Planning is fundamental for our national preparedness. We use planning to engage the whole community in the development of executable strategic, operational, and tactical approaches to meet defined objectives.
The National Planning System provides a unified approach and common terminology to plan for all-threats and hazards and across all mission areas of Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery. In addition, a shared understanding of the types and levels of planning will enable the whole community to think through potential crises, determine capability requirements and address the collective risk identified during the risk assessment process.
This document contains an overview of the National Planning System and includes:
- The Planning Architecture, which describes the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of planning and planning integration; and
- The Planning Process, which describes the steps necessary to develop a comprehensive plan, from forming a team to implementing the plan.
The current homeland security environment is complex and involves an increasing number and type of partners who must work together to meet preparedness objectives. The National Planning System enables a consistent approach to planning across multiple organizations, facilitating better collaboration, situational awareness, and unity of effort while remaining flexible and adaptable to changing conditions. The architecture and process contained in the National Planning System integrates elements of the entire National Preparedness System.
The whole community – individuals and families, including those with access and functional needs; businesses and nonprofits; schools; media; and all levels of government – is encouraged to participate in the planning process.
To learn more about the National Planning System, please visitwww.fema.gov/national-preparedness