U.S. Disaster Plans 'Totally Unacceptable'

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: dewayne () warpspeed com (Dewayne Hendricks)
Date: February 1, 2008 6:14:24 PM EST
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <xyzzy () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] U.S. Disaster Plans 'Totally Unacceptable'

[Note:  This item comes from friend Ken DiPietro.  DLH]

U.S. Disaster Plans 'Totally Unacceptable'
Retired Marine Maj. Gen. Says Plans "Couldn't Move a Girl Scout Unit"
By Kristin Roberts
Reuters
<http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4223983>

WASHINGTON

The Pentagon is not prepared to respond to a catastrophic chemical,  
biological or nuclear attack within the United States, placing  
Americans at risk, an independent panel reported to Congress on  
Thursday.

While the Defense Department conducts exhaustive planning for  
operations overseas, its planning for possible action inside the  
United States in response to attacks is inadequate, said the  
Commission on the National Guard and Reserves.

"We looked at their plans. They're totally unacceptable," said  
commission chairman Arnold Punaro, a retired Marine Corps major general.

"You couldn't move a Girl Scout unit with the kind of planning they're  
doing," Punaro said of plans drafted by U.S. Northern Command, the  
part of the military responsible for homeland defense.

While other federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland  
Security, are responsible for pieces of the government's response to  
an attack, the Defense Department is the only agency with the  
resources and capabilities to manage the overall response, the  
commission argued.

The National Guard and Reserve should be ordered to lead the Defense  
Department's activities in that arena because those part-time troops  
live throughout the United States and often have skills needed in an  
emergency, the panel said.

But the military has not dedicated sufficient time or resources to  
prepare for such a role, despite the creation of Northern Command  
after the September 11, 2001, attacks, according to the commission,  
created by Congress to study the best use of reserve forces.

That is partly because of historical tension between the federal  
government and states, the commission said. Defense officials also say  
the military sees its role in domestic emergencies in large part as  
supporting civilian agencies.

Officials at Northern Command would not discuss the commission's  
report, saying the Pentagon would first review the panel's nearly 100  
recommendations.

ROLE OF RESERVES

The National Guard and Reserve have a dual mandate to fight overseas  
and serve in domestic defense roles. State governors command Guard  
forces during peacetime and can call the Guard into action during  
local emergencies. The president can activate the Guard for federal  
missions, like the Iraq war.

[snip]


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