Meeting the Needs of the Nation: An Examination of the National Guard Role and Mission in Homeland Security

Abstract

Since September 11, 2001, Homeland Security is clearly a national priority. Over 40 government agencies have Homeland Security responsibilities.1 There is considerable debate over the roles and missions of each agency and how best to provide Homeland Security. Additionally, a number of studies have identified shortfalls in Homeland Security in several key areas. This paper uses a matrix of roles and targets to determine the best fit for the National Guard in the far-reaching Homeland Security mission. After reviewing the roles and targets, this paper concludes that the National Guard needs to be involved in Homeland Security in a number of key areas. This paper examines the strengths and uniqueness of the National Guard and concludes that the National Guard is positioned to provide exceptional support to the nation in a number of Homeland Security roles including both domestic civil support and consequence management. These roles neatly match the broad range of National Guard skills and the National Guard's unique surge capability.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA441717

Entities

People

  • Kelly Timmons

Organizations

  • National War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Cyber

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Communication Systems
  • Disasters
  • Emergency Response
  • First Responders
  • Homeland Defense
  • Homeland Security
  • Information Systems
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Science
  • National Guard
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Public Health
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
  • Strategic Security Studies