The Homeland Security Advisory System shall be binding
on the executive branch and suggested, although voluntary,
to other levels of government and the private sector.
There are five Threat Conditions, each identified by
a description and corresponding color. From lowest
to highest, the levels and colors are:
| Low |
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| Guarded |
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| Elevated |
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| High |
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| Severe |
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Click a link below to view the recommended actions
under
each threat level for:
The higher the Threat Condition, the greater the risk
of a terrorist attack. Risk includes both the probability
of an attack occurring and its potential gravity. Threat
Conditions shall be assigned by the Attorney General
in consultation with the Assistant to the President
for Homeland Security. Except in exigent circumstances,
the Attorney General shall seek the views of the appropriate
Homeland Security Principals or their subordinates,
and other parties as appropriate, on the Threat Condition
to be assigned. Threat Conditions may be assigned for
the entire Nation, or they may be set for a particular
geographic area or industrial sector. Assigned Threat
Conditions shall be reviewed at regular intervals to
determine whether adjustments are warranted.
For facilities, personnel, and operations inside the
territorial United States, all Federal departments,
agencies, and offices other than military facilities
shall conform their existing threat advisory systems
to this system and henceforth administer their systems
consistent with the determination of the Attorney General
with regard to the Threat Condition in effect.
The assignment of a Threat Condition shall prompt
the implementation of an appropriate set of Protective
Measures. Protective Measures are the specific steps
an organization shall take to reduce its vulnerability
or increase its ability to respond during a period
of heightened alert. The authority to craft and implement
Protective Measures rests with the Federal departments
and agencies. It is recognized that departments and
agencies may have several preplanned sets of responses
to a particular Threat Condition to facilitate a rapid,
appropriate, and tailored response. Department and
agency heads are responsible for developing their own
Protective Measures and other antiterrorism or self-protection
and continuity plans, and resourcing, rehearsing, documenting,
and maintaining these plans. Likewise, they retain
the authority to respond, as necessary, to risks, threats,
incidents, or events at facilities within the specific
jurisdiction of their department or agency, and, as
authorized by law, to direct agencies and industries
to implement their own Protective Measures. They shall
continue to be responsible for taking all appropriate
proactive steps to reduce the vulnerability of their
personnel and facilities to terrorist attack. Federal
department and agency heads shall submit an annual
written report to the President, through the Assistant
to the President for Homeland Security, describing
the steps they have taken to develop and implement
appropriate Protective Measures for each Threat Condition.
Governors, mayors, and the leaders of other organizations
are encouraged to conduct a similar review of their
organizations= Protective Measures.
The decision whether to publicly announce Threat Conditions
shall be made on a case-by-case basis by the Attorney
General in consultation with the Assistant to the President
for Homeland Security. Every effort shall be made to
share as much information regarding the threat as possible,
consistent with the safety of the Nation. The Attorney
General shall ensure, consistent with the safety of
the Nation, that State and local government officials
and law enforcement authorities are provided the most
relevant and timely information. The Attorney General
shall be responsible for identifying any other information
developed in the threat assessment process that would
be useful to State and local officials and others and
conveying it to them as permitted consistent with the
constraints of classification. The Attorney General
shall establish a process and a system for conveying
relevant information to Federal, State, and local government
officials, law enforcement authorities, and the private
sector expeditiously.
The Director of Central Intelligence and the Attorney
General shall ensure that a continuous and timely flow
of integrated threat assessments and reports is provided
to the President, the Vice President, Assistant to
the President and Chief of Staff, the Assistant to
the President for Homeland Security, and the Assistant
to the President for National Security Affairs. Whenever
possible and practicable, these integrated threat assessments
and reports shall be reviewed and commented upon by
the wider interagency community.
A decision on which Threat Condition to assign shall
integrate a variety of considerations. This integration
will rely on qualitative assessment, not quantitative
calculation. Higher Threat Conditions indicate greater
risk of a terrorist act, with risk including both probability
and gravity. Despite best efforts, there can be no
guarantee that, at any given Threat Condition, a terrorist
attack will not occur. An initial and important factor
is the quality of the threat information itself. The
evaluation of this threat information shall include,
but not be limited to, the following factors:
- To what degree is the threat information credible?
- To what degree is the threat information corroborated?
- To what degree is the threat specific and/or imminent?
- How grave are the potential consequences of the
threat?
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Your Safety 
Homeland Security
