Department of Defense Homeland Security Joint Operating Concept
Abstract
A secure homeland is the Nation's first priority and is fundamental to the successful execution of its military strategy. As America moves into the 21st Century, the Homeland 2 is confronted with a wide spectrum of threats ranging from traditional national security threats (for example, ballistic missile attack) to law enforcement threats (for example, drug smuggling). For the American people and the Federal government, this is a conceptual spectrum with clear definitions of both ends and less clarity in the middle where the two ends blend together. In the middle is a seam of ambiguity where threats are neither clearly national security threats (the responsibility of the Department of Defense [DOD]) nor clearly law enforcement threats (the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security [DHS], the Department of Justice [DOJ], or other agencies). Because of the nature of this spectrum and the difficulty in identifying threats in the seam as either national security threats or criminals, no single federal department or agency is solely responsible for securing the Homeland against all threats. Thus, the military will continue to play a vital role in securing the Homeland through military missions overseas and by executing Homeland Defense (HLD) and Civil Support (CS) missions, and supporting Emergency Preparedness (EP) planning activities. However, it is critical to understand the distinction between the role DOD plays with respect to National Security and the role of the DHS as lead federal agency (LFA) for Homeland Security (HLS), as defined in the National Strategy for Homeland Security (NSHLS)3 (see Figure ES-1). While there is significant overlap between DOD s role and that of DHS, DOD s role extends beyond the scope of the NSHLS paradigm (strictly concerned with terrorist attack) to address conventional and unconventional attacks on the Homeland by any adversary (including, but not strictly limited to, terrorists).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA493457