Chapter 4: Improving the Response

WMD Response Integration Program Goals

The Interagency Strategic Plan laid out an ambitious list of objectives that are part of the overall goal to improve the nation’s WMD response capability. A program to coordinate and integrate DoD’s capabilities to support local, state, and federal consequence management response to WMD events must be established. This program supports the Military Support to Civil Authorities policies of the Department and the plans of the supported CINCs charged to execute that response. It must coordinate and orchestrate many on-going efforts throughout the DoD to meet requirements for response to WMD attacks at our installations and facilities and within civilian communities. The program should:

1. Establish a fully operational DoD preparedness and response capability to deal with potential effects of domestic terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction.

2. Leverage Reserve Component preparedness and response capabilities to deal with these threats.

3. Enhance local, state, and other federal agency access to military capabilities and expertise.

Key actions required to implement this program

1. Establish a Reserve Component Consequence Management Program Integration Office to implement this plan. Assign program management responsibility and transfer functions to the program office. A program office of at least14 people will be established with contractor support to ensure the integration of research & development, procurement, training, and doctrine development for response to WMD. The program director should report to the Secretary of the Army, as the DoD Executive Agent for Military Support to Civil Authorities, through the DoD Director of Military Support and hold quarterly program reviews on project status.

2. Review DoD Directives 3025.1, 3025.15, 3025.12, 3020.26, 5160.54 and others that may require updating as the RC integration effort matures. Assist in the coordination of policy as applied to the many DoD organizations that may become involved in a WMD response.

3. Coordinate the development of legislation that facilitates Reserve Component activation for WMD response.

4. Modify Defense Planning Guidance and the Unified Command Plan to reflect WMD response requirements.

5. Coordinate the development of an OPLAN to respond to terrorist on U. S. installations, facilities, ports, and the states and communities.

Reserve Component Consequence Management Program Integration Office Functions

1. Identify and task military response elements. The Departments will identify specific units to provide the response elements, so the program office can coordinate the training and equipment necessary for each. Each Service will task these units to be prepared to perform the response element mission.

2. Develop and publish individual position descriptions and doctrine for integrated employment of the teams.

3. Integrate WMD training for DCOs, EPLOs, RTFs, and military response elements. Leverage existing responder training programs as the core and develop required specialized training. The program office will coordinate training and exercises to ensure the identified response elements, EPLOs, DCOs, and RTFs receive training identified in the plan. The DoD Emergency Preparedness Course and other regional training programs provide a solid foundation for individual responsibilities of the command and liaison elements. Interagency exercises conducted at the state or regional levels will be used to validate concepts of employment and response integration with local, state, and federal response assets. This training will leverage existing federal training for WMD response (currently led by CBDCOM). Response elements will interface with local and state exercises and federal interagency response exercises. The program office will ensure crossflow of lessons learned and coordinate improvement recommendations between similar response elements.

4. Purchase equipment for the military response elements. In year one, equipment will be purchased for the Rapid Assessment and Initial Detection (RAID) Elements, the reconnaissance and decontamination elements, some of the medical personnel and the laptop computers for the Emergency Preparedness Liaison officers (EPLOs).

5. Identify DoD WMD response assets and capabilities. U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) will include DoD's WMD response assets and capabilities in the DoD Resources Data Base and coordinate with FEMA to include appropriate information in the Rapid Response Information System. The program office will coordinate this effort with the Joint Staff and Unified Commands.

6. Facilitate training exercises for the military response elements under the CINC’s RTF. Coordinate these exercises with local, state, and federal agencies.

7. Identify and coordinate the WMD related interests with the Advanced Concepts and Research & Development initiatives. The program office will identify equipment that requires prototyping, simulation, or testing. There are currently a number of Chemical Defense Equipment (CDE) initiatives of significant value to the WMD response effort. ASA(RDA) initiatives are of particular interest and require attention by the program office. The ASD(SO/LIC) Technical Support Working Group will be a key office to facilitate development of this equipment. The OSD Office for Counterproliferation will be an additional resource for testing advanced concepts and newly developed equipment.

8. Establish and maintain linkages with the processes of the CJCS Readiness System to include:

• The Joint Monthly Readiness Review (JMRR)
• Joint Warfare Capabilities Assessment (JWCA) Teams
• Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC)
• Senior Readiness Oversight Council (SROC)

9. Coordinate with the Department of Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, FEMA, and other federal agencies in development of the Presidential Report on Preparations for a National Response to Medical Emergencies Arising From the Terrorist Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and leverage the results of the report to ensure that the Reserve Components are trained and ready to provide this support.

10. Work with the National Guard Bureau to develop a plan to reprogram current resources to fully resource RAID Elements if additional full time spaces are not authorized.

11. Evaluate geographic dispersion of Reserve Component assets for support within the U.S.

12. Develop or revise procedures and doctrine to address:

• Capability to deal with a large number of contaminated victims.
• Use of chemical units to perform patient decontamination
• Response element tactics, techniques, and procedures
• Response to attacks on U. S. facilities and installations.
• Additional doctrinal shortfalls

13. Ensure medical supplies and pharmaceuticals are rapidly available to military response elements for use in    U. S. WMD incidents.

14. Ensure that designated response elements have readily accessible Personal Protective Equipment for rapid deployment to respond within the United States.

15. Develop and publish individual position descriptions and doctrine for integrated employment of the teams.

16. Coordinate the new response capabilities into the ongoing interagency exercise program in order to validate concepts of employment and response integration with local, state, and federal response assets.

17. Ensure communication of lessons learned and coordinate improvement recommendations between similar response elements.

18. Establish at least a partial Rapid Assessment and Initial Detection Element in each State and Territory.

19. Integrate Civilian Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) operations into existing Chemical Training programs.

20. Develop FY00-03 POM requirements.

21. Develop a program to train leaders on HAZMAT, ICS, the FRP and how all of the local, state, and federal agencies interrelate to support the operations.

22. Leverage the existing NLD training programs to provide training to DoD responders.

23. Provide Reserve Component medical personnel with additional specialized training in the management of nuclear, chemical, and biological agent casualties.

24. Develop a rapid systematic notification process to notify military medical personnel when an incident occurs.

25. Upgrade JANUS, Spectrum, or other simulations for use in WMD exercises and execute a proof of concept for using SPECTRUM and JANUS to conduct WMD response exercises.

26. Fund participation by response elements including DCOs, EPLOs, and the RTF staffs in the Nunn-Lugar-Domenici city visits and training.

27. Integrate WMD response elements and assets into the DoD Resources Database.

28. Define requirements for additional number and types of military response elements.

29.  Document the authorization document for the RAID Elements and the requirements for any new force structure.

30.  Coordinate the development of training material for the NBC Defense Teams.

31. Coordinate the DoD WMD training efforts using distance learning techniques.

5-Year Integration Concept for WMD Response

The program office will develop a schedule of milestones to ensure that the elements identified in this plan are tasked, trained, and equipped in a smooth and efficient manner.

The first year of the program will start with the RAID, reconnaissance, and decontamination elements. Training for medical personnel will also begin the first year. Follow on work will expand training to the other elements, analyze equipment requirements, and orchestrate integration of the response concepts and models.

The chart below shows a phased approach that begins to develop domestic response in FY 99 and certifies coverage by FY 02. The most critical elements to develop, task, train, and equip are the RAID Elements. This will ensure a minimal assessment and requirement definition capability in each state and territory. Additionally, the Reconnaissance and Decontamination Elements, which leverage the capabilities of Army Chemical Companies and Air Force Patient Decontamination Teams, will be trained and equipped over a two-year period. Medical Elements will begin their individual training and development of concepts for fielding and equipment purchases in the second and subsequent years. The other less technical elements may not require as much training to be fully prepared for a WMD response. By phasing in the element tasking, training, and equipping over time, less stress will be placed on doctrine development, training delivery, and procurement activities. Lessons learned from evolving military and civil assets will allow for review and improvement of element procedures and structures in the latter years.

The program office will develop and integrate operational plans and doctrine for the domestic WMD response elements, working closely with the supported CINCs. The program office will prepare specific procedures for each response element and evolve those procedures as the response elements mature. These procedures will be based on established and evolving interagency plans and procedures. Integrated exercises and training will ensure elements can operate together as military units and with corresponding civilian responders.