Homeland Security

Statement of

Brigadier General Bruce M. Lawlor

United States Army

Commander,

Joint Task Force Civil Support

United States Joint Forces Command

Before the House Government Reform

Subcommittee on

National Security, Veterans Affairs

And International Relations

United States House of Representatives

Second Session, 106^th Congress

On

"Domestic Preparedness against Terrorism:

How ready are we?"

24 March 2000

Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to address you today. Joint Task Force - Civil Support is the headquarters within U.S. Joint Forces Command that will provide command and control for Department of Defense (DoD) forces that may respond to requests for assistance from the Lead Federal Agency following a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) incident in the continental United States. The task force has been training diligently and will be prepared to assume its mission on April 1, 2000.

For our purposes, a WMD incident is defined as a deliberate or unintentional event involving a nuclear, biological, chemical, radiological weapon or device, or a large conventional explosive, that produces catastrophic loss of life or property.

The increasing likelihood of the use of a WMD has caused the Department of Defense to examine the unique capabilities we could and should bring to incident of this nature.

The tasking for U.S. Joint Forces Command, which came in the 1999 Unified Command Plan (UCP), was very short and succinct: "[Provide], within CONUS, military assistance to civil authorities (including consequence management operations.), .subject to Secretary of Defense approval." However, in his UCP Letter of Transmittal to President Clinton, Secretary Cohen expanded on both the need and the methodology for standing up an organization to be part of the solution - Joint Task Force - Civil Support. Secretary Cohen said:

"Due to the catastrophic nature of a WMD terrorist event that will quickly overwhelm state and local authorities, we have become convinced that our current structure for providing DOD support needs to be expanded. Therefore, we see the need to create a new organizational structure - both an operational capability and an oversight mechanism - that can anticipate the support requirements for responding to a catastrophic terrorist incident, undertake detailed analyses, conduct exercises, and ultimately respond in support of civil authorities."

"Accordingly, I intend to establish a standing Joint Task Force - Civil Support (JTF-CS), which will report to me through the Commander in Chief of the U.S. [Joint Forces] Command and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.. Its principal focus will be to plan for and integrate DOD's support to the lead federal agency, which will have the [U.S. Government] responsibility to manage the consequences of a domestic WMD event."

Secretary Cohen continued in the transmittal letter to describe the part of this structure change that doesn't fall within the UCP:

"Due to the unique circumstances of this reorganization, I also intend to establish a new position in my office to enhance the existing civilian oversight of both the policy and operational elements associated with domestic preparedness for WMD consequence management. The Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Civil Support (ATSD (CS)) will serve as a focal point and coordinator of the Department's many activities in support of other federal government agencies in this area."

The establishment of both JTF-CS and the Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Civil Support was a major step in strengthening DoD's overall capability for responding to WMD consequence management. WMD consequence management requires a coordinated response at three levels - local, state and federal, and the Department of Defense strategy includes support at each level.

At the local level, the Director of Military Support (DOMS) provides oversight for the Domestic Preparedness Program, which provides training in WMD consequence management to civilian first responders in 120 cities across the nation. The program seeks to improve the capabilities of our local first responders to manage the aftermath of a WMD incident. DoD will continue to support this program, but operational responsibility will be handed over to the Department of Justice on 1 October 2000.

At the state level, DoD has improved the ability of state governments to respond by assisting in the establishment and support of the WMD Civil Support Teams (CSTs), formerly known as Rapid Assessment and Initial Detection (RAID) teams. Because they are National Guard assets, CSTs can function under state or federal authority. They are equipped with sophisticated communications systems that will enable local first responders to talk with neighboring jurisdictions or link up with federal centers of expertise. CSTs are also being equipped with state of the art detection equipment that will enable them to help local first responders quickly identify potential WMD agents.

At the federal level, responsibility for responding to a WMD event is shared by many agencies and departments. Effective 1 October 1999, UCP 99 tasked U.S. Joint Forces Command to become the operational-level Commander in Chief (CINC) over DoD support for CONUS WMD consequence management planning and response. This tasking forms another part of DoD's strategy for assisting first responders by providing them with more efficient delivery of military support in times of crises. A key element of this strategy is to establish JTF-CS as a standing command and control headquarters for responding DoD military forces. However, the bulk of military support that U.S. Joint Forces Command can make available will come from other units with military capabilities inherently useful in managing WMD consequences. These other capabilities, in both the active and reserve components of all of the services, include transportation, chemical/biological/ radiological reconnaissance and decontamination, mortuary affairs, medical, logistics, and communications.

Based on guidance received from the Secretary of Defense in January 1999, planning began last year to stand up Joint Task Force - Civil Support by 1 October 1999. From this starting point, JTF-CS has become the primary DoD command and control headquarters for domestic WMD consequence management. There are several advantages that JTF-CS brings to this DoD effort, including:

1. Designation of a full-time General Officer and standing headquarters to focus exclusively on the multitude of WMD consequence management issues

2. Providing a single DoD point of contact for Federal, State and local authorities in the incident area

3. Providing a staff of highly trained experts to act as a focal point for information analysis and dissemination

4. Ensuring unity of command of the federal forces operating within the confusion of a WMD incident area.

The mission of JTF - Civil Support is to deploy to the vicinity of a WMD incident site in support of the Lead Federal Agency, establish command and control of designated DoD forces and provide military assistance to civil authorities to save lives, mitigate injuries, and provide temporary critical life support.

A key point to make here is our relationship to the Lead Federal Agency (LFA). Under no circumstance will U.S. Joint Forces Command or JTF - CS be in charge of the consequence management site. We will always act in support of an LFA, and will participate as a follow-on consequence management force behind first responders and state assets that normally arrive at the incident site first. The Commander of JTF-CS and his permanent staff, through constant exposure to the issues inherent in operations in the United States, will be able to apply the strengths resident in a military organization. They will do this in complete compliance with the Constitution, the Posse Comitatus Act, and other applicable laws.

In the last 15 years there have been over twenty terrorist attacks involving Americans worldwide. Two of these attacks occurred within the United States. As terrorist groups become more emboldened and sophisticated we can only expect these numbers to increase - especially attacks within the continental United States. In response to the terrible consequences of a WMD threat within our borders, Secretary Cohen directed U.S. Joint Forces Command to establish Joint Task Force - Civil Support. JTF-CS provides us with faster, more efficient, and more organized support to civilian authorities. JTF-CS is the fulcrum to leverage DoD's contribution to local, state and federal agencies in their efforts to mitigate the effects of a Weapon of Mass Destruction incident.

Thank you again for the opportunity to testify, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have.