Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Support to Humanitarian Relief Operations within the United States: Where Everyone is in Charge

• Main Author: Sovada, Jennifer P.
• Other Authors: NAVAL WAR COLL NEWPORT RI JOINT MILITARY OPERATIONS DEPT
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: Civil Defense; Military Intelligence; Military Operations; Strategy and Tactics; *RECONNAISSANCE; *SURVEILLANCE; *INTELLIGENCE; *DISASTERS; *HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE; INFORMATION EXCHANGE; UNITED STATES; MILITARY FORCES(UNITED STATES); LEADERSHIP; *ISR(INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE RECONNAISSANCE); *NORTHCOM(UNITED STATES NORTHERN COMMAND); CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES; HUMANITARIAN RELIEF; HURRICANE KATRINA; UNITY OF COMMAND; UNITY OF EFFORT; NORTHCOM
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA484486; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA484486

Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) support to humanitarian relief operations within the United States has been a hot topic of discussion among the leadership of the military, federal government, and state governments since Hurricane Katrina. These organizations have deemed ISR support essential to conducting timely, effective, and responsive relief operations. However, ISR support to humanitarian relief operations within the United States suffers due to a lack of unity of command and a lack of unity of effort within NORTHCOM, its subordinate units, and its interagency partners. NORTHCOM must improve its operational ISR support by developing pre-existing ISR plans, establishing standing command relationships, improving information sharing through interoperable communications, creating a liaison officer plan, reviewing legal restrictions and modifying them if necessary, and developing and conducting more frequent and challenging exercises. These improvements will allow ISR support to be more effective during humanitarian relief operations within the United States.