Mr. LaShawn (Shawn) Lenore, FEMA NED Director.
Welcome to the January 2023 edition of “NED News,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Exercise Division’s (NED) wrap-up of this quarter’s activities. NED has a lot of exciting plans for 2023 that we cannot wait to share with you in this edition. In 2023, we look forward to hosting more seminars through the Climate Adaptation Exercise Series (CAES) in FEMA Regions 2, 4, 6, 9 and 10; rolling out New Governor Orientation exercises designed to prepare new Governors and their Cabinets to lead through crisis; preparing for the National Level Exercise (NLE) 2024 in the Hawaiian Islands and California; and debuting the new National Exercise Program (NEP) Management Plan and 2023-2026 Principals’ Exercise Priorities (PEPs) for the NEP. You can read more about each of these initiatives below.
Successful exercises are built upon strong relationships among partners, and as we reflect on 2022, we are proud of the relationships we continue to build with partners across the exercise community. In 2022, we supported 78 exercises hosted by State, Local, Tribal and Territorial (SLTT) jurisdictions across the United States, including 40 exercises as part of NLE 2022. We also supported eight Senior Officials Exercises (SOE) for National Security Council Staff and two Secretary’s Leadership Exercises for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas. We have even strengthened relationships with international partners, such as through NED’s engagement with the Canada-United States Emergency Management Consultative Group. I’m looking forward to continuing these relationships and forging new ones in 2023, especially with communities impacted by climate change or that lack experience using exercises to enhance preparedness.
Do you have an idea for how your community can partner with NED in 2023? Please share it with us by emailing NEP@fema.dhs.gov. If you represent an SLTT jurisdiction, don’t forget that you can apply for exercise support during the upcoming 2023 Exercise Support Request Round. Information on how and when to submit an exercise support request can be found on the NEP’s website here.
Thank you for your continued support of NED. Together, we can make 2023 another great year for exercises!
In response to the increased threat of climate change throughout the United States, NED developed the CAES to help FEMA regions and emergency management partners understand how climate change will impact their specific region. CAES helps clearly convey that climate change means more than just bigger, more frequent storms. The scope of CAES addresses the ways climate change impacts the field of emergency management and beyond, affecting everything from migration patterns to food scarcity to public health challenges.
This exercise series:
- Examines historical and environmental factors that have led to disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations and how to engage underrepresented groups in the climate conversation.
- Explores how local climate adaptation policies and plans align with national trends, guidance, policies and laws.
- Promotes U.S. federal grant programs, such as the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program.
- Introduces participants to climate adaptation subject-matter experts (SME).
- Promotes dialogue on the economic benefits and cost savings of adaptation measures, factoring in long-term benefits against short term costs.
- Enhances the climate literacy of the emergency management community at all levels.
Possibly the most important goal of the CAES is to identify and bridge gaps and build networks between SLTT climate service providers and emergency managers. Through these relationships, real climate adaptation can occur. The design, development and delivery of CAES in each region is achieved through partnerships using a stakeholder-centric approach.
NED, in collaboration with the FEMA Regional Offices and interagency partners, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Department of Agriculture; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Health and Human Services (HHS); Housing and Urban Development; and Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency is conducting Climate Adaptation Seminars. In 2022, we conducted seminars in FEMA Regions 1, 3, 5, 7 and 8 and will continue this effort in 2023 with conduct being planned in Regions 2, 4, 6, 9 and 10. Please reach out to your FEMA Regional Exercise Office (REO) or NEP@fema.dhs.gov to participate in or to conduct future climate adaptation Seminars, Workshops or Tabletop Exercises (TTX).
FEMA’s New Governor Orientation is designed to help Governors and their senior leadership prepare for the threats and hazards they could face during their Administration and to lead through crisis. The range of threats and hazards facing State and territorial governments and emergency managers is rapidly increasing and Governors are often the first to encounter these challenges. In the past year alone, Governors have responded to catastrophic hurricanes, extreme heat and drought, urban area wildland fires, domestic terrorism, border security, refugee resettlement, cyberattacks and critical infrastructure threats, all while continuing to manage the ongoing global pandemic.
Through a partnership between FEMA’s NED and the Emergency Management Institute, the primary effort for 2023 will be half-day crisis leadership Seminars that allow a State or territory’s leadership team to examine roles, responsibilities, capabilities and gaps in response to a potential real-world threat. The 2023 New Governor Seminars will be geared toward those newly elected in November 2022 and will be structured to bring together experienced crisis leaders in a roundtable setting to examine domestic incident management policy, doctrine, programs, capabilities, coordination structures, operational frameworks and other practices currently in place nationally and within their state. The seminars will also focus on how new Governors can access Federal resources during a crisis and help connect them with key FEMA leaders in advance of a disaster. The result is a more prepared, connected and resilient leadership structure ready to lead through crisis from day one.
The Fall 2022 NEP Exercise Support Request (ESR) Round wrapped up on Dec. 21, 2022. NED received and reviewed a record 37 new ESRs, which is an increase of 23 ESRs compared to those reviewed during the Spring 2022 Round. Through the ESR process, SLTT jurisdictions can request FEMA exercise support, including assistance with exercise design, scenario development, planning, conduct and evaluation in the form of subject-matter expertise, material production, or facilitation for selected exercises. For the 2022 Fall Round, NED selected 24 exercises from 19 different states and 2 territories. Figure 1 summarizes the outcomes of the Fall 2022 ESR.
More information about the upcoming 2023 ESR Round can be found below.
Fall 2022 NEP Exercise Support Round by the Numbers
NED is changing the timing of the 2023 ESR process! We are making these changes to ensure that we can best support our exercise partners nationwide. The Spring 2023 ESRs will no longer be due on April 3, 2023. NED will release the dates of the next round of ESRs on the NEP website, FEMA.gov/NEP, when they are available. Be sure to check the website and look out for announcements about the 2023 ESR in future editions of NED News!
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The Fort Bend Functional Exercise: This is one example of the exercies support communities can request from NED.
January marks the beginning of the 2023-2026 NEP cycle. For increased clarity and to highlight their focus on exercises, the Principals’ Strategic Priorities were renamed the PEPs. The PEPs are the exercise priorities established by the Principals Committee of the National Security Council, and they drive each four-year NEP cycle.
The PEPs are based on preparedness data; lessons from past exercises and real-world incidents; strategy and policy documents; capability assessments from partners across the nation; and input from SMEs. Exercises aligned to the 2023–2026 PEPs will help partners evaluate how effectively they build, sustain and deliver capabilities to strengthen national preparedness. The 2023-2026 PEPs are currently under review. The proposed 2023-2026 PEPs include Climate Resilience and Adaptation; Complex Incident Coordination; Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity; Public Health Emergencies; Supply Chain Resilience; and Recovery. Stay tuned for additional updates on the official rollout of the final 2023-2026 PEPs on the NEP website soon.
- Pasco County Point of Distribution Exercise
- Operation Granite Bay InterComm
- Hillsborough County Shelter Exercise
- Region 2 Climate Adaptation Seminar
- Region 10 Climate Adaptation Seminar
This past year, members of FEMA’s NED, Climate Team, National Integration Center and Office of Response and Recovery formed a team that participated in The Opportunity Project (TOP) led by the U.S. Census Bureau Census Open Innovation Labs. The team partnered with the private sector to tackle the challenge of Building Community and Individual Climate Resilience. We invite you to join our U.S. Census Bureau partners as they present The Opportunity Project Summit 2023 on Feb. 22-24, 2023. The virtual event will include three half-days of keynotes, lightning talks, product demos and more, focused on building thriving communities, inclusive innovation and interactive learning. FEMA’s work will be highlighted as part of the TOP Summit’s larger effort to grow the networks and skill sets of all attendees. Visit the following link to register and learn more: topsummit2023.splashthat.com. The event is free and open to the public, so please feel free to share this invitation widely. Curious to learn more? Email: Tiffany Wimenta (tiffany.wimenta@fema.dhs.gov)
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