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Joint Task Force Civil Support (JTF-CS) receives a number of questions from concerned citizens regarding what measures are in place to cope with domestic chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive (CBRNE) situations.
What is Joint Task Force Civil Support and what does it do?
What is a Primary Federal Agency?
Who are the members of JTF-CS? How are they trained and organized?
How does JTF-CS interact with civilian agencies?
What is the legal basis for military support and assistance to civil authorities?
What factors does DoD consider in responding to requests for civil support?
Can the military act in a police role?
What is Joint Task Force Civil Support and what does it do?
Joint Task Force Civil Support is a subordinate command of U.S. Northern Command, a unified combatant command formed in October 2002 to plan, organize and execute both homeland defense and civil support missions.
JTF-CS plans and integrates Department of Defense support to the designated Primary Federal Agency for domestic consequence management operations during chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive situations. When directed, JTF-CS will deploy to an incident site, establish command and control of DoD forces, and provide military assistance and support to civil authorities to save lives, prevent injury, and provide temporary critical life support. Deployment of JTF-CS, at the direction of the Commander of U.S. Northern Command, and on the authority of the Secretary of Defense, would occur only after a Governor requests federal assistance from the President, and after the President issues a Presidential Disaster Declaration.
JTF-CS was established in October 1999 and is located at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Va.
What is a Primary Federal Agency?
The Primary Federal Agency is the federal civilian agency designated to coordinate and direct the government's response to a disaster or emergency situation. Presidential Decision Directive 39 designated the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the PFA for managing the consequences of CBRNE events. In most instances, FEMA will be the PFA, however, the Federal Bureau of Investigation serves as the PFA for crisis management in events designated as an act of terrorism. Although the JTF-CS supports the PFA throughout a CBRNE consequence management operation, the unit operates within a clear Department of Defense chain of command.
Recognizing the need to prevent and respond to weapons of mass destruction, Congress passed Nunn-Lugar-Dominici legislation in 1998 directing the Secretary of Defense to develop and enhance the federal government's capability to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks. As a partner in the National Response Plan, DoD had long provided assistance and support to state and local authorities managing responses to natural disasters. However, the forces, equipment, and experience required to effectively respond to a CBRNE situation are very different from those needed to respond to natural disasters. To meet this new challenge, DoD established JTF-CS in 1999 to serve as a dedicated joint task force capable of providing command and control, deliberate planning expertise, and the integration of DoD’s support to the lead federal agency for a CBRNE event in the United States, its territories, and possessions.
Who are the members of JTF-CS? How are they trained and organized?
JTF-CS is a standing joint task force comprised of active, reserve and Guard members from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard, as well as civilian personnel, and is commanded by a federalized National Guard General Officer. JTF-CS members are experts in their respective specialty areas, well grounded in the capabilities of their respective services, and experienced in working with members of other services. Once assigned to JTF-CS, members receive additional training tailored to prepare them for executing CBRNE consequence management operations.
JTF-CS was designed to be a command and control headquarters without assigned forces or dedicated transportation. In a CBRNE situation, several thousand military personnel could be drawn from all services and attached to JTF-CS by order of the Secretary of Defense. These personnel would bring with them the capabilities needed to carry out approved requests for DoD support and assistance.
How does JTF-CS interact with civilian agencies?
Preparing for and executing a domestic consequence management mission requires JTF-CS to work closely with the many other federal, state and local agencies that also respond to CBRNE situations. These agencies include the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, and state emergency management agencies, to name just a few. DoD is only one member of the federal response community and recognizes the vital need for interagency coordination.
What is the legal basis for military support and assistance to civil authorities?
The primary mission authorities allowing the Department of Defense and JTF-CS to engage in domestic consequence management operations is are the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. § 5121 et seq) and the Economy Act. The Stafford Act authorizes the President to provide disaster and emergency assistance to state and local governments upon receipt of a request from a Governor. Deployment of JTF-CS, at the direction of the Commander of U.S. Northern Command, and on the authority of the Secretary of Defense, would occur only after a Governor requests federal assistance from the President, and after the President issues a Presidential Disaster Declaration. The Economy Act, as amended in 2003, allows Federal Government agencies to purchase goods or services from other Federal Government agencies, or other major organizational units, within the same agency when the President does not declare a disaster.
What factors does DoD consider in responding to requests for civil support?
As discussed in DoD Directive 3025.1, specialized capabilities developed by the services may be applied to reducing the effects of a domestic CBRNE situation when local, state and other federal resources are insufficient to meet the needs of the emergency. Moreover, the request must conform to the following criteria stipulated in DODD 3025.15:
- Legality (compliance with laws).
- Lethality (potential use of lethal force by or against DoD Forces).
- Risk (safety of DoD Forces).
- Cost (who pays, impact on DoD budget).
- Appropriateness (whether the requested mission is in the interest of the Department to conduct).
- Readiness (impact on the Department of Defense's ability to perform its primary mission)
Can the military act in a police role?
Federal law prohibits the use of federal active duty military personnel in direct law enforcement activities, such as arrest of suspected criminals, search for and seizure of evidence and investigation of criminal activities, unless specifically authorized by the Constitution or an act of Congress.
- The purpose of JTF-CS is to save lives, prevent injury and provide temporary critical life support.
- On a daily basis, JTF-CS members develop CBRNE consequence management doctrine, manage training activities and exercises, and develop response plans.
- In a domestic CBRNE situation, JTF-CS is ready to provide command and control to DoD forces deployed for the consequence management operation.
- JTF-CS selects personnel based on their expertise and provides additional training to prepare them for executing consequence management operations.
- JTF-CS interacts with many federal, state and local agencies and engages in domestic consequence management operations in adherence with the Stafford Act.
- Specialized capabilities developed by the services can be applied to reducing the effects of a domestic CBRNE situation when local, state and other federal resources are insufficient to meet the emergency.
- Federal law prohibits the use of federal active duty military personnel in direct law enforcement activities unless specifically authorized by the Constitution or an act of Congress.