The Office of Domestic Preparedness in the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for preparing the United States to respond to acts of terrorism, and is the primary office responsible for providing training, funds for the purchase of equipment, support for the planning and execution of exercises, technical assistance, and other support to help States, territories, tribal governments, and local jurisdictions prevent, plan for, and respond to acts of terrorism. The DHS/ODP has developed the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) to implement these programs and requirements. This reference manual reflects the DHS's current direction related to exercise programs and requirements and is derived from the National Strategy for Homeland Security and other documents which direct DHS to develop a National Training and Evaluation System and establish a National Exercise Program. HSEEP is an essential element of this program. This manual contains four chapters to assist planners in establishing an exercise program and outlines a standardized planning process adaptable to any type of exercise. Chapter 1, Exercise Program Management, offers guidance on the basic elements of program management needed to effectively interact with the DHS/ODP and other Federal agency program sponsors. The chapter also provides guidance on establishing and coordinating a State HSEEP (SHSEEP) that mirrors the national HSEEP model. Chapter 2, Exercise Planning Process, offers general guidance on designing and conducting various types of exercises. Chapter 3, Discussion-Based Exercises, provides information common to all discussion-based exercises, such as seminars, workshops, tabletop exercises, and games, while chapter 4, Operations-Based Exercises, provided information common to all operations-based exercises, such as drills, functional exercises, and full-scale exercises. Appendix A provides a description of the DHS/ODP secure Web-based portal, appendix B is a list of acronyms