Military Lessons Benefit Homeland

Signal, Feb 2008 by Lawlor, Maryann

Futurists experiment with defense and civil support concepts designed for fighting operations.

Some of the most forwardthinking minds in the U.S. Defense Department that regularly tackle the tough tactical problems in the Global War on Terrorism are applying their innovative ideas at home. These architects who design the latest military approaches to defeating the enemy are assisting combatant commands, specifically the U.S. Northern Command, to determine the best ways to support homeland defense. In addition, these experts are ferreting out the most ideal balance for the department in its support to civil authorities. Recent experiments that demonstrate technical capabilities are bridging the gap between the military, other government agencies and civilian organizations by facilitating information sharing and creating critical partnerships that are essential during times of crisis.

Members of the Joint Concept Development and Experimentation Directorate (J-9) at the U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), Norfolk, Virginia, currently are reviewing the results of a two-part event that specifically dealt with homeland defense and the response to crises. Noble Resolve 2007-1 and -2 were offshoots of two 2006 experiments in which the directorate participated that focused on operations in an urban environment overseas. Multinational Experiment 4 examined how to integrate coalition elements of power to influence adversary behavior in Afghanistan. Urban Resolve 2015, an experiment with a scenario set in Baghdad, Iraq, identified the capability gaps that take place in an urban setting.

In addition to the directorate's experiments, a 2006 U.S. Army war game called Unified Quest added to deliberations regarding the special challenges an urban environment poses. The war game fictional situation focused on smuggling nuclear device components. The U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), Peterson Ak Force Base, Colorado, was interested in determining how early the military could identify a threat that originated overseas and then prevent that threat from reaching U.S. shores. Further, the command questioned how best to reduce the damage and shorten disaster response times.

As the combatant commands' go-to source for exploration, JFCOM was the obvious choice for NORTHCOM to call to help fill in some of these blanks. Accordingly, the Noble Resolve dual-segment approach first addressed threats to the U.S. East Coast and then tackled issues specific to the U.S. West Coast, which covers a much larger geographical area.

Despite the geographic differences, directorate personnel identified several key concerns common to both areas. As a result, they focused on maritime domain awareness and the information integration and sharing necessary to support both homeland defense and crisis management.

During the first segment-Noble Resolve 07-1, which took place in April 2007-conditions as they exist today were documented and potential solutions identified for improving information sharing and communications interoperability. These ideas aim at facilitating collaboration between the Defense Department and multinational, local, state and federal agencies.

The experiment involved four primary objectives: identify and evaluate the current state of maritime domain awareness information; assist the Commonwealth of Virginia in evaluating information sharing and situational awareness to support threat response and consequence management planning; examine worldwide logistics efforts needed when major logistics nodes or key lines of communication are compromised; and study the information flow and process requirements when a catastrophic event disables a U.S. or foreign post. Participants in the event included government agencies and multinational partners.

The scenario for Noble Resolve 07-1 involved terrorist activities and one natural disaster all occurring within a matter of days and all requiring the assistance of the military located in the Norfolk, Virginia, area. All of the crises were centered in the maritime environment.

Noble Resolve 07-2's scenario also involved both manmade and natural crises. The fictional situation began with significant global tension from unrest at the G-8 summit and volcanic activity erupting on Mount Hood in Oregon. A foreign-flagged vessel detonating a radiological dispersal device pierside during an unscheduled stop in Guam followed this turmoil. Then, based on a note found on a foreign pier, another non-U.S. vessel bound for Vancouver, British Columbia, and Portland, Oregon, was designated a vessel of interest. Meanwhile, intelligence reports indicated that a radiological dispersal device might be onboard one or more vessels heading for the North American West Coast. Finally, the scenario included a major earthquake that takes place in the Portland, Oregon, area and causes large-scale infrastructure damage to the city and nearby port.

While Noble Resolve 07-1 piggybacked on training events taking place in Virginia, Noble Resolve 07-2 was an independent event. In addition, although both segments of the experiment involved approximately 100 participants, the latter integrated modeling and simulation tools more extensively into the activity. Further, for Noble Resolve 07-2, JFCOM worked more closely with the U.S. Department of Homeland security (DHS) and the Office of Homeland Defense, which is part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.