Read:

Evaluating the Reliability of Emergency Response Systems for Large-Scale Incident Operations – Brian A. Jackson, Kay Sullivan Faith, Henry H. Willis; Jackson, Brian A., 1972-; Santa Monica, CA: RAND; 2010; and
The Problem of Measuring Emergency Preparedness: The Need for Assessing “Response Reliability” as Part of Homeland Security Planning – Brian A. Jackson. RAND Corporation, November 2008.
The authors offer that the US has undertaken great efforts to be prepared for the next large-scale threat should and when it arises. They also offer that for such systems to be of value they need to be examined and assessed for response sufficiency.  Therein can often be the problem.  As the week’s writings go on to argue it can be challenging if not impossible to accurately measure emergency preparedness.

Extending from your readings:

Do you agree with the author’s positions that assessing preparedness is challenging and less that accurate?  State and support your position.
On the basis of your readings, what potential threat to the Homeland do you believe we are least prepared for?
Are there ways we could enhance our readiness and in terms of our resultant preparedness, how could we measure such readiness?