Translating Policy Into Action, the Federal Military Response to DomesticDisasters

摘要

This paper discusses the U.S. federal military involvement in domestic disasterrelief operations. It explains how the Department of Defense is tasked to perform Military Support to Civil Authorities (MSCA), and how it has organized to respond to these taskings. The paper focuses on the operational (unified) commander's responsibilities to conduct civil-military disaster preparedness coordination and provide timely responses to MSCA missions. It discusses how evolving policy, doctrine and detailed preparedness planning have all contributed to improving the military's response to domestic emergencies. Finally, it presents several challenges and concerns that remain for operational commanders to address in the future.