UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT 

INTERAGENCY DOMESTIC TERRORISM 

CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS PLAN 
i 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 Page Number

Table of Contents i 

Foreword iii 

Letter of Agreement iv 

Signatories to the Plan vi 

List of Figures 

 Figure 1: Incident Command System / Unified Command 17 

 Figure 2: FBI Command Post 19 

 Figure 3: Coordinating Relationships 21 

Figure 4: Joint Operations Center 23 

 Figure 5: On-Scene Coordination 26 

I. Introduction and Background 1 

A. Introduction 1 

B. Purpose 2 

C. Scope 2 

D. Primary Federal Agencies 3 

E. Primary Agency Responsibilities 3 

1. Department of Justice (DOJ)/ 

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 3 

2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 4 

3. Department of Defense (DOD) 4 

4. Department of Energy (DOE) 4 

5. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 5 

6. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 5 

II. Policies 6 

A. Authorities 6 

B. Other Plans and Directives 6 

C. Federal Agency Authorities 6 

D. Federal Response to a Terrorism Incident 7 

1. Crisis Management 7 

2. Consequence Management 7 

E. Lead Federal Agency Designation 8 

F. Requests For Federal Assistance 8 

G. Funding 9 

H. Deployment/Employment Priorities 9 
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I. Planning Assumptions and Considerations 9 

J. Training and Exercises 11 

III. Situation 11 

A. Introduction 11 

B. Differences between WMD Incidents and Other Incidents 11 

C. Threat Levels 12 

1. Level #4 - Minimal Threat 13 

2. Level #3 - Potential Threat 13 

3. Level #2 - Credible Threat 13 

4. Level #1 - WMD Incident 13 

D. Lead Federal Agency Responsibilities 14 

IV. Concept of Operations 15 

A. Mission 15 

B. Command and Control 15 

1. Consequence Management 15 

2. Crisis Management 18 

 C. Unification of Federal, State and Local Response 20 

1. Introduction 20 

2. National Level Coordination 20 

3. Field Level Coordination 22 

4. On-Scene Coordination 24 

V. Phasing of the Federal Response 27 

A. Notification 27 

1. The Role of the FBI 27 

2. The Role of FEMA 28 

B. Activation and Deployment 28 

1. The Role of the FBI 29 

2. The Role of FEMA 29 

C. Response Operations 30 

D. Response Deactivation 30 

E. Recovery 30 

Appendix A Acronyms A-1 

Appendix B Definitions B-1 
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FOREWORD

Publication of the United States Government Interagency Domestic Terrorism 

Concept of Operations Plan (CONPLAN) represents a concerted effort by a number of 

Federal departments and agencies to work together to achieve a common goal. The 

CONPLAN was developed through the efforts of six primary departments and agencies 

with responsibilities as identified in Presidential Decision Directive/NSC-39 (PDD-39). 

This plan has been developed consistent with relevant PDDs, Federal law, the Attorney 

General’s Critical Incident Response Plan, the PDD-39 Domestic Guidelines, and the 

Federal Response Plan and its Terrorism Incident Annex. The FBI has worked with these 

departments and agencies to provide a forum to participate in planning and exercise 

activities in order to develop, maintain, and enhance the Federal response capability. 

To ensure the policy in PDD-39 and PDD-62 is implemented in a coordinated 

manner, the CONPLAN is designed to provide overall guidance to Federal, State and 

local agencies concerning how the Federal government would respond to a potential or 

actual terrorist threat or incident that occurs in the United States, particularly one 

involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The CONPLAN outlines an organized 

and unified capability for a timely, coordinated response by Federal agencies to a terrorist 

threat or act. It establishes conceptual guidance for assessing and monitoring a 

developing threat, notifying appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies of the nature of 

the threat, and deploying the requisite advisory and technical resources to assist the Lead 

Federal Agency (LFA) in facilitating interdepartmental coordination of crisis and 

consequence management activities. 

Actions will continue to refine and identify the mission, capabilities, and 

resources of other supporting departments and agencies; and the actions each agency or 

department must perform during each phase of the response, to include crisis 

management and consequence management actions that are necessary for chemical, 

biological, nuclear/radiological, and conventional materials or devices. 

Inquiries concerning this CONPLAN should be addressed to the appropriate Lead 

Agency under this plan: 

• Federal Bureau of Investigation, Counterterrorism Division, Domestic 

Terrorism/Counterterrorism Planning Section, for Crisis Management, or 

• Federal Emergency Management Agency, Response and Recovery 

Directorate, Operations and Planning Division, for Consequence Management.
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LETTER OF AGREEMENT

 The United States Government Interagency Domestic Terrorism Concept of 

Operations Plan, hereafter referred to as the CONPLAN, is designed to provide overall 

guidance to Federal, State and local agencies concerning how the Federal government 

would respond to a potential or actual terrorist threat or incident that occurs in the United 

States, particularly one involving WMD. 

 The following departments and agencies agree to support the overall concept of 

operations of the CONPLAN in order to carry out their assigned responsibilities under 

PDD-39 and PDD-62. The departments and agencies also agree to implement national 

and regional planning efforts and exercise activities in order to maintain the overall 

Federal response capability. Specifically: 

• The Attorney General is responsible for ensuring the development and 

implementation of policies directed at preventing terrorist attacks 

domestically, and will undertake the criminal prosecution of these acts of 

terrorism that violate U.S. law. The Department of Justice has charged the 

Federal Bureau of Investigation with execution of its LFA responsibilities for 

the management of a Federal response to terrorist incidents. As the lead 

agency for crisis management, the FBI will implement a Federal crisis 

management response. As LFA, the FBI will designate a Federal on-scene 

commander (OSC) to ensure appropriate coordination of the overall United 

States Government response with Federal, State and local authorities until 

such time as the Attorney General transfers the LFA role to the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 

• As the lead agency for consequence management, FEMA will implement the 

Federal Response Plan (FRP) to manage and coordinate the Federal 

consequence management response in support of State and local authorities. 

• The Department of Defense will provide military assistance to the LFA and/or 

the CONPLAN primary agencies during all aspects of a terrorist incident upon 

request by the appropriate authority and approval by the Secretary of Defense. 

• The Department of Energy will provide scientific-technical personnel and 

equipment in support of the LFA during all aspects of a nuclear/radiological 

WMD terrorist incident. 

• The Environmental Protection Agency will provide technical personnel and 

supporting equipment to the LFA during all aspects of a WMD terrorist 

incident. 
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• The Department of Health and Human Services is the primary agency to plan 

and to prepare for a national response to medical emergencies arising from the 

terrorist use of WMD. HHS provides technical personnel and supporting 

equipment to the LFA during all aspects of a terrorist incident. 
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SIGNATORIES TO THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT INTERAGENCY 

DOMESTIC TERRORISM CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS PLAN

Secretary Secretary

Department of Defense Department of Energy 

Secretary Administrator 

Department of Health and Human Services Environmental Protection Agency 

Director Director 

Federal Emergency Management Agency Federal Bureau of Investigation 

Attorney General 

Department of Justice
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I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 

A. Introduction 

The ability of the United States Government to prevent, deter, defeat and 

respond decisively to terrorist attacks against our citizens, whether these attacks 

occur domestically, in international waters or airspace, or on foreign soil, is one of 

the most challenging priorities facing our nation today. The United States regards 

all such terrorism as a potential threat to national security, as well as a violent 

criminal act, and will apply all appropriate means to combat this danger. In doing 

so, the United States vigorously pursues efforts to deter and preempt these crimes 

and to apprehend and prosecute directly, or assist other governments in 

prosecuting, individuals who perpetrate or plan such terrorist attacks. 

In 1995, President Clinton signed Presidential Decision Directive 39 

(PDD-39), the United States Policy on Counterterrorism. This Presidential 

Directive built upon previous directives for combating terrorism and further 

elaborated a strategy and an interagency coordination mechanism and 

management structure to be undertaken by the Federal government to combat both 

domestic and international terrorism in all its forms. This authority includes 

implementing measures to reduce our vulnerabilities, deterring terrorism through 

a clear public position, responding rapidly and effectively to threats or actual 

terrorist acts, and giving the highest priority to developing sufficient capabilities 

to combat and manage the consequences of terrorist incidents involving weapons 

of mass destruction (WMD). 

To ensure this policy is implemented in a coordinated manner, the Concept 

of Operations Plan, hereafter referred to as the CONPLAN, is designed to provide 

overall guidance to Federal, State and local agencies concerning how the Federal 

government would respond to a potential or actual terrorist threat or incident that 

occurs in the United States, particularly one involving WMD. The CONPLAN 

outlines an organized and unified capability for a timely, coordinated response by 

Federal agencies to a terrorist threat or act. It establishes conceptual guidance for 

assessing and monitoring a developing threat, notifying appropriate Federal, State, 

and local agencies of the nature of the threat, and deploying the requisite advisory 

and technical resources to assist the Lead Federal Agency (LFA) in facilitating 

interagency/interdepartmental coordination of a crisis and consequence 

management response. Lastly, it defines the relationships between structures 

under which the Federal government will marshal crisis and consequence 

management resources to respond to a threatened or actual terrorist incident. 
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B. Purpose 

The purpose of this plan is to facilitate an effective Federal, response to all 

threats or acts of terrorism within the United States that are determined to be of 

sufficient magnitude to warrant implementation of this plan and the associated 

policy guidelines established in PDD-39 and PDD-62. To accomplish this, the 

CONPLAN: 

• Establishes a structure for a systematic, coordinated and effective 

national response to threats or acts of terrorism in the United States; 

• Defines procedures for the use of Federal resources to augment and 

support local and State governments; and 

• Encompasses both crisis and consequence management 

responsibilities, and articulates the coordination relationships between 

these missions. 

C. Scope 

The CONPLAN is a strategic document that: 

• Applies to all threats or acts of terrorism within the United States; 

• Provides planning guidance and outlines operational concepts for the 

Federal crisis and consequence management response to a threatened 

or actual terrorist incident within the United States; 

• Serves as the foundation for further development of detailed national, 

regional, State, and local operations plans and procedures; 

• Includes guidelines for notification, coordination and leadership of 

response activities, supporting operations, and coordination of 

emergency public information across all levels of government; 

• Acknowledges the unique nature of each incident, the capabilities of 

the local jurisdiction, and the activities necessary to prevent or mitigate 

a specific threat or incident; and 

• Illustrates ways in which Federal, State and local agencies can most 

effectively unify and synchronize their response actions. 
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D. Primary Federal Agencies 

The response to a terrorist threat or incident within the U.S. will entail a 

highly coordinated, multi-agency local, State, and Federal response. In support of 

this mission, the following primary Federal agencies will provide the core Federal 

response: 

• Department of Justice (DOJ) / Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) * 

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ** 

• Department of Defense (DOD) 

• Department of Energy (DOE) 

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

• Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 

* Lead Agency for Crisis Management 

** Lead Agency for Consequence Management 

Although not formally designated under the CONPLAN, other Federal 

departments and agencies may have authorities, resources, capabilities, or 

expertise required to support response operations. Agencies may be requested to 

participate in Federal planning and response operations, and may be asked to 

designate staff to function as liaison officers and provide other support to the 

LFA. 

E. Primary Agency Responsibilities 

1. Department of Justice (DOJ)/ 

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 

The Attorney General is responsible for ensuring the development 

and implementation of policies directed at preventing terrorist attacks 

domestically, and will undertake the criminal prosecution of these acts of 

terrorism that violate U.S. law. DOJ has charged the FBI with execution 

of its LFA responsibilities for the management of a Federal response to 

terrorist threats or incidents that take place within U.S. territory or those 

occurring in international waters that do not involve the flag vessel of a 

foreign country. As the lead agency for crisis management, the FBI will 

implement a Federal crisis management response. As LFA, the FBI will 

designate a Federal on-scene commander to ensure appropriate 

coordination of the overall United States Government response with 

Federal, State and local authorities until such time as the Attorney General 

transfers the overall LFA role to FEMA. The FBI, with appropriate 

approval, will form and coordinate the deployment of a Domestic 

Emergency Support Team (DEST) with other agencies, when appropriate, 

and seek appropriate Federal support based on the nature of the situation. 
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2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 

As the lead agency for consequence management, FEMA will 

manage and coordinate any Federal consequence management response in 

support of State and local governments in accordance with its statutory 

authorities. Additionally, FEMA will designate appropriate liaison and 

advisory personnel for the FBI’s Strategic Information and Operations 

Center (SIOC) and deployment with the DEST, the Joint Operations 

Center (JOC), and the Joint Information Center (JIC). 

3. Department of Defense (DOD)

DOD serves as a support agency to the FBI for crisis management 

functions, including technical operations, and a support agency to FEMA 

for consequence management. In accordance with DOD Directives 

3025.15 and 2000.12 and the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff CONPLAN 

0300-97, and upon approval by the Secretary of Defense, DOD will 

provide assistance to the LFA and/or the CONPLAN primary agencies, as 

appropriate, during all aspects of a terrorist incident, including both crisis 

and consequence management. DOD assistance includes threat 

assessment; DEST participation and transportation; technical advice; 

operational support; tactical support; support for civil disturbances; 

custody, transportation and disposal of a WMD device; and other 

capabilities including mitigation of the consequences of a release. 

DOD has many unique capabilities for dealing with a WMD and 

combating terrorism, such as the US Army Medical Research Institute for 

Infectious Diseases, Technical Escort Unit, and US Marine Corps 

Chemical Biological Incident Response Force. These and other DOD 

assets may be used in responding to a terrorist incident if requested by the 

LFA and approved by the Secretary of Defense. 

4. Department of Energy (DOE) 

DOE serves as a support agency to the FBI for technical operations 

and a support agency to FEMA for consequence management. DOE 

provides scientific-technical personnel and equipment in support of the 

LFA during all aspects of a nuclear/radiological WMD terrorist incident. 

DOE assistance can support both crisis and consequence management 

activities with capabilities such as threat assessment, DEST deployment, 

LFA advisory requirements, technical advice, forecasted modeling 

predictions, and operational support to include direct support of tactical 

operations. Deployable DOE scientific technical assistance and support 

includes capabilities such as search operations; access operations; 

diagnostic and device assessment; radiological assessment and monitoring; 
5 

identification of material; development of Federal protective action 

recommendations; provision of information on the radiological response; 

render safe operations; hazards assessment; containment, relocation and 

storage of special nuclear material evidence; post-incident clean-up; and 

on-site management and radiological assessment to the public, the White 

House, and members of Congress and foreign governments. All DOE 

support to a Federal response will be coordinated through a Senior Energy 

Official. 

5. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

EPA serves as a support agency to the FBI for technical operations 

and a support agency to FEMA for consequence management. EPA 

provides technical personnel and supporting equipment to the LFA during 

all aspects of a WMD terrorist incident. EPA assistance may include 

threat assessment, DEST and regional emergency response team 

deployment, LFA advisory requirements, technical advice and operational 

support for chemical, biological, and radiological releases. EPA assistance 

and advice includes threat assessment, consultation, agent identification, 

hazard detection and reduction, environmental monitoring; sample and 

forensic evidence collection/analysis; identification of contaminants; 

feasibility assessment and clean-up; and on-site safety, protection, 

prevention, decontamination, and restoration activities. EPA and the 

United States Coast Guard (USCG) share responsibilities for response to 

oil discharges into navigable waters and releases of hazardous substances, 

pollutants, and contaminants into the environment under the National Oil 

and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). EPA 

provides the predesignated Federal On-Scene Coordinator for inland areas 

and the USCG for coastal areas to coordinate containment, removal, and 

disposal efforts and resources during an oil, hazardous substance, or WMD 

incident. 

6. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 

HHS serves as a support agency to the FBI for technical operations 

and a support agency to FEMA for consequence management. HHS 

provides technical personnel and supporting equipment to the LFA during 

all aspects of a terrorist incident. HHS can also provide regulatory followup when an incident involves a product regulated by the Food and Drug 

Administration. HHS assistance supports threat assessment, DEST 

deployment, epidemiological investigation, LFA advisory requirements, 

and technical advice. Technical assistance to the FBI may include 

identification of agents, sample collection and analysis, on-site safety and 

protection activities, and medical management planning. Operational 

support to FEMA may include mass immunization, mass prophylaxis, 
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mass fatality management, pharmaceutical support operations (National 

Pharmaceutical Stockpile), contingency medical records, patient tracking, 

and patient evacuation and definitive medical care provided through the 

National Disaster Medical System. 

II. POLICIES 

A. Authorities 

The following authorities are the basis for the development of the 

CONPLAN: 

• Presidential Decision Directive 39, including the Domestic Guidelines 

• Presidential Decision Directive 62 

• Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

B. Other Plans and Directives

• Federal Response Plan, including the Terrorism Incident Annex

• Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan 

• National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan 

• HHS Health and Medical Services Support Plan for the Federal 

Response to Assets of Chemical/Biological Terrorism 

• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CONPLAN 0300/0400 

• DODD 3025.15 Military Assistance to Civil Authorities 

• Other Department of Defense Directives 

C. Federal Agency Authorities 

The CONPLAN does not supersede existing plans or authorities that were 

developed for response to incidents under department and agency statutory 

authorities. Rather, it is intended to be a coordinating plan between crisis and 

consequence management to provide an effective Federal response to terrorism. 

The CONPLAN is a Federal signatory plan among the six principal departments 

and agencies named in PDD-39. It may be updated and amended, as necessary, by 

consensus among these agencies. 
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D. Federal Response to a Terrorism Incident 

The Federal response to a terrorist threat or incident provides a tailored, 

time-phased deployment of specialized Federal assets. The response is executed 

under two broad responsibilities:

1. Crisis Management 

Crisis management is predominantly a law enforcement function 

and includes measures to identify, acquire, and plan the use of resources 

needed to anticipate, prevent, and/or resolve a threat or act of terrorism. In 

a terrorist incident, a crisis management response may include traditional 

law enforcement missions, such as intelligence, surveillance, tactical 

operations, negotiations, forensics, and investigations, as well as technical 

support missions, such as agent identification, search, render safe 

procedures, transfer and disposal, and limited decontamination. In 

addition to the traditional law enforcement missions, crisis management 

also includes assurance of public health and safety. 

The laws of the United States assign primary authority to the 

Federal government to prevent and respond to acts of terrorism or 

potential acts of terrorism. Based on the situation, a Federal crisis 

management response may be supported by technical operations, and by 

consequence management activities, which should operate concurrently. 

2. Consequence Management 

Consequence management is predominantly an emergency 

management function and includes measures to protect public health and 

safety, restore essential government services, and provide emergency relief 

to governments, businesses, and individuals affected by the consequences 

of terrorism. In an actual or potential terrorist incident, a consequence 

management response will be managed by FEMA using structures and 

resources of the Federal Response Plan (FRP). These efforts will include 

support missions as described in other Federal operations plans, such as 

predictive modeling, protective action recommendations, and mass 

decontamination. 

The laws of the United States assign primary authority to the State 

and local governments to respond to the consequences of terrorism; the 

Federal government provides assistance, as required. 
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E. Lead Federal Agency Designation 

As mandated by the authorities referenced above, the operational response 

to a terrorist threat will employ a coordinated, interagency process organized 

through a LFA concept. PDD-39 reaffirms and elaborates on the U.S. 

Government’s policy on counterterrorism and expands the roles, responsibilities 

and management structure for combating terrorism. LFA responsibility is 

assigned to the Department of Justice, and is delegated to the FBI, for threats or 

acts of terrorism that take place in the United States or in international waters that 

do not involve the flag vessel of a foreign country. Within this role, the FBI 

Federal on-scene commander (OSC) will function as the on-scene manager for the 

U.S. Government. All Federal agencies and departments, as needed, will support 

the Federal OSC. Threats or acts of terrorism that take place outside of the United 

States or its trust territories, or in international waters and involve the flag vessel 

of a foreign country are outside the scope of the CONPLAN. 

In addition, these authorities reaffirm that FEMA is the lead agency for 

consequence management within U.S. territory. FEMA retains authority and 

responsibility to act as the lead agency for consequence management throughout 

the Federal response. FEMA will use the FRP structure to coordinate all Federal 

assistance to State and local governments for consequence management. To 

ensure that there is one overall LFA, PDD-39 directs FEMA to support the 

Department of Justice (as delegated to the FBI) until the Attorney General 

transfers the LFA role to FEMA. At such time, the responsibility to function as 

the on-scene manager for the U.S. Government transfers from the FBI Federal 

OSC to the Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO). 

F. Requests For Federal Assistance 

Requests for Federal assistance by State and local governments, as well as 

those from owners and operators of critical infrastructure facilities, are 

coordinated with the lead agency (crisis or consequence) responsible under U.S. 

law for that function. In response to a terrorist threat or incident, multiple or 

competing requests will be managed based on priorities and objectives established 

by the JOC Command Group. 

State and local governments will submit requests for Federal crisis 

management assistance through the FBI. State and local governments will submit 

requests for Federal consequence management assistance through standard 

channels under the Federal Response Plan. FEMA liaisons assigned to the DEST 

or JOC coordinate requests with the LFA to ensure consequence management 

plans and actions are consistent with overall priorities. All other requests for 

consequence management assistance submitted outside normal channels to the 

DEST or JOC will be forwarded to the Regional Operations Center (ROC) 

Director or the Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) for action. 
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G. Funding

As mandated by PDD-39, Federal agencies directed to participate in 

counterterrorist operations or the resolution of terrorist incidents bear the costs of 

their own participation, unless otherwise directed by the President. This 

responsibility is subject to specific statutory authorization to provide support 

without reimbursement. In the absence of such specific authority, the Economy 

Act applies, and reimbursement cannot be waived. 

H. Deployment/Employment Priorities 

The multi-agency JOC Command Group, managed by the Federal OSC, 

ensures that conflicts are resolved, overall incident objectives are established, and 

strategies are selected for the use of critical resources. These strategies will be 

based on the following priorities: 

1. Preserving life or minimizing risk to health. This constitutes the 

first priority of operations. 

2. Preventing a threatened act from being carried out or an existing 

terrorist act from being expanded or aggravated. 

3. Locating, accessing, rendering safe, controlling, containing, 

recovering, and disposing of a WMD that has not yet functioned. 

4. Rescuing, decontaminating, transporting and treating victims. 

Preventing secondary casualties as a result of contamination or collateral 

threats. 

5. Releasing emergency public information that ensures adequate and 

accurate communications with the public from all involved response 

agencies. 

6. Restoring essential services and mitigating suffering. 

7. Apprehending and successfully prosecuting perpetrators. 

8. Conducting site restoration. 

I. Planning Assumptions and Considerations 

1. The CONPLAN assumes that no single private or government 

agency at the local, State, or Federal level possesses the authority and the 

expertise to act unilaterally on the difficult issues that may arise in 
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response to threats or acts of terrorism, particularly if nuclear, radiological, 

biological, or chemical materials are involved. 

2. The CONPLAN is based on the premise that a terrorist incident 

may occur at any time of day with little or no warning, may involve single 

or multiple geographic areas, and result in mass casualties. 

3. The CONPLAN also assumes an act of terrorism, particularly an 

act directed against a large population center within the United States 

involving nuclear, radiological, biological, or chemical materials, will 

have major consequences that can overwhelm the capabilities of many 

local and State governments to respond and may seriously challenge 

existing Federal response capabilities, as well. 

4. Federal participating agencies may need to respond on short notice 

to provide effective and timely assistance to State and local governments. 

5. Federal departments and agencies would be expected to provide an 

initial response when warranted under their own authorities and funding. 

Decisions to mobilize Federal assets will be coordinated with the FBI and 

FEMA. 

6. In the case of a biological WMD attack, the effect may be 

temporally and geographically dispersed, with no determined or defined 

“incident site.” Response operations may be conducted over a multijurisdictional, multi-State region. 

7. A biological WMD attack employing a contagious agent may 

require quarantine by State and local health officials to contain the disease 

outbreak. 

8. Local, State, and Federal responders will define working 

perimeters that overlap. Perimeters may be used by responders to control 

access to an affected area, to assign operational sectors among responding 

organizations, and to assess potential effects on the population and the 

environment. Control of these perimeters and response actions may be 

managed by different authorities, which will impede the effectiveness of 

the overall response if adequate coordination is not established. 

9. If appropriate personal protective equipment and capabilities are 

not available and the area is contaminated with WMD materials, it is 

possible that response actions into a contaminated area may be delayed 

until the material has dissipated to a level that is safe for emergency 

response personnel to operate. 
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J. Training and Exercises 

Federal agencies, in conjunction with State and local governments, will 

periodically exercise their roles and responsibilities designated under the 

CONPLAN. Federal agencies should coordinate their exercises with the Exercise 

Subgroup of the Interagency Working Group on Counterterrorism and other 

response agencies to avoid duplication, and, more importantly, to provide a forum 

to exercise coordination mechanisms among responding agencies. 

Federal agencies will assist State and local governments design and 

improve their response capabilities to a terrorist threat or incident. Each agency 

should coordinate its training programs with other response agencies to avoid 

duplication and to make its training available to other agencies. 

III. SITUATION 

A. Introduction 

The complexity, scope, and potential consequences of a terrorist threat or 

incident require that there be a rapid and decisive capability to resolve the 

situation. The resolution to an act of terrorism demands an extraordinary level of 

coordination of crisis and consequence management functions and technical 

expertise across all levels of government. No single Federal, State, or local 

governmental agency has the capability or requisite authority to respond 

independently and mitigate the consequences of such a threat to national security. 

The incident may affect a single location or multiple locations, each of which may 

be a disaster scene, a hazardous scene and/or a crime scene simultaneously.

B. Differences Between WMD Incidents and Other Incidents 

As in all incidents, WMD incidents may involve mass casualties and 

damage to buildings or other types of property. However, there are several factors 

surrounding WMD incidents that are unlike any other type of incidents that must 

be taken into consideration when planning a response. First responders’ ability to 

identify aspects of the incident (e.g., signs and symptoms exhibited by victims) 

and report them accurately will be key to maximizing the use of critical local 

resources and for triggering a Federal response. 

1. The situation may not be recognizable until there are multiple 

casualties. Most chemical and biological agents are not detectable by 

methods used for explosives and firearms. Most agents can be carried in 

containers that look like ordinary items. 

2. There may be multiple events (e.g., one event in an attempt to 

influence another event’s outcome). 
12 

3. Responders are placed at a higher risk of becoming casualties. 

Because agents are not readily identifiable, responders may become 

contaminated before recognizing the agent involved. First responders 

may, in addition, be targets for secondary releases or explosions. 

4. The location of the incident will be treated as a crime scene. As 

such, preservation and collection of evidence is critical. Therefore, it is 

important to ensure that actions on-scene are coordinated between 

response organizations to minimize any conflicts between law 

enforcement authorities, who view the incident as a crime scene, and other 

responders, who view it as a hazardous materials or disaster scene. 

5. Contamination of critical facilities and large geographic areas may 

result. Victims may carry an agent unknowingly to public transportation 

facilities, businesses, residences, doctors’ offices, walk-in medical clinics, 

or emergency rooms because they don’t realize that they are contaminated. 

First responders may carry the agent to fire or precinct houses, hospitals, 

or to the locations of subsequent calls. 

6. The scope of the incident may expand geometrically and may 

affect mutual aid jurisdictions. Airborne agents flow with the air current 

and may disseminate via ventilation systems, carrying the agents far from 

the initial source. 

7. There will be a stronger reaction from the public than with other 

types of incidents. The thought of exposure to a chemical or biological 

agent or radiation evokes terror in most people. The fear of the unknown 

also makes the public’s response more severe. 

8. Time is working against responding elements. The incident can 

expand geometrically and very quickly. In addition, the effects of some 

chemicals and biological agents worsen over time. 

9. Support facilities, such as utility stations and 911 centers along 

with critical infrastructures, are at risk as targets. 

10. Specialized State and local response capabilities may be 

overwhelmed.

C. Threat Levels 

The CONPLAN establishes a range of threat levels determined by the FBI 

that serve to frame the nature and scope of the Federal response. Each threat level 

provides for an escalating range of actions that will be implemented concurrently 

for crisis and consequence management. The Federal government will take 
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specific actions which are synchronized to each threat level, ensuring that all 

Federal agencies are operating with jointly and consistently executed plans. The 

Federal government will notify and coordinate with State and local governments, 

as necessary. The threat levels are described below: 

1. Level #4 - Minimal Threat:

Received threats do not warrant actions beyond normal liaison 

notifications or placing assets or resources on a heightened alert (agencies 

are operating under normal day-to-day conditions). 

2. Level #3 - Potential Threat:

Intelligence or an articulated threat indicates a potential for a 

terrorist incident. However, this threat has not yet been assessed as 

credible. 

3. Level #2 - Credible Threat:

A threat assessment indicates that the potential threat is credible, 

and confirms the involvement of WMD in the developing terrorist 

incident. Intelligence will vary with each threat, and will impact the level 

of the Federal response. At this threat level, the situation requires the 

tailoring of response actions to use Federal resources needed to anticipate, 

prevent, and/or resolve the crisis. The Federal crisis management response 

will focus on law enforcement actions taken in the interest of public safety 

and welfare, and is predominantly concerned with preventing and 

resolving the threat. The Federal consequence management response will 

focus on contingency planning and pre-positioning of tailored resources, as 

required. The threat increases in significance when the presence of an 

explosive device or WMD capable of causing a significant destructive 

event, prior to actual injury or loss, is confirmed or when intelligence and 

circumstances indicate a high probability that a device exists. In this case, 

the threat has developed into a WMD terrorist situation requiring an 

immediate process to identify, acquire, and plan the use of Federal 

resources to augment State and local authorities in lessening or averting

the potential consequence of a terrorist use or employment of WMD. 

4. Level #1 - WMD Incident:

A WMD terrorism incident has occurred which requires an 

immediate process to identify, acquire, and plan the use of Federal 

resources to augment State and local authorities in response to limited or 

major consequences of a terrorist use or employment of WMD. This 

incident has resulted in mass casualties. The Federal response is primarily 
14 

directed toward public safety and welfare and the preservation of human 

life. 

D. Lead Federal Agency Responsibilities 

The LFA, in coordination with the appropriate Federal, State and local 

agencies, is responsible for formulating the Federal strategy and a coordinated 

Federal response. To accomplish that goal, the LFA must establish multi-agency 

coordination structures, as appropriate, at the incident scene, area, and national 

level. These structures are needed to perform oversight responsibilities in 

operations involving multiple agencies with direct statutory authority to respond 

to aspects of a single major incident or multiple incidents. Oversight 

responsibilities include: 

• Coordination. Coordinate the determination of operational objectives, 

strategies, and priorities for the use of critical resources that have been 

allocated to the situation, and communicate multi-agency decisions 

back to individual agencies and incidents. 

• Situation Assessment. Evaluate emerging threats, prioritize incidents, 

and project future needs. 

• Public Information. As the spokesperson for the Federal response, the 

LFA is responsible for coordinating information dissemination to the 

White House, Congress, and other Federal, State and local government 

officials. In fulfilling this responsibility, the LFA ensures that the 

release of public information is coordinated between crisis and 

consequence management response entities. The Joint Information 

Center (JIC) is established by the LFA, under the operational control of 

the LFA’s Public Information Officer, as a focal point for the 

coordination and provision of information to the public and media 

concerning the Federal response to the emergency. The JIC may be 

established in the same location as the FBI Joint Operations Center 

(JOC) or may be located at an on-scene location in coordination with 

State and local agencies. The following elements should be 

represented at the JIC: (1) FBI Public Information Officer and staff, 

(2) FEMA Public Information Officer and staff, (3) other Federal 

agency Public Information Officers, as needed, and (4) State and local 

Public Information Officers. 
15 

IV. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS 

A. Mission 

The overall Lead Federal Agency, in conjunction with the lead agencies 

for crisis and consequence management response, and State and local authorities 

where appropriate, will notify, activate, deploy and employ Federal resources in 

response to a threat or act of terrorism. Operations will be conducted in 

accordance with statutory authorities and applicable plans and procedures, as 

modified by the policy guidelines established in PDD-39 and PDD-62. The 

overall LFA will continue operations until the crisis is resolved. Operations under 

the CONPLAN will then stand down, while operations under other Federal plans 

may continue to assist State and local governments with recovery. 

B. Command and Control 

Command and control of a terrorist threat or incident is a critical function 

that demands a unified framework for the preparation and execution of plans and 

orders. Emergency response organizations at all levels of government may 

manage command and control activities somewhat differently depending on the 

organization’s history, the complexity of the crisis, and their capabilities and 

resources. Management of Federal, State and local response actions must, 

therefore, reflect an inherent flexibility in order to effectively address the entire 

spectrum of capabilities and resources across the United States. The resulting 

challenge is to integrate the different types of management systems and 

approaches utilized by all levels of government into a comprehensive and unified 

response to meet the unique needs and requirements of each incident.

1. Consequence Management

State and local consequence management organizations are 

generally structured to respond to an incident scene using a modular, 

functionally-oriented ICS that can be tailored to the kind, size and 

management needs of the incident. ICS is employed to organize and unify

multiple disciplines with multi-jurisdictional responsibilities on-scene 

under one functional organization. State and local emergency operations 

plans generally establish direction and control procedures for their 

agencies’ response to disaster situations. The organization’s staff is built 

from a “top-down” approach with responsibility and authority placed 

initially with an Incident Commander who determines which local 

resources will be deployed. In many States, State law or local jurisdiction 

ordinances will identify by organizational position the person(s) that will 

be responsible for serving as the incident commander. In most cases, the 

incident commander will come from the State or local organization that 

has primary responsibility for managing the emergency situation. 
16 

When the magnitude of a crisis exceeds the capabilities and 

resources of the local incident commander or multiple jurisdictions 

become involved in order to resolve the crisis situation, the ICS command 

function can readily evolve into a Unified Command (see Figure 1). 

Under Unified Command, a multi-agency command post is established 

incorporating officials from agencies with jurisdictional responsibility at 

the incident scene. Multiple agency resources and personnel will then be 

integrated into the ICS as the single overall response management 

structure at the incident scene. 

Multi-agency coordination to provide resources to support onscene operations in complex or multiple incidents is the responsibility of 

emergency management. In the emergency management system, requests 

for resources are filled at the lowest possible level of government. 

Requests that exceed available capabilities are progressively forwarded 

until filled, from a local Emergency Operations Center (EOC), to a State 

EOC, to Federal operations centers at the regional or national level. 

State assistance may be provided to local governments in 

responding to a terrorist threat or recovering from the consequences of a 

terrorist incident as in any natural or man-made disaster. The governor, by 

State law, is the chief executive officer of the State or commonwealth and 

has full authority to discharge the duties of his office and exercise all 

powers associated with the operational control of the State’s emergency 

services during a declared emergency. State agencies are responsible for 

ensuring that essential services and resources are available to the local 

authorities and Incident Commander when requested. When State 

assistance is provided, the local government retains overall responsibility 

for command and control of the emergency operations, except in cases 

where State or Federal statutes transfer authority to a specific State or 

Federal agency. State and local governments have primary responsibility 

for consequence management. FEMA, using the FRP, directs and 

coordinates all Federal response efforts to manage the consequences in 

domestic incidents, for which the President has declared, or expressed an 

intent to declare, an emergency.
17 

Compensation/

Claims Unit

Time

Unit

Procurement

Unit

Finance/Admin

Section

Planning/Intel

Section

Resource

Unit

Situation

Unit

Documentation

Unit

Demobilization

Unit

Technical

Specialists

Investigations

Unit

Staging

Personnel

Supply

Food

Logistics

Section

Liaison

Officer

Command

Post Scribe

Safety

Officer

Unified

Command

(Police, Fire, EMS)

Medical Services

Branch

ty Group

rder Group

ion Group

al Group

otiation Team

nt

Air Ops

Branch

Aviation

Support Group

Air Mission

Group

Operations

Section

PIO

ntrol Group

sponse Group

NOTE: Operational control of assets atthe scene is retained by the designatedofficials representing the agency (local,State, or Federal) providing the assets.

Agency

Representatives

Figure 1 – Incident Command System / Unified Command
18 

2. Crisis Management

As the lead agency for crisis management, the FBI manages a crisis 

situation from an FBI command post or JOC, bringing the necessary assets 

to respond and resolve the threat or incident. These activities primarily 

coordinate the law enforcement actions responding to the cause of the 

incident with State and local agencies. 

During a crisis situation, the FBI Special Agent In Charge (SAC) 

of the local Field Division will establish a command post to manage the 

threat based upon a graduated and flexible response. This command post 

structure generally consists of three functional groups, Command, 

Operations, and Support, and is designed to accommodate participation of 

other agencies, as appropriate (see Figure 2). When the threat or incident 

exceeds the capabilities and resources of the local FBI Field Division, the 

SAC can request additional resources from the FBI’s Critical Incident 

Response Group, located at Quantico, VA, to augment existing crisis 

management capabilities. In a terrorist threat or incident that may involve 

a WMD, the traditional FBI command post is expanded into a JOC 

incorporating a fourth functional entity, the Consequence Management 

Group. 

Requests for DOD assistance for crisis management during the 

incident come from the Attorney General to the Secretary of Defense 

through the DOD Executive Secretary. Once the Secretary has approved 

the request, the order will be transmitted either directly to the unit 

involved or through the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 
19 

DEST

gence

igations

onent

Tactical

Component

ations

onent

Technical

Component

llance

onent

Operations

Group

Media

Component

Legal

Component

Administrative

Component

Logistics

Component

Liaison

Component

Admin/Logistics

Group

FBI SAC

Figure 2 - FBI Command Post 
20 

C. Unification of Federal, State and Local Response 

1. Introduction 

Throughout the management of the terrorist incident, crisis and 

consequence management components will operate concurrently (see 

Figure 3). The concept of operations for a Federal response to a terrorist 

threat or incident provides for the designation of an LFA to ensure multiagency coordination and a tailored, time-phased deployment of specialized 

Federal assets. It is critical that all participating Federal, State, and local 

agencies interact in a seamless manner. 

2. National Level Coordination 

The complexity and potential catastrophic consequences of a 

terrorist event will require application of a multi-agency coordination 

system at the Federal agency headquarters level. Many critical on-scene 

decisions may need to be made in consultation with higher authorities. In 

addition, the transfer of information between the headquarters and field 

levels is critical to the successful resolution of the crisis incident. 

Upon determination of a credible threat, FBI Headquarters 

(FBIHQ) will activate its Strategic Information and Operations Center 

(SIOC) to coordinate and manage the national level support to a terrorism 

incident. At this level, the SIOC will generally mirror the JOC structure 

operating in the field. The SIOC is staffed by liaison officers from other 

Federal agencies that are required to provide direct support to the FBI, in 

accordance with PDD-39. The SIOC performs the critical functions of 

coordinating the Federal response and facilitating Federal agency 

headquarters connectivity. Affected Federal agencies will operate 

headquarters-level emergency operations centers, as necessary. 

Upon notification by the FBI of a credible terrorist threat, FEMA 

may activate its Catastrophic Disaster Response Group. In addition, 

FEMA will activate the Regional Operations Center and Emergency 

Support Team, as required. 
21 

UC

Command Post

-> JOC

Attorney General

FBI Director

SIOC

The President

NSC Groups

scene

CDRG

EST

State EOC

FEMA Director

ROC -> ERT

Local EOC

Figure 3 – Coordinating Relationships
22 

3. Field Level Coordination 

During a terrorist incident, the organizational structure to 

implement the Federal response at the field level is the JOC. The JOC is 

established by the FBI under the operational control of the Federal OSC, 

and acts as the focal point for the strategic management and direction of 

on-site activities, identification of State and local requirements and 

priorities, and coordination of the Federal response. The local FBI field 

office will activate a Crisis Management Team to establish the JOC, which 

will be in the affected area, possibly collocated with an existing emergency 

operations facility. Additionally, the JOC will be augmented by outside 

agencies, including representatives from the DEST (if deployed), who 

provide interagency technical expertise as well as inter-agency continuity 

during the transition from an FBI command post structure to the JOC 

structure. 

Similar to the Area Command concept within the ICS, the JOC is 

established to ensure inter-incident coordination and to organize multiple 

agencies and jurisdictions within an overall command and coordination 

structure. The JOC includes the following functional groups: Command, 

Operations, Admin/Logistics, and Consequence Management (see Figure 

4). Representation within the JOC includes officials from local, State and 

Federal agencies with specific roles in crisis and consequence 

management. 

The Command Group of the JOC is responsible for providing 

recommendations and advice to the Federal OSC regarding the 

development and implementation of strategic decisions to resolve the 

crisis situation and for approving the deployment and employment of 

resources. In this scope, the members of the Command Group play an 

important role in ensuring the coordination of Federal crisis and 

consequence management functions. The Command Group is composed 

of the FBI Federal OSC and senior officials with decision making 

authority from local, State, and Federal agencies, as appropriate, based 

upon the circumstances of the threat or incident. Strategies, tactics and 

priorities are jointly determined within this group. While the FBI retains 

authority to make Federal crisis management decisions at all times, 

operational decisions are made cooperatively to the greatest extent 

possible. The FBI Federal OSC and the senior FEMA official at the JOC 

will provide, or obtain from higher authority, an immediate resolution of 

conflicts in priorities for allocation of critical Federal resources between 

the crisis and consequence management responses. 
23 

Media/Legal

ns

nt

Joint Interagency

Intelligence

Support Element

&

ps

nt

Tactical

Component

s

s

Unit

Technical

Component

ical

eam

OPERATIONS

GROUP

Administrative

Component

Liaison

Component

Logistics

Component

Communications

Component

Legal

Component

Media

Component

ADMIN/LOGISTICS

GROUP

FBI

Liaison

FEMA

Component

DOD Component DOE Component

HHS Component EPA Component

State

Component

Local

Component

Other FRP

Agencies

(as needed)

CONSEQUENCE

MANAGEMENT

GROUP

COMMAND

GROUP

Figure 4 - Joint Operations Center
24 

A FEMA representative coordinates the actions of the JOC 

Consequence Management Group, and expedites activation of a Federal 

consequence management response should it become necessary. FBI and 

FEMA representatives will screen threat/incident intelligence for the 

Consequence Management Group. The JOC Consequence Management 

Group monitors the crisis management response in order to advise on 

decisions that may have implications for consequence management, and to 

provide continuity should a Federal consequence management response 

become necessary. 

Should the threat of a terrorist incident become imminent, the JOC 

Consequence Management Group may forward recommendations to the 

ROC Director to initiate limited pre-deployment of assets under the 

Stafford Act. Authority to make decisions regarding FRP operations rests 

with the ROC Director until an FCO is appointed. The senior FEMA 

official in the JOC ensures appropriate coordination between FRP 

operations and the JOC Command Group. 

4. On-Scene Coordination 

Once a WMD incident has occurred (with or without a pre-release 

crisis period), local government emergency response organizations will 

respond to the incident scene and appropriate notifications to local, State, 

and Federal authorities will be made. Control of this incident scene will 

be established by local response authorities (likely a senior fire or law 

enforcement official). Command and control of the incident scene is 

vested with the Incident Commander/Unified Command. Operational 

control of assets at the scene is retained by the designated officials 

representing the agency (local, State, or Federal) providing the assets. 

These officials manage tactical operations at the scene in coordination 

with the UC as directed by their agency counterparts at field-level 

operational centers, if used. As mutual aid partners, State and Federal 

responders arrive to augment the local responders. The incident command 

structure that was initially established will likely transition into a Unified 

Command (UC). This UC structure will facilitate both crisis and 

consequence management activities. The UC structure used at the scene 

will expand as support units and agency representatives arrive to support 

crisis and consequence management operations. On-scene consequence 

management activities will be supported by the local and State EOC, 

which will be augmented by the ROC or Disaster Field Office, and the 

Emergency Support Team, as appropriate. 

When Federal resources arrive at the scene, they will operate as a 

Forward Coordinating Team (FCT). The senior FBI representative will 

join the Unified Command group while the senior FEMA representative 
25 

will coordinate activity of Federal consequence management liaisons to 

the Unified Command. On-scene Federal crisis management resources 

will be organized into a separate FBI Crisis Management Branch within 

the Operations Section, and an FBI representative will serve as Deputy to 

the Operations Section Chief. Federal consequence management resources 

will assist the appropriate ICS function, as directed (see Figure 5). 

Throughout the incident, the actions and activities of the Unified Command at the 

incident scene and the Command Group of the JOC will be continuously and completely 

coordinated. 
26 

Compensation/

Claims Unit

Time

Unit

Procurement

Unit

Finance/Admin

Section

Planning/Intel

Section

Resource

Unit

Situation

Unit

Documentation

Unit

Demobilization

Unit

Technical

Specialists

Investigations

Unit

Staging

Personnel

Supply

Food

Logistics

Section

Liaison

Officer

Command

Post Scribe

Safety

Officer

Unified

Command

(Police, Fire, EMS, FBI)

Medical Services

Branch

Security Group

vil Disorder Group

Evacuation Group

Tactical Group

is Negotiation Team

orcement

anch

Air Ops

Branch

Aviation

Support Group

Air Mission

Group

Operations

Section

PIO

affic Control Group

ical Response Group

Aviation

HMRU

FBI ERT

FBI Crisis

Management

Branch

NOC

JTTF

TOC

NOTE: Operational control of assets atthe scene is retained by the designatedofficials representing the agency (local,State, or Federal) providing the assets.

Forward

Coordinating

Team

Figure 5 – On-Scene Coordination 
27 

V. PHASING OF THE FEDERAL RESPONSE 

Phasing of the Federal response to a threat or act of terrorism includes 

Notification; Activation and Deployment; Response Operations; Response Deactivation; 

and Recovery. Phases may be abbreviated or bypassed when warranted. 

A. Notification 

Receipt of a terrorist threat or incident may be through any source or 

medium, may be articulated, or developed through intelligence sources. It is the 

responsibility of all local, State, and Federal agencies and departments to notify 

the FBI when such a threat is received. 

Upon receipt of a threat of domestic terrorism, the FBI will conduct a 

formal threat credibility assessment of the information with assistance from select 

interagency experts. For a WMD threat, this includes three perspectives: 

• Technical feasibility: An assessment of the capacity of the 

threatening individual or organization to obtain or produce the 

material at issue; 

• Operational practicability: An assessment of the feasibility of 

delivering or employing the material in the manner threatened; 

• Behavioral resolve: A psychological assessment of the likelihood 

that the subject(s) will carry out the threat, including a review of 

any written or verbal statement by the subject(s). 

The FBI manages a Terrorist Threat Warning System to ensure that vital 

information regarding terrorism reaches those in the U.S. counterterrorism and 

law enforcement community responsible for countering terrorist threats. This 

information is transmitted via secure teletype. Each message transmitted under 

this system is an alert, an advisory, or an assessment—an alert if the terrorist 

threat is credible and specific; an advisory if the threat is credible but general in 

both timing and target; or an assessment to impart facts and/or threat analysis 

concerning terrorism. 

1. The role of the FBI is to: 

a. Verify the accuracy of the notification, 

b. Initiate the threat assessment process, 

c. Notify Domestic Emergency Support Team agencies, and 
28 

d. Notify other Federal, State and local agencies, as 

appropriate. 

2. The role of FEMA is to: 

a. Advise the FBI of consequence management 

considerations, 

b. Verify that the State and local governments have been 

notified, and 

c. Notify other Federal agencies under the FRP, as 

appropriate. 

B. Activation and Deployment 

Upon determination that the threat is credible, or an act of terrorism has 

occurred, FBIHQ will initiate appropriate liaison with other Federal agencies to 

activate their operations centers and provide liaison officers to the SIOC. In 

addition, FBIHQ will initiate communications with the SAC of the responsible 

Field Office apprising him/her of possible courses of action and discussing 

deployment of the DEST. The FBI SAC will establish initial operational 

priorities based upon the specific circumstances of the threat or incident. This 

information will then be forwarded to FBIHQ to coordinate identification and 

deployment of appropriate resources. 

Based upon a credible threat assessment and a request by the SAC, the FBI 

Director, in consultation with the Attorney General, may request authorization 

through National Security Council groups to deploy the DEST to assist the SAC 

in mitigating the crisis situation. The DEST is a rapidly deployable, inter-agency 

team responsible for providing the FBI expert advice and support concerning the 

U.S. Government’s capabilities in resolving the terrorist threat or incident. This 

includes crisis and consequence management assistance, technical or scientific 

advice and contingency planning guidance tailored to situations involving 

chemical, biological, or nuclear/radiological weapons. 

Upon arrival at the FBI Command Post or forward location, the DEST 

may act as a stand alone advisory team to the SAC providing recommended 

courses of action. While the DEST can operate as an advance element of the 

JOC, DEST deployment does not have to precede JOC activation. Upon JOC 

activation, the SAC is the Federal On-Scene Commander (OSC). The Federal 

OSC serves as the on-scene manager for the United States Government and 

coordinates the actions of the JOC Command Group. The DEST consequence 

management component merges into the JOC structure under the leadership of the 

Senior FEMA Official. 
29 

1. The role of the FBI is to: 

a. Designate a Federal OSC, 

b. Deploy the DEST if warranted and approved, and provide 

liaison to State and local authorities as appropriate, 

c. Establish multi-agency coordination structures, as 

appropriate, at the incident scene, area, and national level in order 

to:

(1) Coordinate the determination of operational 

objectives, strategies, and priorities for the use of critical 

resources that have been allocated to the situation, and 

communicate multi-agency decisions back to individual 

agencies and incidents. 

(2) Coordinate the evaluation of emerging incidents, 

prioritization of incidents, and projection of future needs. 

(3) Establish a Joint Information Center and coordinate 

information dissemination. 

2. The role of FEMA is to: 

a. Activate the appropriate FRP elements, as needed, 

b. Designate and deploy an individual to serve as the Senior 

FEMA Official to the JOC. Primary responsibilities include: 

(1) Managing the Consequence Management Group. 

(2) Serving as senior consequence management official 

on the Command Group. 

(3) Designate an individual to work with the FBI liaison 

to screen intelligence for consequence management related 

implications. 

c. Identify the appropriate agencies to staff the JOC 

Consequence Management Group and advise the FBI. With FBI 

concurrence, notify consequence management agencies to request 

they deploy representatives to the JOC. 
30 

C. Response Operations 

The response operations phase involves those activities necessary for an 

actual Federal response to address the immediate and short-term effects of a 

terrorist threat or incident. These activities support an emergency response with a 

bilateral focus on the achievement of law enforcement goals and objectives, and 

the planning and execution of consequence management activities to address the 

effects of a terrorist incident. Prior to the use or functioning of a WMD, crisis 

management activities will generally have priority. When an incident results in 

the use of WMD, consequence management activities will generally have priority. 

Activities may overlap and/or run concurrently during the emergency response, 

and are dependent on the threat and/or the strategies for responding to the 

incident. Events may preclude certain activities from occurring, particularly in an 

attack without prior warning. 

D. Response Deactivation 

Each Federal agency will discontinue emergency response operations 

under the CONPLAN when advised that their assistance is no longer required in 

support of the FBI, or when their statutory responsibilities have been fulfilled. 

Upon determination that applicable law enforcement goals and objectives 

have been met, no further immediate threat exists, and that Federal crisis 

management actions are no longer required, the Attorney General, in consultation 

with the FBI Director and the FEMA Director, shall transfer the LFA role to 

FEMA. The Federal OSC will deactivate and discontinue emergency response 

operations under the CONPLAN. Prior to this activity, the Federal OSC will 

apprise the senior officials representing agencies in the JOC Command Group of 

the intent to deactivate in order to confirm agreement for this decision. 

Consequence management support to the State and local government(s) 

impacted by the incident may continue for a very long period. Termination of 

consequence management assistance will be handled according to the procedures 

established in the FRP. 

E. Recovery 

The State and local governments share primary responsibility for planning 

the recovery of the affected area. Recovery efforts will be initiated at the request 

of the State or local governments following mutual agreement of the agencies 

involved and confirmation from the LFA that the incident has stabilized and that 

no further threat exists to public health and safety. The Federal government will 

assist the State and local governments in developing mitigation and recovery 

plans, with FEMA coordinating the overall activity of the Federal agencies 

involved in this phase.
A-1 

APPENDIX A: ACRONYMS 

CONPLAN Concept of Operations Plan 

DEST Domestic Emergency Support Team 

DOD Department of Defense 

DOE Department of Energy 

DOJ Department of Justice 

EM Emergency Management 

EMS Emergency Medical Services 

EOC Emergency Operations Center 

EPA Environmental Protection Agency 

ERT Evidence Response Team (FBI) 

FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation 

FCO Federal Coordinating Officer 

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency 

FRP Federal Response Plan 

HAZMAT Hazardous Materials 

HHS Department of Health and Human Services 

HMRU Hazardous Materials Response Unit 

JIC Joint Information Center 

JIISE Joint Interagency Intelligence Support Element 

JOC Joint Operations Center 

JTTF Joint Terrorism Task Force 

ICS Incident Command System 

LFA Lead Federal Agency 

NCP National Oil and Hazardous Substances 

Pollution Contingency Plan 

NOC Negotiations Operations Center 

OSC On-Scene Commander (FBI) 

On-Scene Coordinator (EPA) 

PIO Public Information Officer 

PDD-39 Presidential Decision Directive 39 

ROC Regional Operations Center 

SAC Special Agent-in-Charge 

SFO Senior FEMA Official 

SIOC Strategic Information and Operations Center 

STOC Sniper Tactical Operations Center 

TOC Tactical Operations Center 

UC Unified Command 

USCG United States Coast Guard 

WMD Weapon of Mass Destruction 
B-1 

APPENDIX B: DEFINITIONS 

Assessment - The evaluation and interpretation of measurements and other information 

to provide a basis for decision-making. 

Combating Terrorism - The full range of Federal programs and activities applied 

against terrorism, domestically and abroad, regardless of the source or motive. 

 

Consequence Management - Consequence management is predominantly an emergency 

management function and includes measures to protect public health and safety, 

restore essential government services, and provide emergency relief to governments, 

businesses, and individuals affected by the consequences of terrorism. In an actual or 

potential terrorist incident, a consequence management response will be managed by 

FEMA using structures and resources of the Federal Response Plan (FRP). These 

efforts will include support missions as described in other Federal operations plans, 

such as predictive modeling, protective action recommendations, and mass 

decontamination. 

Coordinate - To advance systematically an exchange of information among principals 

who have or may have a need to know certain information in order to carry out their 

role in a response. 

Counterterrorism - The full range of activities directed against terrorism, including 

preventive, deterrent, response and crisis management efforts. 

Crisis Management - Crisis management is predominantly a law enforcement function 

and includes measures to identify, acquire, and plan the use of resources needed to 

anticipate, prevent, and/or resolve a threat or act of terrorism. In a terrorist incident, a 

crisis management response may include traditional law enforcement missions, such 

as intelligence, surveillance, tactical operations, negotiations, forensics, and 

investigations, as well as technical support missions, such as agent identification, 

search, render safe procedures, transfer and disposal, and limited decontamination. In 

addition to the traditional law enforcement missions, crisis management also includes 

assurance of public health and safety. 

Disaster Field Office (DFO) - The office established in or near the designated area to 

support Federal and State response and recovery operations. The Disaster Field 

Office houses the Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO), the Emergency Response 

Team, and, where possible, the State Coordinating Officer and support Staff. 

Emergency - Any natural or man-caused situation that results in or may result in 

substantial injury or harm to the population or substantial damage to or loss of 

property. 
B-2 

Emergency Operations Center (EOC)- The site from which civil government officials 

(municipal, county, State and Federal) exercise direction and control in an emergency. 

Emergency Public Information - Information which is disseminated primarily in 

anticipation of an emergency or at the actual time of an emergency and in addition to 

providing information, frequently directs actions, instructs, and transmits direct 

orders. 

Emergency Response Team - (1) A team composed of Federal program and support 

personnel, which FEMA activates and deploys into an area affected by a major 

disaster or emergency. This team assists the FCO in carrying out his/her 

responsibilities under the Stafford Act, the declaration, applicable laws, regulations, 

and the FEMA-State agreement. (2) The team is an interagency team, consisting of 

the lead representative from each Federal department or agency assigned primary 

responsibility for an Emergency support Function and key members of the FCO’s 

staff, formed to assist the FCO in carrying out his/her responsibilities. The team 

provides a forum for coordinating the overall Federal consequence management 

response requirements. 

Emergency Support Function - A functional area of response activity established to 

facilitate coordinated Federal delivery of assistance required during the response 

phase to save lives, protect property and health, and maintain public safety. These 

functions represent those types of Federal assistance which the State likely will need 

most because of the overwhelming impact of a catastrophic event on local and State 

resources. 

Evacuation - Organized, phased, and supervised dispersal of civilians from dangerous or 

potentially dangerous areas, and their reception and care in safe areas. 

Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) - (1) The person appointed by the FEMA Director, 

or in his/her absence, the FEMA Deputy Director, or alternatively the FEMA 

Associate Director for Response and Recovery, following a declaration of a major 

disaster or of an emergency by the President, to coordinate Federal assistance. The 

FCO initiates action immediately to assure that Federal Assistance is provided in 

accordance with the declaration, applicable laws, regulations, and the FEMA-State 

agreement. (2) The FCO is the senior Federal official appointed in accordance with 

the provisions of Public Law 93-288, as amended (the Stafford Act), to coordinate the 

overall consequence management response and recovery activities. The FCO 

represents the President as provided by Section 303 of the Stafford Act for the 

purpose of coordinating the administration of Federal relief activities in the 

designated area. Additionally, the FCO is delegated responsibilities and performs 

those for the FEMA Director as outlined in Executive Order 12148 and those 

responsibilities delegated to the FEMA Regional Director in the Code of Federal 

Regulations, Title 44, Part 205. 
B-3 

Federal On-Scene Commander (OSC) - The FBI official designated upon JOC 

activation to ensure appropriate coordination of the overall United States government 

response with Federal, State and local authorities, until such time as the Attorney 

General transfers the LFA role to FEMA. 

Federal Response Plan (FRP) - (1) The plan designed to address the consequences of 

any disaster or emergency situation in which there is a need for Federal assistance 

under the authorities of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 

Assistance Act, 42 U. S.C. 5 121 et seq. (2) The FRP is the Federal government’s 

plan of action for assisting affected States and local jurisdictions in the event of a 

major disaster or emergency. 

First Responder - Local police, fire, and emergency medical personnel who first arrive 

on the scene of an incident and take action to save lives, protect property, and meet 

basic human needs.

Joint Information Center (JIC) - A center established to coordinate the Federal public 

information activities on-scene. It is the central point of contact for all news media at 

the scene of the incident. Public information officials from all participating Federal 

agencies should collocate at the JIC. Public information officials from participating 

State and local agencies also may collocate at the JIC. 

Joint Interagency Intelligence Support Element (JIISE) - The JIISE is an interagency 

intelligence component designed to fuse intelligence information from the various 

agencies participating in a response to a WMD threat or incident within an FBI JOC. 

The JIISE is an expanded version of the investigative/intelligence component which is 

part of the standardized FBI command post structure. The JIISE manages five 

functions including: security, collections management, current intelligence, 

exploitation, and dissemination. 

Joint Operations Center (JOC) - Established by the LFA under the operational control 

of the Federal OSC, as the focal point for management and direction of onsite 

activities, coordination/establishment of State requirements/priorities, and 

coordination of the overall Federal response. 

Lead Agency - The Federal department or agency assigned lead responsibility under U.S. 

law to manage and coordinate the Federal response in a specific functional area. For 

the purposes of the CONPLAN, there are two lead agencies, the FBI for Crisis 

Management and FEMA for Consequence Management. Lead agencies support the 

overall Lead Federal Agency (LFA) during all phases of the response. 

Lead Federal Agency (LFA) - The agency designated by the President to lead and

coordinate the overall Federal response is referred to as the LFA and is determined by 

the type of emergency. In general, an LFA establishes operational structures and 

procedures to assemble and work with agencies providing direct support to the LFA 
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in order to provide an initial assessment of the situation; develop an action plan; 

monitor and update operational priorities; and ensure each agency exercises its 

concurrent and distinct authorities under US law and supports the LFA in carrying out 

the President’s relevant policy. Specific responsibilities of an LFA vary according to 

the agency’s unique statutory authorities. 

Liaison - An agency official sent to another agency to facilitate interagency 

communications and coordination. 

Local Government - Any county, city, village, town, district, or political subdivision of 

any State, and Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, or Alaska Native village 

or organization, including any rural community or unincorporated town or village or 

any other public entity.

On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) - The Federal official pre-designated by the EPA and 

U.S. Coast Guard to coordinate and direct response and removals under the National 

Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan. 

Public Information Officer - Official at headquarters or in the field responsible for 

preparing and coordinating the dissemination of public information in cooperation 

with other responding Federal, State, and local agencies. 

Recovery - Recovery, in this document, includes all types of emergency actions dedicated 

to the continued protection of the public or to promoting the resumption of normal 

activities in the affected area. 

Recovery Plan - A plan developed by each State, with assistance from the responding 

Federal agencies, to restore the affected area. 

Regional Director - The Director of one of FEMA’s ten regional offices and principal 

representative for working with other Federal regions, State and local governments, 

and the private sector in that jurisdiction. 

Regional Operations Center (ROC) - The temporary operations facility for the 

coordination of Federal response and recovery activities, located at the FEMA 

Regional Office (or at the Federal Regional Center) and led by the FEMA Regional 

Director or Deputy Regional Director until the Disaster Field Office becomes 

operational. 

Response - Those activities and programs designed to address the immediate and shortterm effects of the onset of an emergency or disaster. 

Senior FEMA Official (SFO) - The official appointed by the Director of FEMA, or his 

representative, that is responsible for deploying to the JOC to: (1) serve as the senior 
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interagency consequence management representative on the Command Group, and (2) 

manage and coordinate activities taken by the Consequence Management Group. 

State Coordinating Officer - An official designated by the Governor of the affected 

State, upon a declaration of a major disaster or emergency, to coordinate State and 

local disaster assistance efforts with those of the Federal government, and to act in 

cooperation with the FCO to administer disaster recovery efforts. 

Terrorism - Terrorism includes the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or 

property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment 

thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives. 

Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) - A WMD is any device, material, or substance 

used in a manner, in a quantity or type, or under circumstances evidencing an intent to 

cause death or serious injury to persons or significant damage to property.