Army National Guard and Civil Support Operations: Closing the Interagency Gap at the Local Level

摘要

Currently, an interagency gap exists between local civil authorities and tactical military forces preparing for and conducting all phases of domestic civil support operations. The gap exists for two primary reasons: (1) military forces operate in a supporting role during domestic civil support operations, resulting in fewer allocated resources as compared to combat operations where the military is normally in the lead, and (2) military and civil authorities take significantly different approaches towards disaster response. Civil authorities follow the bottom-up, locally driven National Response Framework which relies upon specific local training and capacity to meet the basic needs of the local community. The military on the other hand follows a hierarchal, top-down, regional approach dependent on baseline or core competency training and delivering capacity better suited for offense, defense, and stability operations. This monograph recommends nine domestic civil support planning themes to close the gap and improve civil military relations by integrating military forces, specifically the National Guard, at the local level. By partnering with local civil authorities throughout the year, military first responders, especially the Army National Guard, will have a better understanding of the joint operational environment during all phases of domestic civil support operations. With a better understanding of the joint operational environment, commanders and planners can then take relevant actions consistent with the long term objectives of local civilian leaders and communities. The National Guard, as the military's designated first responder in domestic civil support operations, must become a stronger partner at the local level and a key member of local civil emergency management teams on an ongoing basis, not only during disaster response.