OPEO is headed by a Director who is a Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS), and is responsible for ensuring that ASPR has the systems and processes necessary to coordinate the Department's response to bioterrorism and other public health and medical threats and emergencies. OPEO leads the response activities required to fulfill HHS's responsibilities under Emergency Support Function (ESF) 8 of the National Response Plan (NRP). OPEO develops and directs the Secretary's Operations Center (SOC); trains and manages the Incident Response Coordination Team (IRCT); coordinates and executes the HHS Continuity of Operations (COOP) and Continuity of Government (COG) programs; plans, implements and evaluates Departmental and interagency response exercises; and develops security related policies establishing procedures to manage the Department's risks, threats and vulnerabilities. OPEO also is the primary operational liaison to emergency response entities within HHS (e.g., SAMHSA, CDC, FDA, and HRSA) and within the interagency community (e.g.; DHS, DOD, and Department of Veterans Affairs). (HHS, Job Announcement HHS-OS-2008-0169, Program Specialist (Watch Officer), Dec 2007)