Submitted by: BobJen
Obama plan unifies Defense, Homeland Security response
The U.S. Secretary of Defense yesterday announced that he's agreed to a plan that will allow one military commander to be in charge of both State National Guard and each military branch's reserve forces when they are deployed to respond to domestic emergencies including terrorist attacks, according to Lisa Daniel of the American Forces Press Service.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, along with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and the Council of Governors -- a group President Barack Obama formed in January 2010 to represent all of the states' governors -- signed off on the agreement, known as the Joint Action Plan, during a March 1 Pentagon meeting, Ms. Daniel reported in a statement obtained by the 14,000-member National Association of Chiefs of Police.
"This will be much more efficient, much more effective, and it will be a partnership that never existed before," Stockton said.
However, some conservatives and libertarians believe this is not a plan to be celebrated, but one that should be closely examined on many levels including the constitutionality of having military forces operating within the United States.
"The plan may sound good on its surface, but it brings up a lot of questions by law enforcement officials and other first responders (firefighters, emergency medical personnel, etc.)," said former police lieutenant Steve Rodgers, who has headed homeland security operations.
The plan creates a dual-status commander for each state, approved by the president and governor, to have simultaneous authority over both National Guard and reserve forces called up to respond to a state emergency, Secretary Stockton said.
According to Stockton, Under the U.S. Constitution, National Guard forces must be under state control for domestic events, and reservists and any active-duty forces must remain in federal control. The dual-status commanders can operate in both the state and federal chains of command without legal changes.
In fact, he added, dual-status commanders have been used before for domestic events that are planned months in advance, such as political party conventions.
State and federal officials realized through the response to Hurricane Katrina, which killed thousands of people and destroyed much of the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts in August 2005, as well as in other natural disasters, that better coordination is needed in emergencies, he said.
"During Katrina, leadership didn't have an understanding of what was happening on the ground," Stockton said. "We need a better common operating picture of where the units are, their level of readiness, their response capabilities."
Commanders also need to know the local area, he said, such as roadway and building capacities.
"This is a whole new way to bring life-saving capabilities to bear," Stockton said. "Those first 72 hours are precious for saving lives."
The Joint Action Plan will provide uniformity to plans that vary greatly from state to state, he said, and all dual-status commanders are expected to be appointed and trained by early fall. More than 30 dual-status commanders already have been chosen in key locations, he said.
"That commander is the nexus, the coordinating person to ensure that forces work in collaboration," he said.
A second aspect of the agreement calls for a legislative change to give the president the authority to call up reservists for domestic emergencies -- a change Stockton said is needed to streamline the process.
Currently, if federal forces are needed to augment the Guard, a governor must make the request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, part of the Homeland Security Department, then FEMA must seek the assistance through U.S. Northern Command, which oversees North America and will oversee dual-status commander training, Stockton said.
Most dual-status commanders likely will be National Guard officers with a distinguished record of command experience, he said.
However, nothing was mentioned regarding the "rules of engagement" by guardsmen and reservists during a state of emergency. The lack of substantial information on acceptable and unacceptable actions may create controversy as this plan is promulgated to state and local police and security agencies.
"When the Katrina crisis occurred, the feds thought it more important to collect guns from law-abiding citizens than trying to help those people and protect them," said NYPD Det. Mike Snopes.
"Personally, this latest announcement is disturbing and I doubt it would be acceptable to the news media and Democrats if the Bush Administration had proposed it," he said.
OBAMA'S COUNCIL OF GOVERNORS
Although the mainstream media covers most legislation being debated on the floors of both houses of the US Congress, it is the presidential executive orders that are implemented with enormous impact on the lives of American citizens that should be exposed.
For example, in January 2010 President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order thereby creating a Council of Governors to create a working relationship between the Federal Government and State Governments to protect the United States against all types of hazards.
The federal government members of the Council includes the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs, the U.S. Northern Command (NORCOM) Commander, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau within the US Defense Department. The Secretary of Defense will designate an Executive Director for the Council.
According to the White House press office, the Council will be reviewing such matters as involving the National Guard units of the various States; homeland defense; civil support; synchronization and integration of State and Federal military activities in the United States; and other matters of mutual interest pertaining to National Guard, homeland defense, and civil support activities.
Paul N. Stockton, assistant secretary of defense for homeland security, today called the agreement "a breakthrough" in the military's ability to effectively respond to domestic emergencies, whether natural or manmade. "This will be much more efficient, much more effective, and it will be a partnership that never existed before," Stockton said.
However, some conservatives and libertarians believe this is not a plan to be celebrated, but one that should be closely examined on many levels including the constitutionality of having military forces operating within the United States.
"The plan may sound good on its surface, but it brings up a lot of questions by law enforcement officials and other first responders (firefighters, emergency medical personnel, etc.)," said former police lieutenant Steve Rodgers, who has headed homeland security operations.
The plan creates a dual-status commander for each state, approved by the president and governor, to have simultaneous authority over both National Guard and reserve forces called up to respond to a state emergency, Secretary Stockton said.
According to Stockton, Under the U.S. Constitution, National Guard forces must be under state control for domestic events, and reservists and any active-duty forces must remain in federal control. The dual-status commanders can operate in both the state and federal chains of command without legal changes.
In fact, he added, dual-status commanders have been used before for domestic events that are planned months in advance, such as political party conventions.
State and federal officials realized through the response to Hurricane Katrina, which killed thousands of people and destroyed much of the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts in August 2005, as well as in other natural disasters, that better coordination is needed in emergencies, he said.
"During Katrina, leadership didn't have an understanding of what was happening on the ground," Stockton said. "We need a better common operating picture of where the units are, their level of readiness, their response capabilities."
Commanders also need to know the local area, he said, such as roadway and building capacities.
"This is a whole new way to bring life-saving capabilities to bear," Stockton said. "Those first 72 hours are precious for saving lives."
The Joint Action Plan will provide uniformity to plans that vary greatly from state to state, he said, and all dual-status commanders are expected to be appointed and trained by early fall. More than 30 dual-status commanders already have been chosen in key locations, he said.
"That commander is the nexus, the coordinating person to ensure that forces work in collaboration," he said.
A second aspect of the agreement calls for a legislative change to give the president the authority to call up reservists for domestic emergencies -- a change Stockton said is needed to streamline the process.
Currently, if federal forces are needed to augment the Guard, a governor must make the request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, part of the Homeland Security Department, then FEMA must seek the assistance through U.S. Northern Command, which oversees North America and will oversee dual-status commander training, Stockton said.
Most dual-status commanders likely will be National Guard officers with a distinguished record of command experience, he said.
However, nothing was mentioned regarding the "rules of engagement" by guardsmen and reservists during a state of emergency. The lack of substantial information on acceptable and unacceptable actions may create controversy as this plan is promulgated to state and local police and security agencies.
"When the Katrina crisis occurred, the feds thought it more important to collect guns from law-abiding citizens than trying to help those people and protect them," said NYPD Det. Mike Snopes.
"Personally, this latest announcement is disturbing and I doubt it would be acceptable to the news media and Democrats if the Bush Administration had proposed it," he said.
OBAMA'S COUNCIL OF GOVERNORS
Although the mainstream media covers most legislation being debated on the floors of both houses of the US Congress, it is the presidential executive orders that are implemented with enormous impact on the lives of American citizens that should be exposed.
For example, in January 2010 President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order thereby creating a Council of Governors to create a working relationship between the Federal Government and State Governments to protect the United States against all types of hazards.
The Council is being touted as a bipartisan endeavor that will be comprised of 10 governors from various states who will be selected by the President to serve two year terms. In selecting the governors to the Council, the White House will solicit input from governors and Governors’ associations. Once chosen, the Council will have no more than five members from the same party and represent the nation as a whole.
"While selected governors will be either Democrats or Republicans, there are no provisions to make certain conservatives and progressives are evenly represented," said political strategist Mike Baker.The federal government members of the Council includes the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs, the U.S. Northern Command (NORCOM) Commander, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau within the US Defense Department. The Secretary of Defense will designate an Executive Director for the Council.
The formation of the Council of Governors was required by Section 1822 of the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization Act which states, “The President shall establish a bipartisan Council of Governors to advise the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the White House Homeland Security Council on matters related to the National Guard and civil support missions.”
"While the rationale for using the US military domestically had been debated for years, President Barack Obama appears intent on using our military at least until he can create his promised 'Civilian Security Force' which he promised would be as big and powerful as the military," said political strategist Mike Baker.
Jim Kouri, CPP, formerly Fifth Vice-President, is currently a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a columnist for Examiner.com and New Media Alliance (thenma.org). In addition, he's a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.
He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer and columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, etc.
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