In a really weak effort to mimic David Letterman's "top ten" lists, the National Guard Bureau released its top ten list of 2010 missions. At number nine, it lists the DoD's decision (not completion) to develop ten Homeland Response Forces that will aid in the response to a CBRN incident - even if that incident never happens.
The National Guard added a Homeland Response Force package to its Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosive response capabilities, providing a more robust response to any homeland incident.
When activated, HRFs perform search and extraction from collapsed buildings, victim decontamination, medical triage and transport to stabilization facilities, where doctors treat victims before they are moved to a hospital or other designated medical facility.
HRFs offer a bigger force, providing command and control of multiple CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Packages, weapons of mass-destruction, civil support teams and other Guard assets.
Ten HRFs -- one for each Federal Emergency Management Agency region -- are scheduled to stand up by Oct. 1, 2012.
Really, guys? This makes your "top ten" list? You're that proud of the 2010 QDR decision to add 5700 NG troops across the country to join the 57 WMD Civil Support Teams and the 17 CBRNE Emergency Response Forces that are already sitting quietly, bored out of their minds, waiting for any excuse to do something other than respond to "white powder" scares and other false alarms?Amazing to be so proud of such a collossal waste of federal funds aimed at developing such an overprotective response to an over-rated threat. Yes, these NG troops do help train state and local emergency responders on CBRN hazard response, but this technical skill isn't unique to DoD. It's not 1998 anymore.
By the way, the HRFs do not, in fact, provide command and control of the other Guard assets. The general model is to form a joint task force for the state under which all the collective NG assets would be controlled. This is because (and I know this will shock some of the CBRNE crowd) not all incidents will be CBRN-related (and thus not require being led by technical experts), and not all CBRN incidents will require DoD technical specialists (in fact, other medical, logistics, and security assets may be more valuable). The command and control equipment is more to integrate with any state/local responders (regardless of exact equipment) and to assist in coordinating with higher military headquarters.
Spot on!
What a waste of resources... However, I'd rather see the NGB receive the funds/mission than DHS.
CC
Posted by: closet chemo | 31 December 2010 at 01:20 PM