Homeland Defense: U.S. Northern Command Has a Strong Exercise Program, but Involvement of Interagency Partners and States Can Be Improved

DOD agreed with the recommendation and cited a number of efforts NORTHCOM and the Joint Staff are taking to address it. NORTHCOM now uses the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation System (HSEEP) after-action report format for reports following National Level Exercises and major events, and posts these reports and Exercise Summary reports to the Department of Homeland Security's Lessons Learned Information Sharing System ( LLIS.gov). The Joint Staff and NORTHCOM are also tracking the development of the newly proposed FEMA National Exercise Division's Remedial Action Management Plan that, once fielded, will integrate Exercise Summary reports, lessons learned, and corrective action information. These actions should help NORTHCOM and its other DOD and interagency partners improve the quality and usefulness of exercise documentation and addresses the intent of the recommendation.

DOD agreed with this recommendation and emphasized that in addition to NORTHCOM and other DOD elements' efforts, the recommendation has applicability to other US Government interagency partners. As such, DOD emphasized the role of the interagency Exercise and Evaluation Sub-Interagency Planning Committee in revising the National Exercise Program implementation plan. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided a draft rewrite of the plan to the Secretary of Homeland Security in November 2010. The document states that it "seeks to be more effective, realistic, and collaborative across all levels of government, non-governmental organizations and the public and private sectors, with a renewed emphasis on periodically conducting no-notice and limited-notice events." DOD collaborated in the National Exercise Program implementation plan revision process. DOD reiterated that while NORTHCOM encourages states to participate in exercises, State participation is dependent on the states' willingness and ability to fund and provide participants. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a revised National Exercise Program Base Plan in March 2011 and a revised National Exercise Program Implementation Plan in June 2012. Taken together, these actions address the intent of the recommendation and should help NORTHCOM and its interagency partners better involve state partners in exercises.

DOD agreed with the recommendation and cited a number of actions it has taken to address it. NORTHCOM completed updates to existing online courses that are part of the command's training that all personnel are required to receive. Updates included training on all-hazards response within the States to include the roles of the Adjutant General, the State Emergency Management Officer (and State Emergency Operations Center), and the Joint Force Headquarters-State, as well as the role of the National Guard Bureau. The Defense Support of Civil Authorities Senior Executive Seminar was replaced with the operationally oriented Defense Support of Civil Authorities State and Local Homeland Security and Emergency Managers Seminar. NORTHCOM also hosts representatives from state-level/city emergency manager/homeland security offices. The instruction includes the ways DOD, National Guard, and federal agency partners support states and communities in support of crises and disasters. The Emergency Managers Seminar is now an annual event. In November 2010, NORTHCOM sponsored a Federal Emergency Management Agency Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program training course. The course provided 49 NORTHCOM attendees an opportunity to better understand standardized policy, methodology and language used to manage exercises at all levels of government. These actions should improve NORTHCOM's interaction with interagency partners and states for general coordination as well as for improving exercise coordination and addresses the intent of the recommendation.

DOD agreed with the recommendation and outlined a number of actions it planned to take to address it. A publicly accessible template now exists on the NORAD and NORTHCOM website, via a registration request. Participants provide the information according to the template and e-mail to the NORTHCOM lessons learned program managers. Additionally, NORTHCOM's exercise directorate manages the defense support of civil authorities channel on Department of Homeland Security's Lessons Learned Information System. Like all other channels, this includes an e-mail capability which allows all registered users to submit documents or other information to the Channel managers. NORTHCOM's exercise officials also collaborated with Department of Homeland Security for the inclusion of a Lessons Learned and after action report discussion web page on the Homeland Security Information Network, which is displayed for all events. This web page was first used during exercise VIGILANT SHIELD in November 2010. NORTHCOM's exercise directorate receives weekly updates and forwards them to the appropriate lessons learned managers to ensure an active follow-thru process exists. These actions should help NORTHCOM and interagency partners more closely coordinate lessons learned and corrective actions from exercises and actual events and address the intent of the recommendation.

DOD agreed with the recommendation. NORTHCOM has worked with Department of Homeland Security officials to coordinate the sharing of relevant exercise information. NORTHCOM's exercise directorate now posts lessons learned, after action reports, and Exercise Summary Reports to the Defense Support of Civil Authorities Channel of the Department of Homeland Security's web-based Lessons Learned Information System. NORTHCOM officials have also provided additional means by which the command's lessons learned information may be accessed by interagency partners on NORTHCOM's web portal. These actions should help NORTHCOM and all its exercise partners better coordinate the sharing of exercise information and addresses the intent of the recommendation.

DOD agreed with the recommendation and stated that it would revise its guidance for the Joint Lessons Learned Program to address it. DOD has initiated a revision of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction 3150.25D that will include the following draft language: "During the Evaluation Phase of the joint lessons learned process, corrective actions and solutions are implemented and verified in a subsequent exercise, operation, experiment or other appropriate venue before being closed. The reasons for closure or recommended re-evaluation are documented as part of the process." This instruction remains in revision. In February 2011, DOD published companion guidance as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Manual 3150.25 on the Joint Lessons Learned Program that included guidance on verifying corrective actions and monitoring issues identified for re-observation. These actions should help DOD and its interagency partners better track lessons learned and corrective actions and addresses the intent of the recommendation.

DOD agreed with the intent of the recommendation but stated that existing guidance provided sufficient direction for DOD components with respect to participating in the National Exercise Program. DOD subsequently decided to revise a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff instruction that re-iterates DOD guidance with respect to the National Exercise Program and addresses conditions for combatant command use of the Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program, as determined by DOD early in the particular exercise life cycle. Parallel with this effort, DHS issued a revised National Exercise Program Base Plan in March 2011 and a revised National Exercise Program Implementation Plan in June 2012. DOD continues to incorporate information from these documents into the revised instruction and expects to issue it in fall 2013. Additionally, DOD revised the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction on Joint Training Policy and Guidance (CJCSI 3500.01G) in March 2011 to incorporate further guidance on DOD participation in the National Exercise Program. Taken together, these actions, and progress toward further action, address the intent of the recommendation.