The FBI Relocation Project Must Comply With the DHS Risk Management Process

Assuming the FBI HQ relocation to the Reagan Building really happens, then some unlucky people will be impressed into a Facility Security Committee and charged with carrying out the extensive Risk Management Process that the Interagency Security Committee requires of federal civilian office facilities.  

I was a bit surprised to find that the RMP is made available in the public sphere, but there it is to inform our public debate over the new FBI HQ. 

The RMP consists solely of process, you understand, and all details about security standards are kept out of public view. Still, please browse that process at the link above and prepare to be impressed by its comprehensiveness, starting with the determination of a facility's baseline Level of Protection and ending with the paperwork for accepting less than the full Level of Protection. 

One suspects that the FBI's Facility Security Committee and its unhappy Chair will be most interested in that last part of the process because, as the RMP recognizes, sometimes the full LOP is not achievable.

In an existing facility, physical limitations and budgetary restrictions may make the necessary LOP [Level of Protection] unachievable. For example, additional standoff distance might not be available; upgrade of window systems to resist blast loads might require complete renovation of the façade so the window system will stay attached to the walls and thus be cost-prohibitive; or the current design of the air handling system could prohibit relocation of air intakes to a less vulnerable area.

Oh, you can say that again. That paragraph ought to have been highlighted in bright neon. 

The full LOP also may not be cost-effective, which is a consideration that could be in play given the vast cost avoidance of the Reagan Building option over the Greenbelt site - reportedly $1.5 billion versus $3.5 billion. 

The process has wiggle room, of course, most notably in the authority given to senior officials to make "intangible adjustment" to the requirements. It is my guess that the White House was sold on the Reagan Building option despite its most glaring physical security vulnerabilty - which rhymes with "get back" - entirely because some clever person saw a way to work around the non-achievable LOP. 

Maybe he'll be right about that, but the acid test will be whether or not he personally signs off on the acceptance of that risk. Do that and it's his ass that'll be on the line. 

Meanwhile DHS and/or the FBI have a whole lot of work to do on that extensive RM process. If the shutdown goes on much longer I might pitch them my consulting services while I wait to go back to work. I'll even use the business name "Rosslyn Shuttle" just to make my qualifications clear!