I would hope that was the case but the more I think about it the more it just seems to be inline with the Pentagon preparing for some unforeseen circumstance that will require a full bore military response. The recent failures of Northcom to respond to flooding in the Midwest, tornadoes and the fires in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas should all point to them really not being a player when it comes to the numerous disasters that are plaguing us.
They're planning for massive, region wide disruptions. Anything smaller and Northcom just isn't interested. Read the story for yourself though but as always, here's a nugget. Via Yahoo News.
No one commander had that authority in the aftermath of Katrina, and military and civilian experts say the lack of coordination contributed to the nightmarish delays, duplications and gaps in the huge rescue effort.Yep.
"It was just like a solid wall was between the two entities," said Georgia National Guard Col. Michael Scholes, who was part of the Katrina response.
Top Defense Department officials believe dual-status commanders are the key to reducing at least some of those failures.
"We're going to be able to conduct disaster response operations on a large scale much more efficiently and effectively than we have in the past," said Paul Stockton, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense.Dual-status commanders will provide a "unity of effort that is going to save lives on a large scale," Stockton said in an interview with The Associated Press.
A tornado that destroys a medium sized city in the heartland isn't what they're prepping for. Fires sweeping across the plains of Texas and the foothills in Arizona are beneath their notice too. This is for something else entirely.
