Federal counter-terrorism training programs are varied and are provided by numerous federal agencies and departments. Some of these departments and agencies include the Departments of Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Justice, and Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Each department and agency provides specific counter-terrorism training targeted to a given categories of recipients. Training recipients include federal, state, and local government personnel, emergency responders, and private and public critical infrastructure personnel. The programs train individuals to prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks. Some of the training programs, such as those of the Departments of Transportation (DOT) and Energy (DOE), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are designed for personnel working in critical infrastructure sectors. Other programs, such as those of the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Homeland Security (DHS), are intended for personnel who are not identified with specific critical infrastructure. Instead, DOD and DHS provide training for government personnel, emergency responders, and medical professionals who would respond to a terrorist attack, regardless of location or target. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides training specifically to public health and medical personnel to prepare them to respond to any disaster, but especially to terrorist attacks using biological, chemical, and radiological weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The Department of Justice (DOJ) provides training specifically for federal, state, and local law enforcement personnel. Most of these federal departments and agencies provide training in conjunction with private and public educational institutions, federal laboratories, and federal research and development centers. The mission of DHS to secure the nation from terrorist attacks gives it primary federal responsibility for providing counter-terrorism training to federal, state, and local emergency responders. Other departments and agencies provide counter-terrorism training, but their programs focus either on specific critical infrastructure sectors, such as energy and transportation, or on specific emergency responders, such as HHS training for medical personnel and DOJ training for law enforcement personnel. DHS provides training to a wide range of critical infrastructure personnel, law enforcement and other emergency responders, government (federal, state, and local) personnel, and medical personnel. This report provides an overview of the major training activities and facilities of the federal departments and agencies that provide counter-terrorism training. It identifies some of the issues associated with that training. The issues include: possible duplication of federal counter-terrorism training programs; determination of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) counter-terrorism training priorities; and possible redundancy and coordination of DHS counter-terrorism trainingÂ programs. DHS comprises numerous agencies, offices, institutes, and partners that provide counter-terrorism training for federal, state, and local government personnel. DHS training is provided at such facilities as the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), National Fire Academy (NFA), and Emergency Management Institute (EMI). FLETC is an interagency law enforcement center that provides training for federal law enforcement agencies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers EMI and NFA training activities. NFA trains fire and emergency response personnel to enhance their abilities to respond to fires and related emergencies. EMI is a training program consisting of resident and non-resident courses aimed at enhancing emergency management practices. The Office for Grants and Training (G&T), which has the primary responsibility within DHS for preparing for potential terrorist attacks against the United States, is the principal DHS agency providing counter-terrorism and WMD training to states and localities. G&T provides terrorism and WMD training through DHS training institutions and partners. G&T training partners include the Training and Data Exchange Group (TRADE), the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC), federal departments, and private and professional organizations. G&T training is designed to meet the varying needs of its training audiences. It includes reaching multiple emergency responder disciplines through training at the awareness, performance, planning, and management levels. G&T uses a variety of approaches that include traditional classroom methods, train-the-trainer, Web-based training, and video teleconferencing. TRADE is a federal interagency group that provides training to state and local emergency responders and reviews member courses for consistency, avoidance of training duplication, and the use of up-to-date training methods. TRADE members include the following: United States Fire Administration's (USFDA) National Fire Academy (NFA); Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Department of Justice (DOJ); Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Department of Energy (DOE); Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Emergency Management Institute (EMI); and Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). NDPC is composed of federal training facilities and academic institutions which provide training to emergency responders in different locations in the United States. NDPC members include: Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), at Anniston, Alabama; Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education (ACE), at Louisiana State UniversityÂ (LSU); National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC), at the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), Texas A&M University (TAMU); Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC), at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMIMT); and National Center for Exercise Excellence (NCEE), at Nevada Test Site (NTS). Center for Domestic Preparedness . CDP, administered by G&T, provides specialized training to state and local emergency responders in the management and mitigation of domestic terrorism incidents, specifically those incidents involving chemical agents and other toxic substances. Academy for Counter - Terrorism Education . ACE, administered by LSU, provides training to emergency responders on the detection, prevention, and response to terrorist incidents involving WMD. The training ranges from basic firefighting to advanced technical training in rescue and hazardous materials. National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center . NERRTC was established by the Texas Engineering Extension Service at Texas A&M University and provides counter-terrorism training for federal, state, and local officials (including emergency responders). The center includes a mock city, an explosives area, and a weapons range for emergency response training. Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center . Under a cooperative agreement with G&T, EMRTC, administered by the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, provides explosive and incendiary training to state and local emergency responders. The training focuses on WMD incident operations and awareness. National Exercise, Test, and Training Center . NETTC, administered by DOE's Nevada Test Site, provides radiological and nuclear WMD training to federal, state, and local emergency responders. The center's training includes courses on radiation and nuclear agents and WMD exercise design. In addition to TRADE and NDPC, G&T has cooperative agreements with other federal agencies, private industry, academic institutions, and professional organizations that provide training to federal, state, and local emergency responders. These partners include the following: Community Research Associates; U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground; International Association of Fire Fighters; U.S. Navy's Naval Postgraduate School; National Sheriff's Association; General Physics Corporation at Pine Bluff Arsenal; Science Applications International Corporation; George Washington University; Michigan State University; International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators; and International Association of Chiefs of Police. The majority of the Department of Defense's (DOD) terrorism-related training courses are dedicated to military personnel. DOD's expertise and range of training facilities related to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons, however, offer a limited selection of training programs that are available to non-DOD personnel. Most of these programs are intended for medical and technical personnel who could be called upon to respond and treat casualties following an incident involving CBRN weapons. Several of the training courses are provided with the joint sponsorship of the American Red Cross. DOD provides counter-terrorism training to non-DOD personnel at the following: U.S. Army Medical Research Institutes for Chemical and Infectious Diseases, Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, and Dugway Proving Ground in Utah; Clara Barton Center for Domestic Preparedness, U.S. Army Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas; Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, in Bethesda, Maryland; and Joint Interagency Training Center, in San Diego, California. The Department of Energy (DOE) provides technical assistance and training to states for public safety officials of appropriate units of local government and Indian tribes through whose jurisdictions DOE plans to transport spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste. DOE's Office of Environmental Management trains emergency responders for shipments to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), and also provides training through the Transportation Emergency Preparedness Program (TEPP). Twenty-three states have received approximately $30 million in training since 1988 to prepare for radioactive waste shipments to the WIPP near Carlsbad, New Mexico. The TEPP has provided technical assistance and training to emergency responders in 34 states in the past two years. In FY2002, DOE provided $5.8 million for training to the states along its major transportation corridors. DOE estimates that it has trained 16,200 responders sinceÂ FY1999. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HPSD-7) affirmed EPA as the lead federal agency for coordinating the protection of the nation's critical infrastructure for the water sector. To carry out its water sector responsibilities, EPA has established a Water Security Division within the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water. This division works with drinking water and wastewater utilities, states, tribes, and other stakeholders to improve the security of these utilities and improve their ability to respond to security threats and breaches. Among its responsibilities and activities, the Water Security Division provides security and antiterrorism-related technical assistance and training to the water sector.