Unity of Command: An Answer to the Maritime Homeland Security Interagency Quagmire

Abstract

Maritime Homeland Security (MHS) and Defense (MHD) of the United States have evolved since the tragic events of September 11, 2001. However, effective operational command and control (C2) to ensure unity of effort of the myriad federal and state agencies involved in MHS still does not exist to prevent or recover from a terrorist attack or natural disaster. This paper examines the development of current U.S. structure for MHS involving the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), and other federal and civil agencies with often overlapping, confusing, and conflicting jurisdictions. A proposal is made to expand DHS's capability with an operational unified command structure comparable to the military. DHS would exercise increased authority under the National Response Framework (NRF) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) for disaster response (DR). A new combatant commander (CCDR) for DHS with two geographic maritime Joint Task Forces (JTFs) based on the Joint Inter Agency Task Force-South (JIATF-S) model would conduct counterterrorism (CT) and counternarcotics (CN) operations with support from all other federal, state, and local agencies.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 31, 2008
Accession Number
ADA494312

Entities

People

  • Darren J. Hanson

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Coast Guard
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Command And Control
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Disasters
  • Emergency Response
  • Governments
  • Homeland Security
  • Interagency Coordination
  • National Security
  • Natural Disasters
  • Security
  • Task Forces
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • United States Northern Command

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
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Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control