What is the goal of Risk Management?

• A. Eliminate all risk
• B. Proceed without planning
• C. Manage risk to minimize losses and maximize success
• D. Avoid risk altogether

Answer: (C)

Risk management is about handling uncertainty in a way that protects people, equipment, and mission effectiveness while still enabling you to achieve objectives. The best choice expresses that goal by focusing on managing risk to minimize losses and maximize success: identify hazards, assess how likely they are and how severe their impact would be, apply controls to reduce risk to an acceptable level, and continuously monitor and adjust as conditions change. This recognizes that some risk will always remain, so the aim is to keep it at a tolerable level rather than chasing zero risk.

Eliminating all risk isn’t feasible in real-world operations, since some risk is inherent in any activity. Proceeding without planning bypasses the essential steps needed to identify and control hazards. Avoiding risk altogether is impractical and can stifle opportunities, as risk must be weighed against mission needs and managed rather than simply avoided.