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Strengthen U.S. Economic and National Security

What Commerce Does:

Economic security is national security. America is safer when important technology and essential products are produced domestically. Today, our nation’s economic prosperity and security are challenged by competitors and adversaries that engage in illegal trade practices, steal intellectual property (IP), and engage in cybercrime. Extreme weather, such as the six Category 4 or higher hurricanes experienced in the United States during 2017, also challenges economic security. We operate on multiple fronts to protect Americans and the U.S. economy. We enforce compliance with trade laws, provide cybersecurity tools to thwart cybercrime, share accurate weather information, and are deploying a first-responder broadband network that will protect lives and property.

Enforce the Nation’s Trade Laws and Security Laws

American businesses thrive when they compete internationally on a level playing field. We work to level the field by enforcing U.S. trade laws and ensuring that foreign governments comply with international agreements. We make our nation safer by enforcing rules that limit exports of U.S. technology that can be used in weapons, and by monitoring foreign investment that may present a risk to U.S. national security. By working with foreign governments to enforce IP rights, the competitive advantage of our innovators is protected abroad.

Enhance the Nation’s Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is necessary for our nation and the world to fully realize the benefits of the 21st-century digital economy. Ensuring the security of our interconnected global networks, and the devices and data connected to those networks, is one of the defining challenges of our era. Threats arise across the digital ecosystem, from cybercriminals seeking financial gain, nation-states seeking to steal trade secrets and undermine national security, and terrorists aiming to foster mayhem. With our unique perspective on the economy and deep technical expertise, we play a leading role in meeting this challenge.

Reduce Extreme Weather Impacts

Severe weather and water events have an enormous impact on our nation’s economy. To reduce the economic impact of these events, we are enhancing our prediction capabilities through better data gathering and modeling technology. Additionally, we are improving our ability to provide expert, timely, and actionable weather information to emergency managers, water resource managers, and other government agencies at the state, local, and tribal levels. We will also work with commercial partners to achieve these improvements faster and at a lower cost to taxpayers.

Deploy Public Safety Broadband

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) was created to implement the 9/11 Commission recommendation to give public safety providers 21st-century communication tools to help save lives, solve crimes, and keep our communities and emergency responders safe. We will build a public safety broadband network designed to be reliable, functional, and secure. More than 60,000 public safety agencies will be able to take advantage of expanded coverage and capacity. For the first time, public safety communications will be based on commercial standards. This will bring the benefits of lower costs, consumer-driven economies of scale, and rapid evolution of advanced communication capabilities.

Attachment Size
U.S. Department of Commerce 2018-2022 Strategic Plan 9.41 MB
Bureaus and Offices