U.S. Army North in the Hurricane Maria Response
Abstract
When hurricanes Irma and Maria struck Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) in September 2017, there was a whole-of-government response involving local, state, federal, civilian, and military responders. In late September, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)designated U.S. Army North (USARNORTH) as the joint force land component commander (JFLCC) for Department of Defense (DoD) support to civilian disaster-response operations in the wake of the two hurricanes, a role USARNORTH played until mid-November 2017. To evaluate its response to the hurricanes in Puerto Rico and USVI, USARNORTH directed RAND Arroyo Center to answer five main questions: How did the DoD response in Puerto Rico and USVI match or deviate from the National Response Framework (NRF), doctrine, authorities, and organizational templates? How did the defense coordinating officer (DCO) and dual-status commander (DSC) roles in the Maria effort differ from their doctrinal roles, and why? What Headquarters training is required for an effective response, and what baseline preparations would another organization need to effectively command and control (C2) a large disaster response? What changes to the mission assignment (MA) process are required, and how should DoD mitigate challenges in future incidents? What was the significance of public affairs at different levels: Puerto Rican, national, and internal military audiences?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1095537
Entities
People
- Andrew Lewis
- Bryan Boling
- David Kravitz
- Derek Eaton
- Eric V. Larson
- Jason Liggett
- Kristin J. Leuschner
- Lindsey Polley
- Suzanne Genc
Organizations
- RAND Corporation