Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Public Safety have released the Texas Homeland Security Strategic Plan 2021-2025, the state's framework for establishing homeland security priorities and focusing its efforts to develop, sustain, and employ homeland security capabilities.
According to Abbott's office, the plan builds on the foundation established in the Texas Homeland Security Strategic Plan 2015-2020 and includes adjustments based on changes in Texas' risk landscape and the progress made in implementing previous strategies.
"The Texas Homeland Security Strategic Plan 2021-2025 establishes my long-term vision and goals for homeland security, providing a framework for our efforts to prevent, protect against, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from attacks and disasters," Abbott said in his opening letter. "It serves as a guide to focus our efforts in building, sustaining, and employing a wide variety of critical homeland security capabilities. While we cannot be certain what challenges the next five years will bring, I know we will rise to meet them, continuing to increase the security and resiliency of our great state."
The plan is divided into three sections: Purpose and Principles, the Texas Homeland Security Environment, and Goals and Objectives.
Section I explains the plan's purpose and scope. It establishes the state's vision for homeland security and the principles that will guide the state's actions, Abbott's office said.
Abbott's office said Section II summarizes the breadth and magnitude of the homeland security challenges facing Texas, and describes the state's homeland security environment. It also discusses threats, hazards, vulnerabilities, potential consequences, and notable trends.
Section III establishes the Goals, Objectives, and Priority Actions that indicate the state's homeland security priorities over the next five years, Abbott's office said.
The plan includes five goals, 25 objectives, and 123 priority actions. The goals are as follows:
- Goal 1: Prevent terrorist attacks and organized criminal activity in Texas.
- Goal 2: Reduce the state's vulnerability to terrorist and criminal attacks and natural and technological disasters.
- Goal 3: Minimize the impact of terrorist and criminal attacks and natural and technological disasters through proactive mitigation planning and programs.
- Goal 4: Increase the capability of the state's response system to minimize damage and loss of life from terrorist and criminal attacks and natural and technological disasters.
- Goal 5: Ensure rapid, effective, and comprehensive community recovery following terrorist or criminal attacks and natural or technological disasters.
