Office of the Secretary

Office of State and Local Government 

Coordination & Preparedness 

Washington, DC 2053 

ODP Information Bulletin 

No. 178 June 17, 2005

TO: All State Administrative Agency Heads 

 All State Administrative Agency Exercise Points of Contact 

 All Urban Area Security Initiative Points of Contact 

 All State Homeland Security Directors 

 All State Emergency Management Directors 

 All Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Directors 

 

FROM: Matt Mayer 

Acting Executive Director, Office of State and Local Government Coordination and 

Preparedness 

 

SUBJECT: National Exercise Schedule (NEXS) 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recognizes that unifying exercise collection under one 

system reduces the reporting responsibilities of Federal, State and local governments. In June of 

2004, the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) and the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA) began collaborating on the implementation of a single exercise scheduling and 

reporting system (June 2004 memo is attached). To date, FEMA, along with several additional 

government agencies, has adopted the ODP Secure Portal Exercise Scheduler as the single location 

for gathering and managing unclassified Federal, State, and local exercise schedule information. 

 

The Fiscal Year 2005 Homeland Security Grant Program (i.e., State Homeland Security Program 

and Urban Area Security Initiative) and Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program 

(HSEEP) require that States and urban areas produce, and update annually, a Multi-year Exercise 

Plan and schedule. These schedules must be entered and updated in the ODP Secure Portal Exercise 

Scheduler (https://odp.esportals.com). It is imperative that States reflect all exercises (technological, 

terrorism, and natural disasters) planned in their respective jurisdictions (e.g., ODP, REP, CSEPP, 

CDC, HRSA, TSA, etc.). 

 

All exercise activities entered in the portal are incorporated into the National Exercise Schedule 

(NEXS). It is a compilation of all national-level, Federal, State, and local exercises. NEXS includes 

details such as exercise name, location, date, scenario, and focus. It is published monthly and 

provided in three formats which can currently be found on the ODP Secure Portal. To view these 

schedules, click on the "NEXS" link in the library. Attached is the latest version of NEXS, which 

illustrates exercises scheduled for the next year. 

If all jurisdictions are utilizing the ODP Secure Portal Exercise Scheduler, NEXS will provide an 

accurate assessment of all exercise activities planned in the next year and will assist in synchronizing 
exercise activities across the country. It allows Federal, State, and local representatives to view all 

exercises that are planned in the 56 States and territories. An accurate NEXS provides jurisdictions 

with the opportunity to coordinate with one another in planning exercises. It also allows Federal 

partners the opportunity to adjust their schedules in order to participate in exercises at the State and 

local level. Assistance from all jurisdictions is essential in order for NEXS to be a correct and 

reliable. 

 

Each State must designate a portal administrator who is responsible for entering scheduling data 

through the respective State's portal organization. If a State does not have a portal administrator, 

the State Administrative Agency (SAA) must designate a Point of Contact by July 1, 

2005. Please send an email to askcsid@dhs.gov if you have not designated an administrator to 

schedule exercises. 

 

For questions about this process, please send an email to hseep@dhs.gov. 

Attachments: Initial NEXS Bulletin-June 2004 

 Comprehensive One-Year Exercise Schedule