Wiley Handbook of Science and Technology for Homeland Security, 4 Volume Set

NORWAY*

MANUEL SUTER AND ELGIN BRUNNER

Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich, Switzerland

1 CRITICAL SECTORS

In April 2006, the Commission for the Protection of Critical Infrastructures in Norway submitted a report to the Ministry of Justice and the Police that defined the critical infrastructures of Norway as follows: “Critical infrastructures are those constructions and systems that are essential in order to uphold society's critical functions, which in time safeguard society's basic needs and the feeling of safety and security in the general public” [1].

Based on this definition, the commission identified the critical sectors, distinguishing between critical infrastructures and critical societal functions. A societal function is critical when it is indispensable for covering society's basic needs. These “critical societal functions” are themselves dependent on different infrastructures, some of which are deemed to be critical. The criticality of infrastructures is assessed according to three criteria: dependency (a high degree of dependency on other infrastructures implies criticality), alternatives (few or no alternatives imply criticality), and tight coupling (a high degree of linkages to other infrastructures implies criticality).

Using these criteria, the commission identified the following critical infrastructures:

• Electrical Power,
• Electronic Communication,
• Water Supply and Sewage,
• Transport,
• Oil and Gas,
• Satellite-based Infrastructure [2].

These critical infrastructures ...