Civil Emergency Responses
In the event of a civil emergency or a large scale incident like man-made and natural disasters, the American government has put in place several measures to respond to the scene immediately. One of the set measures is defense support of civil authorities (DSCA). This protocol involves reinforcing the undertakings of civil authorities by the use of military forces and personnel.
This strategic measure was used during Hurricane Sandy’s catastrophe, and the military forces performed several capabilities. The Air force army played a significant role in the category three hurricane. Foremost, helicopters were used to create awareness and assessment. Rotary wing aircrafts for search and rescue operations. C-5 and C-17 aircraft, which transported over 300 medical experts to care for at-risk individuals. Also, the two carriers helped in the moving of 120 persons into New York from areas like Columbus, Ohio, and Dallas-Fort Worth. The airlift aircraft moved vehicles for power restoration and the additional equipment.
In the context of Hurricane Sandy, there was a philosophical conflict in the use of military support. The first responders of the military force are the National Guards, who offer the governor a strong response force. Although they fall under the army, these individuals work at a state level. The federalism and state sovereignty were faced with an efficient unified and coordinated response barrier as they both have control of the National Guards. However, they applied the dual status commander strategy- was used in planned events- without any official notice (Burkett, 2008).
Distinct bodies authorize the initiation and operation of DSCA support. The former is through the Joint Operation Center (JOC) under the authority of Directorate of Military support. The latter, or rather, the authority mandated to control the operational activities of military armies in civil emergencies, is U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). This arrangement- controlling of local authorities by the governor and the army support by USNORTHCON- brings issues in a crisis. For instance, in Hurricane Wilma of 2005, the governor, Jeb Bush, called off the deployment of federal forces (Burkett, 2008). The states show reluctance in giving of authority and sovereignty to national bodies.
References
Burkett, J. W. (2008). Command and control of military forces in the homeland. NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIV WASHINGTON DC INST FOR NATIONAL STRATEGIC STUDIES.
McNeil, S., & Burke, R. (2015). Toward a unified military response: Hurricane Sandy and the dual status commander. US Army Strategic Studies Institute and US Army War College Press, US Army War College, Carlisle, PA.