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Background:
The War on Terrorism and the results of the 9/11 attacks brought the roles
of local, state and federal governments to the forefront of national
dialogue. The concept for the BENS Business Force model stems from this
national dialogue, and is derived from Homeland
Security Presidential Directive Number 5 dated February 28, 2003:
“…the Federal Government recognizes the role that the private and
nongovernmental sectors play in preventing, preparing for, responding to,
and recovering from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other
emergencies.” Our experience
indicates that business leaders are willing to play a pivotal role in both
private to public and business to business partnerships toward this end.
Vision:
The
president has called for action. Protecting
our national security demands new approaches in the post 9/11 security
environment. These new
approaches will require state and local governments to bear the
responsibility for countering and responding to attacks on our homeland,
our infrastructures, and our communities. Meeting these challenges
requires new and innovative partnerships.
BENS has a long history of supporting national
security initiatives and programs with private sector expertise.
To assist local and state governments in meeting the challenges
posed by 21st century terrorism, major disasters, and other
emergencies, BENS has established the MidAmerica Business Force
MidAmerica
enables business leaders to “bring to the fight”
their vast resources in a cost-effective and highly leveraged way.
Comprised of senior business executives familiar with the needs and
characteristics of their cities and regions, the Business Force brings
unmatched business skills, organizational competencies and resources to
the fight. We are not first
responders and we are not the government. We serve to bring together
in a collaborative effort the relevant stakeholders from government,
academia and the private sector to bridge gaps and build teams necessary
to promote a strong America.
Mission:
The MidAmerica Business Force
enables senior business executives and government leaders to collaborate
and shape solutions to threats and disasters affecting our communities,
infrastructures and economy. The
MidAmerica Business Force provides the bridge between businesses and
governments to solve our nation’s homeland security challenges.
Approach:
We
are specifically addressing agricultural biosecurity activities in the
Midwest – principally in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. The
Business Force effort will develop operational capabilities that are best
handled through a partnership between the public and private sectors. This
effort represents BENS’ uniqueness in complementing our national
security apparatus with private sector expertise.
We
believe there are four key steps to engage the expertise and experience of
Business Force members regarding agricultural biosecurity:
- Provide
opportunities to help shape legislation by working with congress and
the administration in developing policies, priorities, and funding for
Homeland Security programs.
- Develop
advisory relationships between Business Force members and Institutions
of higher learning in the area of agricultural biosecurity.
- Increase
public-private sector participation in the Business Response Network (BRN).
The BRN connects emergency management personnel to needed private
sector resources (goods, services, equipment, volunteers) quickly and
effectively during a catastrophic event. The BRN system uses a secured
database available to emergency management through the Internet. The
BRN is an actionable database of private sector companies that would
provide goods and/or services upon declaration of the governor that a
State of Emergency exists.
- Continually
access homeland security policies, including the Department of
Homeland Security’s National Response Plan from an agricultural
biosecurity perspective.
Propose appropriate solutions to address agricultural shortfalls and
sustainable needs for the nation.
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