Program Information

Organizational Chart

Goals/Objectives

• Coordinate telecommunications operational planning among NCS elements (concerning preparedness/survivability postures and activities) that direct operational management of the NCS under all conditions
• Enhance NCS mission readiness through planning, staffing, training, and exercise support
• Outreach through Telecommunications Emergency Response Training (ERT) Seminars
• Focus exercise program to include other organizations at Federal and Regional levels
• Enhance NCS mission readiness through participation in the Regional Interagency Steering Committee (RISC) meetings, regional planning, and realignment of the Individual Mobilization Augmentee Program
• Enhance Emergency Support Function (ESF) #2 (Communications) staffing support through the NCS Augmentee Program.

Current and Future Initiatives

• Operational Planning - Coordinate telecommunications operational planning among NCS elements (concerning preparedness/survivability postures and activities) that direct operational management of the NCS under all conditions.
  
  
  • Support planning for a more enduring national and international telecommunications system to satisfy NS/EP needs
  • Ensure NCS mission readiness to support operational NS/EP mission and Federal interagency activities.
    
    

• Training - The Telecommunications Emergency Response Training (ERT) seminars, a joint NCS, General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and industry program, train emergency responders at the federal, regional, state and local level on emergency response.
  
  
  • Provide forum for NCS programs
  • Discuss initiatives for information assurance and infrastructure protection
  • Increase visibility through online information
  • Establish online registration for ERT seminars
    
    
• Exercise - The NCS Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Division has the lead in coordinating NCS participation in national level exercises that test NCS plan and management procedures. Planning, Training & Exercise Support develops and implements training and exercise programs, identifies exercises in which capabilities provided by NCS initiatives can be demonstrated, and integrates NCS initiatives into existing exercises whenever possible as part of the Operations Division.
  
  
  • Continue current level of support to national Federal Response Plan (FRP) exercises
  • Coordinate NCS program involvement
  • Increase agency involvement
  • Coordinate industry involvement
  • Coordinate internal Emergency Operations Team (EOT) exercises and staff support
  • Encourage industry participation
  • Partnered exercises/ workshops - NCS partnered exercises are sponsored to support NCS member agencies, telecommunications industry and regional partners as they relate to NS/EP telecommunications
    
    The National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications (NCC) conducts several internal exercises each year. These exercises typically are one day in duration. They are designed to test the NCC Watch Center and its operational procedures in response to the entire spectrum of emergencies and disasters. These exercises ensure that the NCS has a trained cadre of emergency response personnel and enable the NCC to examine its Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and operational readiness. These events also provide opportunities to examine new technologies and telecommunications emergency response procedures, and will familiarize the Initial Response Team (IRT) and EOTs with the NCC Operations Order (OPORD) procedures. Some internal NCC exercises are conducted in conjunction with other Federal departments and agency-sponsored exercises.
    
    The NCS CIP Division (N3) develops exercise support documentation and provides onsite evaluators to collect data and assess results. A control / response cell comprised of industry and Federal department and agency representatives is often established to provide realism.
    
    • NCS
    • NCC EOT Members
    • Telecommunications Industry
    • Federal Departments and Agencies
    
    
    
• Regional Support - The NCS developed regional planning support to assist NCS Regional Managers across the ten Federal regions. The goal of this support is to provide capabilities and resources that enhance the NCS Regional Manager’s Emergency Support Function (ESF) #2 (Communications) mission capabilities. The NCS efforts include:
  
  
  • Providing the NCS Regional Managers with operational planning documentation including procedures, program-specific checklists, and a coordinated national approach designed to standardize the best regional operational practices
  • Realigning the Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) Program to further support the needs of the NCS Regional Managers
  • Supporting the development of region specific catastrophic disaster planning documents
  • Supporting the NCS Regional Managers at various regional planning meetings
  • Providing the NCS Regional Managers with a hardware/software package specifically to support their ESF #2 mission.
    
    
• Augmentee Program - the NCS Augmentee Program comprises the NCS Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) Program and the National Defense Executive Reserve (NDER) Program. NCS IMAs are United States Army Reserve personnel who can deploy during a disaster response effort or a national security crisis or emergency. The NDERs are executives from government, industry, and other senior telecommunications positions who serve as volunteers, currently in wartime only. FEMA, as the Executive Agent for the NDER Program, is assessing the possibility of incorporating the NDER functions into the all-hazard emergency response environment.
  
  
  • Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) website
  
  

Privacy Policy