Maritime Homeland Command Control: Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks.

摘要

The maritime homeland needs a command and control structure which unifies control of military defense and law enforcement security efforts under one commander. The organization should focus on a desired maritime security environment and coincide directly with specified operational objectives. Finally, the command and control structure should decentralize execution across established maritime zones of capability and authority. The three services primarily responsible for the maritime homeland, the Navy, the Coast Guard, the Customs Service, should provide resources and command capabilities to a unified command and control structure. Coast Guard forces and commanders can bridge the statutory gap dividing military defense and law enforcement security activities. The principle of simplicity should prevail, in limiting the command and control structure to three echelons. Traditional maritime organization models such as Maritime Defense Zones, Joint Inter-Agency Task Forces, and Joint Force Maritime Component Commands are not the answer. Instead, the solution lies in combining the best aspects from each of these models- teaching an old dog new tricks.