Defending Critical Infrastructure

• Published in: Interfaces (Providence) Vol. 36; no. 6; pp. 530 - 544
• Main Authors: Brown, Gerald, Carlyle, Matthew, Salmeron, Javier, Wood, Kevin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Linthicum INFORMS 01.11.2006; The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS); Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
• Subjects: bilevel program; Border patrol; Borders; Civil defense; critical infrastructure protection; Defence policy; Defense; Economic models; Economic value; Electrical grids; homeland defense; homeland security; Infrastructure; Infrastructure (Economics); Intelligence; Mathematical models; Military defense; mixed-integer program; Model testing; National security; Operations research; Optimization; Petroleum; Pipelines; Planning methods; Power lines; Protection and preservation; Public infrastructure; Strategic petroleum reserve; Studies; Supply chain management; Terrorism; Terrorists; Transparency; trilevel program; U.S.A; United States; United States > US
• ISSN: 0092-2102; 2644-0865; 1526-551X; 2644-0873
• DOI: 10.1287/inte.1060.0252

We apply new bilevel and trilevel optimization models to make critical infrastructure more resilient against terrorist attacks. Each model features an intelligent attacker (terrorists) and a defender (us), information transparency, and sequential actions by attacker and defender. We illustrate with examples of the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the US Border Patrol at Yuma, Arizona, and an electrical transmission system. We conclude by reporting insights gained from the modeling experience and many "red-team" exercises. Each exercise gathers open-source data on a real-world infrastructure system, develops an appropriate bilevel or trilevel model, and uses these to identify vulnerabilities in the system or to plan an optimal defense.