Standing Joint Force Headquarters - North: Improving the Federal Response to National Disaster Response Operations
Abstract
Recent disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and 9-11, have highlighted an increasing need for the U.S. Government (USG) to deliver a more rapid and coordinated response to both natural disasters and classic military response scenarios. Katrina highlighted deficiencies at the national, state and local levels in planning for and executing relief operations. The aftermath of Katrina demonstrated that, within the USG, the DOD possesses unique capabilities to plan for and command and control operations of the magnitude of Katrina. While Federal agencies, such as DHS, are working to improve their responsiveness and develop capabilities to lead these operations in the future, USNORTHCOM has a command element that can provide near term capabilities for the USG. This paper recommends that Standing Joint Force Headquarters North (SJFHQ-N) be utilized to lead planning and training with federal, state, and local agencies to identify and resolve Command and Control (C2) issues that impact mission accomplishment during National Disaster Response Operations. The recommendation provide the USG with a near term capability to solve a major operational deficiency and simultaneously could facilitate excellent planning and training for USNORTHCOM to prepare for its role in Homeland Defense, particularly response to a major terrorist attack requiring a massive USG response.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 16, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA463517
Entities
People
- Timothy R. Morris
Organizations
- Naval War College