In recent years, critical infrastructure protection has taken on increasing national importance as
attacks and resulting damage to the country's critical cyber interests have increased. In 1998, in
response to these threats, the Administration issued a directive to demonstrate the Federal
government's commitment to protecting critical assets. More recently, President Bush signaled
his support for critical infrastructure protection efforts by issuing Executive Order 13231,
Critical Infrastructure Protection in the Information Age. The President's order seeks to
strengthen the protection of critical information systems, including emergency preparedness
communications, and the physical assets that support those systems.
