Critical Review of Text Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Review of Text - Essay Example In the book, the authors provide a compelling look, through a study of the infrastructure’s current vulnerabilities, security gaps, and plans for its protection, of the systems that have been put in place. They also discuss the options that the United States has for the future, all to keep this critical infrastructure, which is vital resources, safe from attacks from both internal and external terrorists (Collins & Baggett, 2009). Various critical infrastructures, including telecommunications, energy, water, distribution of food, and agriculture, are discussed in the book as aspects of the United States’ social, political, and economic systems (Collins & Baggett, 2009). The first five chapters take on giving a condensed view of the American Department of Homeland Security. They also take a broad look at how critical infrastructure within the United States has evolved over the years, reviews important and key legislations made by the US legislature with regards to the in frastructure, directives made by the head of state concerning the infrastructure, and approach the country as a whole takes when assessing its infrastructure. The next five chapters delve into the national infrastructural sectors that the federal government identifies as being of critical importance. Finally, the third part of their book discusses all the hazards to critical infrastructure and their concepts, as well as homeland security’s four pillars. These four pillars include prevention, preparedness, prevention, and recovery (Collins & Baggett, 2009). The book is divided into three main sections with the first section made up of the first five chapters. In this section, the authors deal with what role prevention plays in securing the country’s critical infrastructure. The manner in which the country strives to ensure America is secure and safe is through enhancing the protection of their critical infrastructure to neutralize, deter, prevent, or even mitigate any e fforts by terrorists to exploit or destroy them (Collins & Baggett, 2009). Accordingly, the authors explain that this is done through legislation and directives from the executive branch. In addition, the section also discusses plans put, in place, to protect the country’s infrastructure, the roles played by the private and public sectors in coming up with a national strategy for infrastructure protection, and the manner in which their overall effectiveness is assessed (Collins & Baggett, 2009). The second section of the book sees the authors move further to give a detailed view of the particular critical infrastructure. According to the authors, critical infrastructure can be divided into six overall categories that are distinct but interdependent. Energy systems are the first category discussed with the authors placing hydroelectric power, nuclear reactors, and fossil fuels in the category (Collins & Baggett, 2009). Their second category is the transportation sector that in cludes air transport, rail transport, road transport, and water or marine transport. National icons and facilities are also defined as a category, as is the environment, which includes water infrastructure, food, and agriculture. Electronic transmissions including cyber space is also discussed as a category. Finally, public safety and its importance as a critical infrastr