(Page 3 of 33) - A Comparison of Critical Information Infrastructure Protection in the United States and Germany: An Institutional Perspective authored by Pommerening, Christine.

I. Introduction

A. Background and Problem Statement

Since the events of September 11, 2001, the protection of public and private
infrastructures has become a major public policy issue in the United States and other
countries. They are deemed critical, because they are essential to the functioning of
modern societies, and because they are large technical systems that are particularly
vulnerable to disruptions.

In general, critical infrastructures can be defined as “infrastructures which are so vital
that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating impact on defense or
economic security”, and include the infrastructures for telecommunications, electric
power, gas and oil, banking and finance, transportation, water, emergency services, and
continuity of government (President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection
1997).

The assessment of vulnerabilities of these complex and interrelated systems is the subject
of a plethora of programs, activities, and agencies within the U.S. Yet the perceptions and
experiences of other countries in protecting critical infrastructures are not yet part of the
executive and legislative debate. Congressional hearings, agency reports etc. focus almost
exclusively on the homeland, and address the international dimension of both
infrastructure and terrorism in only the most general terms. However, there could be
interesting differences in dealing with critical infrastructure protection. In particular,
countries like Germany that are similarly advanced and dependent on information
infrastructures, but have a different tradition of public-private sector relations, might
provide a useful comparison.

It is argued here that the recognition of the criticality of infrastructures for national
security, economic security, public health and safety, and public confidence is altering
the relationship between the public and the private sector in the United States. The
change is not only temporary, but structural, and seems to be indicative of a system of
coordination that is more akin to the continental European model of corporatist structures
than the North American free market system. Scharpf's notion of the 'shadow of
hierarchy' seems to best describe the evolving model of critical infrastructure protection
cooperation in the U.S., where critical infrastructures are traditionally largely privately
owned and operated, but have recently acquired a quasi-public status as underlying
virtually all national and economic security-relevant functions.

B. Purpose and Methodology

The intention of this paper is threefold. One, to provide an inventory of critical
infrastructure protection measures in Germany and the U.S., focusing on
telecommunications and information infrastructure. Two, to place these measures into the
particular historical, legal, and economic background of the individual countries. Three,