‘‘(7) identify, analyze, and monitor the imple-
mentation of best practices and lessons learned with 
respect to training and exercises; 
‘‘(8) establish a comprehensive program for the 
professional development and education of homeland 
security personnel at all levels of government, non-
governmental organizations, and emergency manage-
ment personnel in the private sector; and 
‘‘(9) perform such other duties relating to such 
responsibilities as the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(d) TRANSFER.—The Assistant Secretary for Train-
ing and Exercises shall have authority over the following: 
‘‘(1) The Noble Training Center. 
‘‘(2) The Center for Domestic Preparedness. 
‘‘(3) The National Emergency Training Center. 
‘‘(4) The National Exercise and Evaluation 
Program. 
‘‘(e) NATIONAL EXERCISE PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Assistant Secretary for Training and 
Exercises, shall carry out a National Exercise Pro-
gram for the purpose of testing, evaluating, and en-
hancing the capabilities of Federal, State, regional, 
local, and tribal government entities to prevent, pre-
pare for, respond to, mitigate against, and recover 
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from threatened or actual acts of terrorism, natural 
disasters, and other emergencies. 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS OF PROGRAM.—The National 
Exercise Program— 
‘‘(A) shall enhance coordination for pre-
paredness between all levels of government, 
emergency response providers, emergency re-
sponse support providers, nongovernmental or-
ganizations, international governments and or-
ganizations, and the private sector; 
‘‘(B) shall be— 
‘‘(i) multi disciplinary in nature, in-
cluding, as appropriate, information anal-
ysis and cybersecurity components; 
‘‘(ii) as realistic as practicable and 
based on current risk assessments, includ-
ing credible threats, vulnerabilities, and 
consequences; 
‘‘(iii) carried out with the minimum 
degree of notice to involved parties regard-
ing the timing and details of such exer-
cises, consistent with safety considerations; 
‘‘(iv) evaluated against performance 
measures and followed by corrective action 
to solve identified deficiencies; and 
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‘‘(v) assessed to learn best practices, 
which the Secretary shall share with ap-
propriate Federal, State, regional, local, 
and tribal personnel, authorities, and 
training institutions for emergency re-
sponse providers and emergency response 
support providers; and 
‘‘(C) shall provide assistance to State, re-
gional, local, and tribal governments with the 
design, implementation, and evaluation of exer-
cises that— 
‘‘(i) conform to the requirements 
under subparagraph (B); 
‘‘(ii) are consistent with any applica-
ble State or urban area homeland security 
strategy or plan; 
‘‘(iii) support implementation of— 
‘‘(I) the National Incident Man-
agement System; 
‘‘(II) 
the 
National 
Response 
Plan; 
‘‘(III) the National Preparedness 
Goal; 
‘‘(IV) the National Preparedness 
Guidance; 
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‘‘(V) the National Infrastructure 
Protection Plan; and 
‘‘(VI) any other similar national 
initiatives; and 
‘‘(iv) provide for systematic evaluation 
of readiness. 
‘‘(3) NATIONAL LEVEL EXERCISES.—The Sec-
retary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for 
Training and Exercises, shall periodically but not 
less than biennially, perform national exercises for 
the following purposes: 
‘‘(A) To involve in national exercises high- 
ranking officials from— 
‘‘(i) Federal, State, local, tribal, and 
international governments; 
‘‘(ii) nongovernmental organizations, 
including faith-based organizations; 
‘‘(ii) the private sector; and 
‘‘(iv) others as the Secretary considers 
appropriate. 
‘‘(B) To test and evaluate, in coordination 
with the Attorney General and the Secretary of 
Defense, the capability of Federal, State, local, 
and tribal government entities to detect, dis-
rupt, and prevent threatened or actual cata-
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strophic acts of terrorism, especially those in-
volving weapons of mass destruction; 
‘‘(C) To test and evaluate the readiness of 
Federal, State, local, and tribal government en-
tities to respond in a coordinated and unified 
manner to catastrophic acts of terrorism, nat-
ural disasters, and other emergencies; and 
‘‘(D) To test and evaluate the readiness of 
Federal, State, local, and tribal government en-
tities to recover from catastrophic acts of ter-
rorism, natural disasters, and other emer-
gencies. 
‘‘(4) COORDINATION AND CONSULTATION.—In 
carrying out the National Exercise Program, the 
Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) coordinate with— 
‘‘(i) components of the Department 
that have expertise in exercises, including 
the Coast Guard, the United States Secret 
Service, United States Customs and Bor-
der Protection, and United States Immi-
gration and Customs Enforcement; and 
‘‘(ii) such other Federal departments 
and agencies as the Secretary determines 
are appropriate; and 
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‘‘(B) consult regularly with— 
‘‘(i) a geographic and substantive 
cross section of emergency response pro-
viders and emergency response support 
providers (including such providers located 
in both urban and rural areas); 
‘‘(ii) Federal, State, and local training 
institutions for emergency response pro-
viders and emergency response support 
providers; and 
‘‘(iii) State and local officials, includ-
ing Adjutant Generals, with expertise in 
terrorism preparedness and emergency 
management. 
‘‘(5) TOP OFFICIAL PREVENTION EXERCISES.— 
No later than one year after the date of enactment 
of the National Emergency Management Reform 
and Enhancement Act of 2006, the Secretary, acting 
through the Assistant Secretary for Training and 
Exercises, shall establish a program through which 
the Secretary carries out periodically but not less 
than biennially a national terrorism prevention exer-
cise for the purposes of— 
‘‘(A) involving in national exercises high- 
ranking officials from Federal, State, local, 
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tribal, and international governments, as the 
Secretary considers appropriate; and 
‘‘(B) testing and evaluating, in coordina-
tion with the Attorney General and the Sec-
retary of Defense, the capability of Federal, 
State, local, and tribal government entities to 
detect, disrupt, and prevent threatened or ac-
tual catastrophic acts of terrorism. 
‘‘(6) NATIONAL
EXERCISE
STRATEGY.—The 
Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary 
for Training and Exercises, shall develop a multi- 
year national homeland security exercise plan and 
submit the plan to the Homeland Security Council 
for review and approval. 
‘‘(f) NATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Assistant Secretary for Training and 
Exercises, shall carry out a National Training Pro-
gram for the purpose of enhancing the capabilities 
of the Nation’s emergency response providers to pre-
vent, prepare for, respond to, mitigate against, and 
recover from threatened or actual acts of terrorism, 
natural disasters, and other emergencies. 
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The National Training 
Program shall provide training that— 
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‘‘(A) reaches multiple disciplines, including 
Federal, State, and local government officials, 
emergency response providers, emergency re-
sponse support providers, the private sector, 
international governments and organizations, 
and other entities as the Secretary considers 
appropriate; 
‘‘(B) provides training at the awareness, 
performance, and management and planning 
levels; 
‘‘(C) utilizes multiple training mediums 
and methods, including— 
‘‘(i) direct delivery; 
‘‘(ii) train-the-trainer; 
‘‘(iii) computer-based training; 
‘‘(iv) web-based training; and 
‘‘(v) video teleconferencing; 
‘‘(D) is consistent with any applicable 
State or urban area homeland security strategy 
or plan; 
‘‘(E) is consistent with, and supports im-
plementation of, the National Incident Manage-
ment System, the National Response Plan, the 
National Preparedness Goal, the National Pre-
paredness Guidance, the National Infrastruc-
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ture Protection Plan, and other such national 
initiatives; 
‘‘(F) is evaluated against clear and con-
sistent performance measures; and 
‘‘(G) to the greatest extent practicable, uti-
lizes State, regional, and tribal training institu-
tions. 
‘‘(3) 
NATIONAL
VOLUNTARY
CONSENSUS 
STANDARDS.—The Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) support the development, promulga-
tion, and regular updating as necessary of na-
tional voluntary consensus standards for train-
ing; and 
‘‘(B) ensure that the training provided 
under the National Training Program is con-
sistent with such standards. 
‘‘(4) TRAINING PARTNERS.—In developing and 
delivering training under the National Training Pro-
gram, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) work with government training facili-
ties, academic institutions, private organiza-
tions, and other entities that provide special-
ized, state-of-the-art training for emergency re-
sponder providers or emergency response sup-
port providers; and 
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‘‘(B) utilize, as appropriate, training 
courses provided by community colleges, State 
and local public safety academies, State and 
private universities, and other facilities. 
‘‘(5) COORDINATION AND CONSULTATION.—In 
carrying out the National Training Program, the 
Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) coordinate with— 
‘‘(i) components of the Department 
that have expertise in training, including 
the Coast Guard, the United States Secret 
Service, the United States Fire Adminis-
tration, and the Federal Law Enforcement 
Training Center; and 
‘‘(ii) such other Federal departments 
and agencies as the Secretary determines 
are appropriate; and 
‘‘(B) consult regularly with— 
‘‘(i) a geographic and substantive 
cross section of emergency response pro-
viders and emergency response support 
providers (including such providers located 
in both urban and rural areas); and 
‘‘(ii) State and local officials, includ-
ing Adjutants General, with expertise in 
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terrorism preparedness and emergency 
management. 
‘‘(g) REMEDIAL ACTION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.— 
The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for 
Training and Exercises, shall establish a Remedial Action 
Management Program to— 
‘‘(1) identify and analyze training, exercises, 
and real-world events for lessons learned and best 
practices; 
‘‘(2) generate after action reports for Incidents 
of National Significance as declared by the Secretary 
under the National Response Plan; 
‘‘(3) disseminate lessons learned and best prac-
tices; 
‘‘(4) monitor the implementation of lessons 
learned and best practices; 
‘‘(5) conduct remedial action tracking and long- 
term trend analysis; and 
‘‘(6) certify that— 
‘‘(A) recipients of Federal homeland secu-
rity 
assistance 
have 
implemented 
lessons 
learned and best practices, as appropriate; and 
‘‘(B) ensure that no recipient uses any 
Federal homeland security assistance without 
such certification. 
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‘‘(h) NATIONAL DOMESTIC PREPAREDNESS CONSOR-
TIUM.—There is in the Department a National Domestic 
Preparedness Consortium that— 
‘‘(1) includes as members— 
‘‘(A) the Center for Domestic Prepared-
ness; 
‘‘(B) the New Mexico Institute of Mining 
and Technology; 
‘‘(C) Louisiana State University; 
‘‘(D) Texas A&M University; and 
‘‘(E) the Nevada Test Site of the Depart-
ment of Energy. 
‘‘(2) identifies, develops, tests, and delivers 
training to State, local, and tribal emergency re-
sponse providers; 
‘‘(3) provides on-site training at the perform-
ance and management and planning levels; and 
‘‘(4) facilitates the delivery of awareness level 
training by the training partners of the Department. 
‘‘(i) NATIONAL EXERCISE SIMULATION CENTER.— 
There is in the Department a National Exercise Simula-
tion Center that uses a mix of live, virtual, and construc-
tive simulations to— 
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‘‘(1) prepare elected officials and emergency re-
sponse providers at all levels of Government to oper-
ate cohesively; 
‘‘(2) provide a learning environment for the 
homeland security personnel of all Federal depart-
ments and agencies; 
‘‘(3) assist in the development of operational 
procedures and exercises, particularly those based on 
catastrophic incidents; and 
‘‘(4) allow incident commanders to exercise de-
cision-making in a simulated environment. 
‘‘SEC. 523. ESSENTIAL CAPABILITIES. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT
OF
ESSENTIAL
CAPABILI-
TIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Building upon the National 
Preparedness Goal, the Secretary, acting through 
the Assistant Secretary for Grants and Planning, 
shall regularly update, revise, or replace essential ca-
pabilities for State, local, and tribal government 
emergency preparedness, in consultation with the 
following: 
‘‘(A) The National Advisory Council on 
Emergency Management under section 508. 
‘‘(B) Components of the Department, in-
cluding the Under Secretary for Science and 
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Technology, the Chief Intelligence Officer, the 
Director for Operations Coordination, the As-
sistant Secretary for Policy, the Assistant Sec-
retary for Transportation Security, the Assist-
ant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, the 
Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and Tele-
communications, the Commissioner of United 
States Customs and Border Protection, and the 
Commandant of the Coast Guard. 
‘‘(C) The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services. 
‘‘(D) Other appropriate Federal depart-
ments and agencies. 
‘‘(E) State, local, and tribal emergency re-
sponse providers. 
‘‘(F) State, local, and tribal emergency re-
sponse support providers. 
‘‘(G) State, local, and tribal prevention and 
emergency management officials, including Ad-
jutant Generals. 
‘‘(H) Consensus-based standardmaking or-
ganizations responsible for setting standards 
relevant to emergency response providers and 
emergency response support providers. 
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‘‘(2) DEADLINES.—The Secretary shall update, 
revise, or replace the essential capabilities under 
paragraph (1) not later than 30 days after receiving 
the report submitted by the National Advisory Coun-
cil on Emergency Management under section 508(d). 
‘‘(3) REPORT ON PROVISION OF ESSENTIAL CA-
PABILITIES.—The Secretary shall ensure that a re-
port containing a detailed description of the essential 
capabilities is provided promptly to State and tribal 
governments and to Congress. The States shall 
make the description of the essential capabilities 
available as appropriate to local governments within 
their jurisdictions. 
‘‘(b) OBJECTIVES.—The Secretary shall ensure that 
essential capabilities meet the following objectives: 
‘‘(1) Essential capabilities shall describe specifi-
cally the planning, personnel, equipment, training, 
and exercises that State, local, or tribal governments 
should possess or have access to for purposes of the 
Department’s goals for emergency preparedness 
based on— 
‘‘(A) the National Preparedness Goal and 
supporting directives, policies, and guidelines; 
‘‘(B) the most current risk assessment 
available from the Chief Intelligence Officer of 
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the threats of terrorism against the United 
States; 
‘‘(C) the risks faced by different types of 
communities, including communities of various 
sizes, geographies, and other distinguishing 
characteristics; and 
‘‘(D) the principles of regional coordination 
and mutual aid among State, local, and tribal 
governments. 
‘‘(2) Essential capabilities shall be sufficiently 
flexible so as to allow State, local, and tribal govern-
ment officials to establish priorities based on local or 
regional needs while reaching nationally determined 
emergency preparedness levels within a specified 
time period. 
‘‘(3) Essential capabilities shall be designed to 
enable the measurement of progress toward specific 
emergency preparedness goals. 
‘‘(c) FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In updating, revising, or 
replacing essential capabilities for State, local, or 
tribal governments under subsection (a)(1), the Sec-
retary specifically shall consider the variables of 
threat, vulnerability, and consequences with respect 
to population (including transient commuting and 
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tourist populations), areas of high population den-
sity, critical infrastructure, coastline, and inter-
national borders. 
‘‘(2) BASIS FOR CONSIDERATION.—Such con-
sideration shall be based upon the most current risk 
assessment available from the Chief Intelligence Of-
ficer and the Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure 
Protection of the threats of terrorism against the 
United States and the needs described in the Na-
tional Preparedness Goal and the directives, policies, 
and guidelines supporting the National Preparedness 
Goal. 
‘‘SEC. 524. CATASTROPHIC PLANNING. 
‘‘(a) 
CATASTROPHIC
EMERGENCY
PLANS
RE-
QUIRED.—The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary for Grants and Planning and in consultation 
with the Assistant Secretary for Training and Exercises, 
shall require any State or urban area that submits an ap-
plication to the Secretary for Federal homeland security 
financial assistance administered by the Department to 
maintain a catastrophic emergency plan to be imple-
mented in the event of an act of terrorism, natural dis-
aster, or other emergency. The Secretary shall require the 
State or urban area to update, implement, and exercise 
the catastrophic emergency plan as necessary. 
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