Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program
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Introduction
Purpose
The Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) provides a set of fundamental
principles for exercise programs, as well as a common approach to program management, design
and development, conduct, evaluation, and improvement planning. Exercises are an important
component of preparedness, by providing the whole community
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with the opportunity to shape
planning, assess and validate capabilities,
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and address areas for improvement. An exercise is an
event or activity, delivered through discussion or action, to develop, assess, or validate plans,
policies, procedures, and capabilities that jurisdictions/organizations can use to achieve planned
objectives.
Through HSEEP, exercise program managers can develop, execute, and evaluate exercises that
address the priorities established by a jurisdiction’s/organization’s senior leaders. The National
Preparedness Goal,
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strategy documents, Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment
(THIRA) processes, capability assessments, and results from previous exercises and real-world
incidents impact the priorities. These priorities guide the overall direction of an exercise program
where individual exercises anchor to a common set of priorities or objectives, which increase in
complexity over time. These priorities guide the design and development of individual exercises
and allow planners to identify and align objectives to the capabilities being evaluated. Exercise
evaluation assesses the ability to meet the objectives and capabilities by documenting strengths,
areas for improvement, capability performance, and corrective actions in an After-Action Report
(AAR)/Improvement Plan (IP).
Through Improvement Planning, jurisdictions/organizations take the corrective actions identified
during exercises to improve plans, build and sustain capabilities, and maintain readiness.
Stakeholders are reminded of the importance of implementing corrective actions.
In this way, the use of HSEEP—in line with the National Preparedness Goal, the National
Preparedness System (NPS),
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and stakeholder preparedness priorities—supports efforts across the
whole community that improve the nation’s capacity to build, sustain, and deliver capabilities to
better respond to a real-world incident.
Role of Exercises
Exercises play a vital role in preparedness. A well-designed exercise provides a low-risk
environment to familiarize personnel with roles and responsibilities; foster meaningful interaction
and communication across jurisdictions/organizations; assess and validate plans, policies,
procedures, and capabilities; and identify strengths and areas for improvement. Exercises bring
together and strengthen the whole community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and
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The whole community means involving people (individuals and families, including those with access and functional needs, businesses, faith-
based and community organizations, nonprofit groups, schools and academia, media outlets, and all levels of government including state, local,
tribal, territorial, and federal partners) in the development of national preparedness documents and ensuring their roles and responsibilities are
reflected in the content of the materials.
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Capabilities are the means to accomplish a mission, function, or objective based on the performance of related tasks, under specified conditions,
to target levels of performance. For additional information on the core capability development sheets see
https://www.fema.gov/core-capability-
development-sheets.
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Refer to the National Preparedness Goal: https://www.fema.gov/national-preparedness-goal.
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Refer to the National Preparedness System: https://www.fema.gov/national-preparedness-system.