The Weakest Pillar: U.S. Northern Command's Role in Solving the Federal Government's Domestic Consequence Management Problem

• Main Author: DeBuse, Robert
• Other Authors: NAVAL WAR COLL NEWPORT RI JOINT MILITARY OPERATIONS DEPT
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: Government and Political Science; Military Forces and Organizations; Civil Defense; Chemical; Biological and Radiological Warfare; *MILITARY FORCES(UNITED STATES); *MASS DESTRUCTION WEAPONS; *HOMELAND SECURITY; *INTERAGENCY COORDINATION; *COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEMS; *CRISIS MANAGEMENT; *UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT; EXPLOSIONS; DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE; RESPONSE; LOCAL GOVERNMENT; LOGISTICS; RAILROAD CARS; SOUTH CAROLINA; RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION; TERRORISM; TEXAS; CHLORINE; BRAZIL; TRAINING; CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION; AMMONIUM NITRATE; STATE GOVERNMENT; RECOVERY; CASE STUDIES; *DOMESTIC CONSEQUENCE MANAGEMENT; *NORTHCOM(US NORTHERN COMMAND); *CBRNE(CHEMICAL BIOLOGICAL RADIOLOGICAL NUCLEAR HIGH-YIELD EXPLOSIVES); NIMS(NATIONAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM); GOIANIA(BRAZIL); SS GRANDCAMP; TEXAS CITY(TEXAS); GRANITEVILLE(SOUTH CAROLINA); NORFOLK SOUTHERN RAILROAD; Pillar; NORTHCOM
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA494415; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA494415

Domestic Consequence Management has been marginalized in recent national strategy guidance. Agencies, forces, and command structures designated to respond and recover from a terrorist attack are not prepared for a large weapon of mass destruction (WMD) scenario. Radiological, explosive, and chemical WMDs represent the most likely terrorist threats to the homeland. An analysis of three case studies, each designed to model the most likely threats, yields deficiencies in command and control, logistics, and training. With a new command and control construct for homeland response and recovery, improved emphasis on the Department of Defense (DoD) roles in catastrophic consequence management, and clarified legal constraints for DoD operations in the homeland, the Commander, U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) could provide a comprehensive and workable federal domestic consequence management plan. The original document contains color images.