Advisory Panel on Department of Defense Capabilities for Support of
Civil Authorities After Certain Incidents
SUBPANEL 4: COORDINATION, COMMUNICATION, AND INFORMATION
AVAILABILITY – FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL
MEETING MINUTES
NOVEMBER 23, 2009
LOCATION: U.S. NORTHERN COMMAND, PETERSON AFB, COLORADO
PERSONS PRESENT:
Ronald Harrison (Advisory Panel, Subpanel Chairman)
Jim Carafano (Advisory Panel)
Steve Abbot, (full Advisory Panel Chairman)
Scott McMahon (RAND, Advisory Panel Staff)
Doug Frazier(Alternate Designated Federal Officer, Department of Defense)
NORTHCOM Participants: J4, J6, IC and JTF-N
The meeting commenced at 11:15 am. The Advisory Panel members and U.S. Northern
Command (NORTHCOM) staff discussed issues relating to command and control, coordination, and communications among Federal, State, and local authorities during complex emergencies.
The Advisory Panel asked if emergencies that involve a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive (CBRNE) incident are considered to be part of the continuum of event types as far as Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) is concerned, or if CBRNE is treated separately for planning and related purposes. The
Panel also asked about the assumptions used for coordinated CBRNE DSCA planning with States.
NORTHCOM officials explained that CBRNE is not treated separately; planning and coordination processes are the same across the full spectrum of potential incidents.
Similarly, communications are planned across the full array of potential hazards; there is no special communications planning for CBRNE incidents.
Regarding DSCA planning with States, officials said the Command is still struggling to establish useful relationships with the States, in part because NORTHCOM’s charter is to support Federal partners, so relations with the States are more informal and uneven. The
Federal Emergency Management Agency collects preparedness information from States and provides it to NORTHCOM, but the quality of the information is uneven. Officials noted that the Command’s connections with State authorities and its understanding of
State response capabilities has improved through its engagement with organizations such

as the Emergency Management Assistance Compacts and the Regional Interagency
Steering Committees.
It was pointed out that a key difference between CBRNE incidents and other types could be event duration (e.g., in the case of radiological contamination). A NORTHCOM official expressed concern that some civil response agencies may not fully appreciate the need to plan for long-duration events.
An Advisory Panel member asked about existing processes for pre-event and post-event communications within DoD, with other Federal agencies, and with the States.
NORTHCOM officials noted that the Homeland Security Information Network is widely used for routine communications. They explained further that the key to communications and coordination is the development of information sharing agreements among responder entities prior to an incident. Moreover, civilian and military communications equipment must be interoperable; this is a challenging requirement, NORTHCOM officials said, as recent experience with the new CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force has proven.
According to NORTHCOM officials, civil-military coordination for emergency response would benefit from the development of a “common operating picture” (COP). The development of a civil-military COP is a challenge because the military and civilian communities use different types of protocols, equipment, etc. However, NORTHCOM officials noted that a new Multi-Agency Collaborative Environment initiative has been undertaken by Federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense (DoD). A civil-military COP could be developed as part of this collaborative effort.
Regarding existing State capabilities for emergency communications, NORTHCOM officials said the capabilities vary. The Command’s evolving DSCA capability would benefit from having more influence over DoD acquisition decisions related to communications equipment in order to ensure that interoperability with State equipment is considered.
An Advisory Panel member expressed concern about the capacity and resilience of emergency communications that depend on the internet or phone systems as these might be disrupted in a large-scale emergency. Generally speaking, DoD communications systems are more resilient than civilian systems, but DoD could not compensate entirely for loss of civilian capacity should civilian systems be significantly degraded during an emergency, the member opined.
An Advisory Panel member asked how NORTHCOM can anticipate State requirements for civil support during emergencies if the Command lacks a COP and has uneven relationships with the States as far as emergency response planning and coordination.
NORTHCOM officials explained that the Command developed Pre-Scripted Mission
Assignments (PSMA) to help State and other civil responders understand the types of
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capabilities that DoD can bring to a DSCA mission. The PSMAs represent DoD’s estimate of the types of capabilities that could be requested during specific types of emergencies; some PSMAs are related to the National Planning Scenarios developed by
DHS. NORTHCOM can put capabilities associated with PSMAs on a “prepare to deploy order” to facilitate a timely response to requests for assistance. The PSMAs facilitate civilian understanding of what DoD can bring to the table in an emergency, but they will likely be less useful in cases where a civilian request for assistance falls outside the scope of an established PSMA, NORTHCOM officials said.
A Panel member asked about NORTHCOM processes for interagency coordination.
NORTHCOM has established an Interagency Coordination Center at its headquarters and numerous Federal agencies have detailed representatives to the Command. In addition, officials explained that a joint interagency coordination forum had been established wherein various Federal organizations can brief their emergency response plans to fellow responder organizations. A biweekly teleconference has also been initiated to exchange information among various Federal agencies. A key requirement is the establishment of agreements among participants – prior to an emergency event – to share information.
A Panel member asked how NORTHCOM engages the private sector for the purposes of emergency response planning.
NORTHCOM officials explained that a staff member of the Command’s Interagency
Coordination Center had been assigned to liaise with private sector organizations, either directly or through associations such as the group Business Executives for National
Security. NORTHCOM’s J4 section is working to develop a “logistics COP” to maintain information on materials held by private sector organizations that could be usable for emergency response operations.
A Panel member asked about new or emerging command and control, operational control, coordinating authority, or similar relationships for complex DSCA events.
Officials from NORTHCOM said that their 3400 plan for homeland defense and their
3500 plan for DSCA established the envisioned command and control relationships. For
Federal response, when operations are led by a civil agency, the size, scope, and type of event will dictate which specific agency leads the overall (civil and military) Federal effort. The Department of Homeland Security would try to “orchestrate” the entire
Federal response, regardless of which specific agency has the lead, an official said.
The meeting adjourned at 1:00 pm.
[signed]
Ronald Harrison
Chairman, Subpanel, Coordination, Communication, and Information Availability
Advisory Panel on Department of Defense Capabilities for Support of Civil Authorities
After Certain Incidents
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