, the Infrastructure Security Compliance Division (ISCD) updated its Chemical-Terrorism Vulnerability Information (CVI) webpage to include a reference to the Executive Order signed by President Obama last year regarding Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). The CUI Program will standardize the way the Executive Branch manages sensitive unclassified information that requires safeguarding or dissemination controls.

The updated webpage states that the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the agency designated to oversee implementation of CUI, has acknowledged the success of the CVI Program and has stated its intention to approve CVI as a category of CUI. However, DHS has indicated that the CUI markings should not be implemented until appropriate policies have been developed and training provided, and CVI Authorized Users should continue to use existing CVI markings until notified otherwise.