Overview of the National 

Planning Frameworks

May 2013

Overview of the National Planning Frameworks

Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1

Key Themes ................................................................................................................... 1

Engaged Partnership with the Whole Community ...............................................................1

Scalability, Flexibility, and Adaptability in Implementation...............................................2

Integration Among the Frameworks ......................................................................................2

Framework Overviews .................................................................................................. 2

National Prevention Framework ............................................................................................2

National Mitigation Framework .............................................................................................3

National Response Framework ...............................................................................................4

National Disaster Recovery Framework ................................................................................5

Conclusion..................................................................................................................... 6

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Introduction

Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) 8: National Preparedness was released in March 2011 with

the goal of strengthening the security and resilience of the United States through systematic 

preparation for the threats that pose the greatest risk to the security of the Nation. PPD-8 defines 

five preparedness mission areas—Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery—

and mandates the development of a series of policy and planning documents to explain and guide 

the Nation’s approach for ensuring and enhancing national preparedness. 

The National Planning Frameworks, which are part of the National Preparedness System,1 set the 

strategy and doctrine for building, sustaining, and delivering the core capabilities identified in 

the National Preparedness Goal.2

 They describe the coordinating structures and alignment of key 

roles and responsibilities for the whole community and are integrated to ensure interoperability 

across all mission areas.3 The frameworks address the roles of individuals; nonprofit entities and 

nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); the private sector; communities; critical infrastructure; 

governments; and the Nation as a whole. This document is comprised primarily of excerpts from 

the National Planning Frameworks and presents a high-level introduction to each framework, as 

well as the key themes identified across the frameworks. The mission areas represent a spectrum 

of activity. They are highly interdependent and there is regular coordination among departments 

and agencies working to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from all 

threats and hazards.

Key Themes

Each framework establishes a set of key themes that will guide the development and execution of 

the 31 core capabilities identified in the National Preparedness Goal. These key themes are 

intrinsic to the Nation’s success in ensuring and enhancing national preparedness and are 

integrated across the frameworks. Three key themes are described below: Engaged Partnership 

with the Whole Community; Scalability, Flexibility, and Adaptability in Implementation; and 

Integration Among the Frameworks. 

Engaged Partnership with the Whole Community

Engaging the whole community is critical to successfully achieving a secure and resilient Nation, 

and individual and community preparedness is a key component. An effective partnership relies 

1 The National Preparedness System describes the process employed to build, sustain, and deliver core capabilities 

in order to achieve the goal of a secure and resilient Nation.

2 The National Preparedness Goal defines the core capabilities required to achieve the goal of “a secure and resilient 

Nation with the capabilities required across the whole community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, 

and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk.”

3 The whole community includes individuals, families, and households; communities; the private and nonprofit 

sectors; faith-based organizations; and local, state, tribal, territorial, and Federal governments. Whole community is 

defined in the National Preparedness Goal as “a focus on enabling the participation in national preparedness 

activities of a wider range of players from the private and nonprofit sectors, including nongovernmental 

organizations and the general public, in conjunction with the participation of Federal, state, and local governmental 

partners in order to foster better coordination and working relationships.” The National Preparedness Goal is located 

online at http://www.fema.gov/ppd8. 

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on engaging all elements of the whole community and, when appropriate, international partners. 

Engaged partnership and coalition building includes clear, consistent, effective,4 and culturally 

appropriate communication and shared situational awareness. Participation within these 

partnerships should include advocates for all elements of the whole community. The most 

effective partnerships within a community capitalize on all available resources—identifying, 

developing, fostering, and strengthening new and existing coordinating structures to create a 

unity of effort.

Scalability, Flexibility, and Adaptability in Implementation

Core capabilities should be scalable, flexible, and adaptable and executed as needed to address 

the full range of threats and hazards as they evolve. Scalable, flexible, and adaptable 

coordinating structures are essential in aligning the key roles and responsibilities to deliver the 

core capabilities. The flexibility of such structures helps ensure that communities across the 

country can organize efforts to address a variety of risks based on their unique needs, 

capabilities, demographics, governing structures, and non-traditional partners. 

Integration Among the Frameworks

The five mission areas aid in organizing national preparedness activities. Core capabilities are 

highly interdependent and applicable to any threat or hazard. All five mission areas integrate 

with each other through interdependencies, shared assets, and overlapping objectives.

Three core capabilities span all five mission areas: Planning; Public Information and Warning; 

and Operational Coordination. The common core capabilities serve to unify the mission areas, 

promote unity of effort, and are essential foundations for the success of the remaining core 

capabilities.

In addition to the three common core capabilities, a number of other core capabilities involve 

more than one mission area (e.g., Protection and Prevention share a number of common elements 

and rely on many of the same core capabilities). Integration among mission area resources and 

processes is important to maximize core capabilities and minimize risk. Many of the core 

capabilities can be linked across mission areas through shared assets and services. For example, 

functionality provided through geospatial services that build situational awareness can be applied 

across multiple Response core capabilities, as well as core capabilities in the other four mission 

areas.

Framework Overviews

National Prevention Framework

The National Prevention Framework describes what the whole community—from community 

members to senior leaders in government—should do upon the discovery of intelligence or 

information regarding an imminent threat to the homeland in order to thwart an initial or followon terrorist attack. This Framework helps achieve the National Preparedness Goal of a secure 

4 Emergency management information, warnings, and communications must be effective for individuals with 

disabilities and provide meaningful access to individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) through the use of 

appropriate auxiliary aids and services (e.g., interpreters, captioning, alternate format documents).

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and resilient Nation that is optimally prepared to prevent an imminent terrorist attack within the 

United States. The processes and policies described in this document will be conducted in 

accordance with existing laws and regulations.

This Framework provides guidance to leaders and practitioners at all levels of government; 

private- and non-profit sector partners; and individuals to prevent, avoid, or stop a threatened or 

actual act of terrorism by:

 Describing the core capabilities needed to prevent an imminent act of terrorism

 Aligning key roles and responsibilities to deliver Prevention capabilities in time-sensitive 

situations

 Describing coordinating structures that enable all stakeholders to work together 

 Laying the foundation for further operational coordination and planning that will synchronize 

Prevention efforts within the whole community and across the Protection, Mitigation, 

Response, and Recovery mission areas.

Prevention includes those capabilities necessary to avoid, prevent, or stop a threatened or actual 

act of terrorism. The seven Prevention core capabilities are:

 Planning 

 Public Information and Warning

 Operational Coordination

 Forensics and Attribution 

 Intelligence and Information Sharing 

 Interdiction and Disruption 

 Screening, Search, and Detection.

Coordinating structures facilitate problem solving, improve access to resources, and foster 

coordination and information sharing. Departments or agencies, as well as private and nonprofit 

entities, with unique missions in Prevention, bring additional capabilities to bear through these 

structures. These structures can function on multiple levels, to include national-level 

coordinating structures such as the DHS National Operations Center (NOC), the Federal Bureau 

of Investigation (FBI) Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC), the Office of the 

Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), the 

Department of Defense (DOD) National Military Command Center (NMCC), the FBI National 

Joint Terrorism Task Force (NJTTF), and others. Field coordinating structures, such as the FBI 

JTTFs and Field Intelligence Groups (FIGs); state and major urban area fusion centers; state and 

local counterterrorism and intelligence units; and others also play a critical role as coordinating 

structures for the prevention of imminent acts of terrorism. These structures are scalable, 

flexible, and adaptable.

National Mitigation Framework

The National Mitigation Framework establishes a common platform and forum for coordinating 

and addressing how the Nation manages risk through mitigation capabilities. It describes 

mitigation roles across the whole community. The Framework addresses how the Nation will 

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develop, employ, and coordinate mitigation core capabilities to reduce loss of life and property 

by lessening the impact of disasters. Building on a wealth of objective and evidence-based 

knowledge and community experience, the Framework seeks to increase risk awareness and 

leverage mitigation products, services, and assets across the whole community. 

The National Mitigation Framework discusses seven core capabilities required for entities 

involved in mitigation:

 Planning 

 Public Information and Warning

 Operational Coordination 

 Community Resilience

 Long-term Vulnerability Reduction

 Risk and Disaster Resilience Assessment

 Threats and Hazard Identification.

The coordinating structures for mitigation should focus on creating a national culture shift that 

embeds risk management and mitigation in all planning, decision making, and development. 

Regardless of the level of the coordinating structure, consideration of risk management and 

mitigation will reduce the Nation’s risk and associated consequences. Coordinating structures at 

the national level, particularly the Federal Government, should always strive to make Federal 

programs more useful and reduce the time it takes to go through processes. 

National Response Framework

The National Response Framework (NRF) is a guide to how the Nation responds to all types of 

disasters and emergencies. It is built on scalable, flexible, and adaptable concepts identified in 

the National Incident Management System (NIMS)5 to align key roles and responsibilities across 

the Nation. The NRF describes specific authorities and best practices for managing incidents that 

range from the serious but purely local to large-scale terrorist attacks or catastrophic6 natural 

disasters. The NRF describes the principles, roles and responsibilities, and coordinating 

structures for delivering the core capabilities required to respond to an incident and further 

describes how response efforts integrate with those of the other mission areas. The NRF is 

always in effect, and elements can be implemented at any time. The structures, roles, and 

responsibilities described in the NRF can be partially or fully implemented in the context of a 

threat or hazard, in anticipation of a significant event, or in response to an incident. Selective 

implementation of NRF structures and procedures allows for a scaled response, delivery of the 

specific resources and capabilities, and a level of coordination appropriate to each incident. 

The Response mission area focuses on ensuring that the Nation is able to respond effectively to 

all types of incidents that range from those that are adequately handled with local assets to those 

of catastrophic proportion that require marshaling the capabilities of the entire Nation. The 

5 http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims

6 A catastrophic incident is defined as any natural or manmade incident, including terrorism, which results in 

extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, 

environment, economy, national morale, or government functions.

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objectives of the Response mission area define the capabilities necessary to save lives, protect 

property and the environment, meet basic human needs, stabilize the incident, restore basic 

services and community functionality, and establish a safe and secure environment moving 

towards the transition to recovery.7 The Response mission area includes 14 core capabilities: 

 Planning 

 Public Information and Warning 

 Operational Coordination 

 Critical Transportation

 Environmental Response/Health and Safety 

 Fatality Management Services

 Infrastructure Systems

 Mass Care Services

 Mass Search and Rescue Operations

 On-scene Security and Protection

 Operational Communications 

 Public and Private Services and Resources 

 Public Health and Medical Services

 Situational Assessment.

Scalable, flexible, and adaptable coordinating structures are essential in aligning the key roles 

and responsibilities to deliver the Response mission area’s core capabilities. The flexibility of 

such structures helps ensure that communities across the country can organize response efforts to 

address a variety of risks based on their unique needs, capabilities, demographics, governing 

structures, and non-traditional partners. The NRF is not based on a one-size-fits-all 

organizational construct, but instead acknowledges the concept of a tiered response, which 

emphasizes that response to incidents should be handled at the lowest jurisdictional level capable 

of handling the mission. 

National Disaster Recovery Framework

The National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) is a guide to promote effective recovery, 

particularly for those incidents that are large-scale or catastrophic. The NDRF provides guidance 

that enables effective recovery support to disaster-impacted states, tribes, and local jurisdictions. 

It provides a flexible structure that enables disaster recovery managers to operate in a unified and 

collaborative manner. It also focuses on how best to restore, redevelop, and revitalize the health, 

7 As with all activities in support of the National Preparedness Goal, activities taken under the Response mission 

must be consistent with all pertinent statutes and policies, particularly those involving privacy and civil and human 

rights, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Civil Rights Act of 

1964.

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Overview of the National Planning Frameworks

social, economic, natural, and environmental fabric of the community and build a more resilient 

Nation. 

The NDRF defines:

 Core recovery principles

 Roles and responsibilities of recovery coordinators and other stakeholders 

 A coordinating structure that facilitates communication and collaboration among all 

stakeholders 

 Guidance for pre- and post-disaster recovery planning 

 The overall process by which communities can capitalize on opportunities to rebuild 

stronger, smarter, and safer.

The eight core capabilities described in the NDRF are:

 Planning 

 Public Information and Warning

 Operational Coordination 

 Economic Recovery 

 Health and Social Services

 Housing 

 Infrastructure Systems

 Natural and Cultural Resources.

The NDRF introduces four new concepts and terms: 

 Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator (FDRC) 

 State or Tribal Disaster Recovery Coordinators (SDRCs or TDRCs) 

 Local Disaster Recovery Managers (LDRMs) 

 Recovery Support Functions (RSFs). 

The FDRC, SDRC, TDRC, and LDRM provide focal points for incorporating recovery 

considerations into the decision-making process and monitoring the need for adjustments in 

assistance where necessary and feasible throughout the recovery process. The RSFs are a 

coordinating structure that facilitates problem solving, improves access to resources, and fosters 

coordination among state and Federal agencies, nongovernmental partners, and stakeholders. 

Each RSF has coordinating and primary Federal agencies and supporting organizations that 

operate together with local, state, and tribal government officials, NGOs, and private sector 

partners. The concepts of the FDRCs, SDRCs, TDRCs, and RSFs are scalable to the nature and 

size of the disaster.

Conclusion

The National Planning Frameworks explain the role of each mission area in national 

preparedness and provide the overarching strategy and doctrine for how the whole community 

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builds, sustains, and delivers the core capabilities. Concepts in these frameworks are used to 

guide follow-on planning activities, which provide further information regarding roles and 

responsibilities, identify the critical tasks an entity will complete to deliver core capabilities, and 

identify resources, personnel, and sourcing requirements. 

As the National Planning Frameworks are implemented in the Nation’s efforts to achieve the 

highest levels of preparedness, partners across the whole community are encouraged to develop a 

shared understanding of broad-level strategic implications that can inform critical decisions in 

building and sustaining capability and capacity. The frameworks are living documents, and will 

be reviewed regularly to evaluate consistency with existing and new policies, evolving 

conditions, and real-world application. The first review will be completed no later than 18 

months after the release of the frameworks. Subsequent reviews will be conducted in order to 

evaluate the effectiveness of the frameworks every four years. 

Lead departments and agencies, as designated in each framework, will coordinate and oversee 

the review and maintenance process for each National Planning Framework. The overall review 

and maintenance process will ensure continued integration among the frameworks. The revision 

process may include developing or updating any documents necessary in order to promote a 

unity of effort to build, sustain, and deliver the core capabilities essential to achieving the 

National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient Nation. Significant updates to the 

frameworks will be vetted through a Federal senior-level interagency review process. Each 

framework will be reviewed in order to accomplish the following: 

 Assess and update information on the core capabilities in support of the mission area goals 

and objectives 

 Ensure that it adequately reflects the organization of responsible entities 

 Ensure integration and consistency across all mission areas

 Update processes based on changes in the national risk landscape 

 Incorporate lessons learned and effective practices from day-to-day operations, exercises, and 

actual incidents and alerts

 Reflect progress in the Nation’s activities associated with each mission area, the need to 

execute new laws, executive orders, and Presidential directives, as well as strategic changes 

to national priorities and guidance, critical tasks, or national capabilities.

The implementation and review of the frameworks will consider effective practices and lessons 

learned from exercises and operations, as well as pertinent new processes and technologies. 

These technologies should enable the Nation to adapt efficiently to the evolving risk 

environment and use data relating to location, context, and interdependencies that allow for 

effective integration across all missions using a standards-based approach.

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