Homeland infrastructure protection merging

DHS organization

The Homeland Security Department's infrastructure protection organization is getting under way, formally bringing in officials from all the existing security incident detection, warning and protection agencies that will be merged into the new division.

The department's Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Division still has no nominee to lead it, but Secretary Tom Ridge has had a transition team working on how to create the offices within it for some time.

For infrastructure protection, the effort includes merging the Federal Computer Incident Response Center, the National Infrastructure Protection Center, the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office and the National Communications System.

This week, the top executives from those centers—including Sallie McDonald, FedCIRC's head and the leader of many of the civilian government's security efforts—officially moved to the department to participate full time in transition planning.