The NHSS takes a “systems approach” to health in recognizing that many interrelated systems
are needed to support individuals’ and communities’ health and to protect them from and support
their recovery after an incident. These include, but are not limited to, the traditional health care
system and public health systems. They also include systems that address elements essential to
health, such as water, food, housing, the environment, and equal access to care. As shown in
Figure 1, these goals are supported by ten strategic objectives, which address areas that require
urgent, focused attention and improvement by society. The strategic objectives describe what
must be accomplished to address current gaps in national health security over the next four years
and to sustain improvements in health security over the longer term.
The strategic objectives, in turn, are supported by a set of operational capabilities.13 Capabilities
are the means to accomplish a mission, function, or objective.14 A capability results from the
performance of one or more critical tasks, under specified conditions, to target levels of
performance and may be achieved with any combination of properly planned, organized,
equipped, trained, and exercised personnel that results in the desired outcome.15 The capabilities
might be thought of as the “building blocks” of health security. Once the capabilities are
developed, individuals, families, communities (including the private sector and nongovernmental
organizations), and governments will be much better able to prevent, protect
against, respond to, and recover from a wide array of incidents that pose a threat to the Nation’s
health and well-being.
The NHSS provides the framework for how the Nation will seek to achieve national health
security over the next four years: A broad range of stakeholders, from individuals and
communities to governments, will seek to build and sustain the capabilities that will enable the
Nation to fulfill its two goals and meet its ten strategic objectives.