By Lieutenant General (USA, Ret) This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and Colonel (USA, Ret) This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The tragic attacks of September 11, 2001, devastation caused by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, a string of violent murders by drug traffickers on the Southwest Border, and the scourge of pandemic flu demonstrate the severity and diversity of threats that the United States faces in the area of Homeland Security. While these contingencies pose different challenges than those faced in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, many military capabilities being leveraged overseas can be adapted to support Homeland Security.
While civilian leaders and first responders are mandated to be the first line of defense in Homeland Security, the military, including US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and the National Guard, play a vital supporting role to civil authorities. An area in which the military--often augmented by contractor support--can make a difference is logistics. Timely and adequate logistics is essential to ensure that support to the operational force is deployed at the right place and time. This support not only provides sustainment for first responders, but also medical care for casualties and food and shelter for affected personnel.
'Joint Publication 4-0 -- Joint Logistics' is the capstone document for military logistics. It discusses joint and multi-national logistics in military operational terms, but leaves the door open for its broader application beyond combat operations, to include cooperation with Inter-Agency (IA), Inter-Governmental (IG) and Non-Governmental organizations (NGO). It measures the effectiveness of joint logistics by three imperatives: 1) Unity of Effort; 2) Joint Logistics Environment (JLE) -- Wide Visibility, and; 3) Rapid and Precise Response.
To ensure Unity of Effort in the Homeland Security environment, military logisticians function in a support role for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state and local governments. FEMA, NORTHCOM and the National Guard have initiated various cooperative planning and exercise initiatives. The rest of the military components and their industry partners remain available to augment them in providing valuable commodities and services to reinforce existing capabilities, and to provide contingency support on a regional and national basis, similar to what they do on a joint and multi-national basis overseas.
The second imperative, JLE -- Wide Visibility, is defined as providing "assured access to logistics processes, resources and requirements in order to gain the knowledge necessary to make effective decisions" and "optimize logistic processes." In a Homeland Security situation, providing this Common Logistical Operating Picture, to military, IA, IG, NGO participants and industry is critical so that commodities, services and other capabilities can be efficiently and effectively directed, delivered and applied at the right place and time to provide support and relief.
The third imperative, Rapid and Precise Response is "the ability of the core logistics capability areas to meet the constantly changing needs" of the integrated Joint, IA, IG and NGO force. These core capabilities are the same provided by military logisticians overseas. They include supply, maintenance, deployment and distribution, health service support, engineering, logistics services and operational contract support. Logistics services include water and ice, base camp services, hygiene services and operational contract support, including contract support integration and contractor management. The Civilian Augmentation Program (CAP) provides the military the venue and flexibility for timely augmentation from industry that could be replicated to support the Homeland Security mission.
A recent example of success in this arena is the coordinated response to the tsunami affecting American Samoa, where the military and its industry partners, including Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR), responded within 48 hours to deploy, provide and maintain power to more than 63,000 people. This endeavor orchestrated by FEMA and supported by the Army's 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power), the National Guard, and their industry partners lasted from September through December of 2009, until power could be permanently restored by the American Samoa Power Authority. It represented a combined effort between civil authorities, the military and industry, and is a testament to what can be accomplished when all elements are working in a cooperative and collaborative manner.
FEMA, NORTHCOM, the National Guard, other governmental agencies, non-governmental agencies and industry are pursuing various ways of improving their understanding of each other's capabilities, and of leveraging their combined capacity to respond to the full spectrum of contingencies. Joint and IA conferences and educational meetings are one venue. Joint, IA, IG and NGO participation in contingency planning and exercises are another valuable tool. Military and civilian interaction in various working groups, like the US Chamber of Commerce National Security Task Force and the National Guard Association of the United States Homeland Security Task Force, also provide opportunities for the government and industry to discuss and work together to contribute to the Homeland Security mission. The increasing migration of former military logisticians and planners to civilian government agencies and industry positions is also helpful in bridging the gap in promoting cooperation and collaboration between agencies. These and other ongoing teambuilding efforts are vital to strengthening the nation's capability to respond to and overcome the challenges of an increasingly dynamic and dangerous global environment.
The extensive experience and expertise gained by military logisticians, and their industry partners, in supporting overseas operations are valuable commodities that can be leveraged in support of future Homeland Security contingencies. Military participation in this area requires the military to function in a supporting role, with civil authorities in the leading role. The Civilian Augmentation Program provides a potential model for support beyond the organic capabilities that the military can provide. Ongoing efforts continue to improve cooperation and collaboration, and optimize synergies between agencies across the operational spectrum. In an era when the US faces a variety of internal and external challenges, the nation needs to utilize the value of a military and industry partnership in the logistics arena to ensure the safety and security of the nation and the world.
Lieutenant General (USA, Ret) Richard A. Hack served in the US Army for 33 years in a myriad of logistics assignments. His last assignment was as the Deputy Commanding General and Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Materiel Command. He is currently the Senior Vice President for Operations, Maintenance and Logistics for KBR Inc., in Arlington, VA.
Colonel (USA, Ret) Michael R. Gonzales served in the US Army and National Guard for 26 years. His last assignment was as the Director of Strategic Operations and Missile Defense Integration at U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. He is currently a Senior Engineer at Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. and a Consultant to KBR Inc., in Alexandria, VA.
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