DoD Responses to Transnational Threats - The Black Vault

Some Guard members are themselves also first responders. The task force sees two enhanced
roles for the National Guard to make them more fully effective in the complex incidents possible
in the future. First, provide a national consequence management capability, within the framework
of Title 32 and Title 10, to increase DoD’s support to state and local agency responses to
domestic incidents of all types, but with particular emphasis on chemical or biological incidents.
Second, support sustainment training and exercises for first responders for cases involving
chemical or biological agents. In addition to assisting in domestic consequence management, if
necessary, these capabilities can also be utilized to provide similar consequence management
augmentation to the regional combatant commanders when appropriate.
An integrated state and regional National Guard capability would consist of both state rapid
assessment teams and regional chemical-biological incident response units. Together, these teams
would require 4,000 National Guard personnel, which represents only about one percent of the
National Guard structure. To equip the teams, the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for
Nuclear and Chemical and Biological Defense Programs should evaluate and recommend
appropriate equipment for National Guard consequence management response.
These state teams, modeled after the Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response
Force, would augment first responders by providing a rapid reaction capability for initial
decontamination and medical assistance. The teams would integrate into the existing First
Responder Incident Command System – the first responder command and control system – as
well as integrate with Federal Emergency Management Agency regional offices and appropriate
state and local agencies. The state units would also participate in exercises and training across this
spectrum of agencies.
Recommendation: Improve DoD capabilities for support to civil response and
consequence management mission.
⇒ The Secretary of Defense should direct the Army to develop a plan to expand the scope of and
institutionalize the Nunn-Lugar-Domenici program. The Department should retain DoD
stewardship of this program to:
◊ Fund development and operation of a Global Interactive Information Network
◊ Expand training to include distance learning centers coupled with modeling and simulation,
and use the National Guard to train the trainers and for support in general
◊ Expand the Nunn-Lugar-Domenici program in the Army budget to $200 million annually
beginning in the fiscal year 1999 program budget
⇒ The Secretary of Defense should direct the Army and the National Guard Bureau to establish a
national consequence management capability to support state and local agency responses to
domestic chemical and biological incidents, and support the regional combatant commanders’
consequence management Joint Task Force.
◊ Startup cost estimated to be $320 million over 3 years; sustainment costs $70 million
annually
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