The Essence of the Concept of «Critical Infrastructure» From the Standpoint of National Security of Ukraine

Abstract

At the present stage, critical infrastructure is recognized as the main component of the national economy and the basis of both government and regional policy in the context of ensuring national security. Given this, the purpose of the present study is to generalize and systematize theoretical approaches to the interpretation of the concept of «critical infrastructure»; a closer definition of the essence and content of this term from the standpoint of recovering the national economy and ensuring the national security of Ukraine. As a result of the study, it is found that the concept of «critical infrastructure» is identified with such definitions as: infrastructure; life support systems; critical infrastructure objects; vital social functions; production, goods, services, and related processes. Using a systematic approach and a classification method, the interpretation of the term «critical infrastructure», which is proposed by various scientific schools, is conditionally systematized according to the following groups: system; elements of the system; structure (network, physical, organizational); aggregate of assets; security direction; key security task on the part of the State; object of protection (administrative, legal, cybernetic); component of national infrastructure; object of public administration; information security component, etc. The article provides the authors’ own approach to the definition of the concept of «critical infrastructure» as an aggregate of objects, systems, networks that are of priority and of strategic importance for the development of a competitive national economy and provision of an adequate level of national security, the neutralized or disrupted functioning of which may harm the national interests of the State, lead to the emergence of possible threats and risks, significant expenditures and losses. It is proposed to consider critical infrastructure as a scientific category from the standpoint of effective implementation of the priority security tasks of the State; ensuring the national security; increasing the level of resilience of the functioning of systems and infrastructure objects; risk management; implementation of the State policy in the field of their protection; recovery of the national economy.