On October 19, 1995, six months after the Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, President Clinton issued Executive Order 12977, creating the Interagency Security Committee (ISC) to address continuing government-wide security for Federal facilities. Prior to 1995, minimum physical security standards did not exist for nonmilitary Federally owned or leased facilities.

Overview

The ISC’s mandate is to enhance the quality and effectiveness of physical security in, and the protection of buildings and nonmilitary Federal facilities in the United States. The ISC standards apply to all nonmilitary Federal facilities in the United States - whether government-owned, leased or managed; to be constructed or modernized; or to be purchased.

Chief security officers and other senior executives from 54 Federal agencies and departments make up the ISC membership. Leadership is provided by the chair, who is the Department's Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, the Executive Director, and nine standing subcommittees.

The full Interagency Security Committee meets quarterly. Members serve on subcommittees and working groups to develop physical security policies and standards, promote key management practices, and facilitate mitigation of threats to employees and the visiting public. The ISC also engages with industry and other government stakeholders to advance best practices.

Read more about the Interagency Security Committee.

Standards and Best Practices

The Interagency Security Committee's standards and best practices are designed for Federal security professionals responsible for protecting nonmilitary Federal facilities in the United States. The ISC standards and best practices help Federal security professionals implement security policies and mandatory standards. The Design-Basis Threat Report represents the most comprehensive Federal facility security standard created to date. However, this standard has been incorporated with other standards and guidance, to create the Risk Management Process: An Interagency Security Committee Standard.

This ISC Standard defines the criteria and processes that those responsible for the security of a facility should use to determine its facility security level and provides an integrated, single source of physical security countermeasures for all non-military Federal facilities. The Standard also provides guidance for countermeasure customization for Federal facilities.

Furthermore, this standard supersedes the previous guidance in the Facility Security Level Determinations for Federal Facilities: An Interagency Security Committee Standard published in March 2008, Physical Security Criteria for Federal Facilities: An Interagency Security Committee Standard published in April 2010, Facility Security Committees: An Interagency Security Committee Standard, 2nd Edition published in January 2012, and Use of Physical Security Performance Measures published in June 2009.

Read about ISC standards and best practices.

Related Resources

• Office of Infrastructure Protection
• Critical Infrastructure

Contact

Interagency Security Committee
Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528
Attn: Executive Director
E-mail: ISC@hq.dhs.gov