Senate Committee Examines Coordination Between DoD and DHS

July 19, 2007 -- Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., and Ranking Member Susan Collins, R-Me., Thursday examined the Defense Department’s progress in coordinating with Department of Homeland Security emergency response officials in order to respond more efficiently to a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

At a committee hearing entitled “The Military’s Role in Disaster Response: Progress Since Hurricane Katrina [video],” the senators heard from senior officials at DOD, and DHS, and the National Guard on gains made by the military in disaster preparation and response and the challenges that remain in coordinating a federal response to a national disaster. Witnesses at the hearing said that during a major multi-state disaster, the National Guard isn’t fully equipped for response and recovery. Therefore, the federal government must anticipate the significant role it will be expected to play in the first 24 hours.

The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, a result of the committee’s Katrina investigation and signed into law last year, strengthens coordination efforts between Defense and Homeland Security officials during a catastrophe. The law created a Defense coordinating officer to work directly with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on the ground. Although personnel from DoD and FEMA are working together to plan and prepare for a disaster response, witnesses said FEMA must take the lead in developing and coordinating missions.