February 01, 2008
Pentagon Totally Unprepared to Respond to Internal Disaster
An independent commission stated in front of Congress that the Pentagon is not even close to sufficiently prepared for an internal disaster, such as a biological, nuclear or chemical attack.
Given that the National Guard is the only part of our government that got anything right during Katrina, this is obviously concerning, because FEMA is obviously a mess and the local and state groups are kind of a crapshoot, but probably not close to prepared for an emergency of that magnitude.
The commission states that the military has not spent enough time planning for an internal attack, the problem continues to be in part bureaucratic drag, there are conflicts between state and federal governments about authority. Beyond that, when responding to an internal disaster of that level, it would primarily fall under the responsibility of the National Guard, and the Guard has generally been built up as a supplement to locals, not as a leader, as it would almost have to be during that level of disaster.
The article also notes that the Guard and Reserve are being used more actively in theater now, and there needs to be adjustments made to the way they function.
Beyond all that, we ought to look beyond how the Pentagon and our government respond to this level of crisis, what about our response? We certainly don't need to be paranoid, but this ought to be a warning to us, our government isn't necessarily prepared for a disaster, so it may be worth investing some time into learning some basic disaster preparation skills. I don't mean some crazed paramilitary survivalist who lives in the most desolate parts of Montana either, but at least enough to evacuate on your own and survive a few days on your own until things stabilize.
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Given that the National Guard is the only part of our government that got anything right during Katrina, this is obviously concerning, because FEMA is obviously a mess and the local and state groups are kind of a crapshoot, but probably not close to prepared for an emergency of that magnitude.
"We looked at their plans. They're totally unacceptable," said commission chairman Arnold Punaro, a retired Marine Corps major general.
"You couldn't move a Girl Scout unit with the kind of planning they're doing," Punaro said of plans drafted by U.S. Northern Command, the part of the military responsible for homeland defense.
The commission states that the military has not spent enough time planning for an internal attack, the problem continues to be in part bureaucratic drag, there are conflicts between state and federal governments about authority. Beyond that, when responding to an internal disaster of that level, it would primarily fall under the responsibility of the National Guard, and the Guard has generally been built up as a supplement to locals, not as a leader, as it would almost have to be during that level of disaster.
The article also notes that the Guard and Reserve are being used more actively in theater now, and there needs to be adjustments made to the way they function.
Beyond all that, we ought to look beyond how the Pentagon and our government respond to this level of crisis, what about our response? We certainly don't need to be paranoid, but this ought to be a warning to us, our government isn't necessarily prepared for a disaster, so it may be worth investing some time into learning some basic disaster preparation skills. I don't mean some crazed paramilitary survivalist who lives in the most desolate parts of Montana either, but at least enough to evacuate on your own and survive a few days on your own until things stabilize.
Posted by: doubleplusundead at
04:41 PM
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