A team of CIB analysts has authored a report that will be used by InfraGard Members Alliance, an Federal Bureau of Investigation-led initiative that helps protect the critical infrastructure of the United States. Founded in 1998, InfraGard consists of a nationwide network of over 80 chapters across the United States. It operates as a public-private partnership network that connects the FBI with businesses, academic institutions, and other community participants dedicated to preventing hostile acts against the United States by domestic and foreign actors. Its primary mission is to provide accurate and timely information to those individuals in the public and private sectors who are responsible for safeguarding the critical infrastructure of the United States.

The report (available here in PDF) was authored by CIB Chief Operations Officer and Senior Analyst Scott Boster, Cyber/Transnational Desk Senior Analyst Nathan Wynkoop, and China Desk Analyst Katelyn Bredow. With funding provided by the Edwards College at Coastal Carolina University, the team, guided by CIB Faculty Mentor Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis, worked through the summer of 2023 to collect near-exhaustive data on the presence of critical infrastructure in South Carolina. The resulting report outlines the critical infrastructure facilities throughout the state, and explains how they are internally interconnected and externally integrated with multiple critical infrastructure networks across the nation. It also highlights the integral role that South Carolina’s critical infrastructure plays to the state’s economic growth, job creation, technological advancements, and public safety and security.

The report will soon appear on the website of the South Carolina chapter of InfraGard and will be distributed to the chapter’s statewide membership. Meanwhile, the FBI has invited the student authors and Dr. Fitsanakis to present their report at the SC InfraGard annual meeting, which will take place at the new FBI Field Office in Columbia, SC, in December.