Strategic training and exercises for critical infrastructure protection and resilience: A transition from lessons learned to effective curricula

Abstract

Research objectiveTo identify issues which make strategic trainings and exercises for critical infrastructure protection and resilience specific and to use them to formulate relevant curricula guidelines. Material and methodsExperts organizing international and national strategic trainings and exercises for critical infrastructure protection and resilience were involved. Their practical knowledge and experiences were collected by qualitative survey. Experts characterized the trainings and exercises due to particular elements of decision-making process as organizational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This allowed to classify particular lessons learned and make them operational due to formulate the reference training curricula guidelines. Effective trainings and exercises should base on underlining the strengths and the opportunities and limitation of the weaknesses and the threats. ResultsSpecification of the trainings and exercises is expressed by relevant strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, grouped in five areas (trainees, trainers, decision making process, materials, equipment) to be operational in terms of effective curricula formulation. Discussion and conclusionStrategic trainings and exercises are primarily dedicated for experienced practitioners who face complex problems for critical infrastructure protection and resilience. Use of decision information systems and decision support systems may make the trainings and exercises more practical and rational. Strong support of experienced trainers is required to effectively implement curricula and reduce organizational risks (trainees-, materials- and equipment-related). Media coverage is desired to increase reality of decision making.