I briefly read through this, as well as went through this summary by SWJ, and the one thing that struck me was that there was no mention of Incident Command? I have written about this in the past, and it still cracks me up that no one out there is catching on. There is already a framework and model for managing complex operations, that is consistently used with great success every summer during the fire seasons in the US. It was also used at ground zero during 9/11, the Space Shuttle crash back in 2003, and the Katrina Hurricane disaster. It is a system that is remarkably simple, yet scalable and easily understood by all. It is a command language and system that all the groups mentioned in this paper could easily understand and follow if implemented.
The question I have is why was there not one person on the panel of authors and experts, that had some kind of expertise in this department. A quick call to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho would have yielded some contacts. Matter of fact, if any of the authors are reading this, I have a point of contact that could help you out. He teaches the 400 series of Incident Command at NIFC, and was a Type 1 Incident Commander (kind of like a General of fire) and a Forest Management Officer.
I could be wrong, but it sounds like this think tank kind of missed the boat on this. Maybe an author could correct the record on why Incident Command wasn’t discussed or mentioned? Like I said, I want to be wrong on this, so please correct the record for me.
In my opinion, if we want to get serious about organizing complex operations, with a unified command that could join military and civilian operations, then this is the system you need. I have seen it first hand join together contractors, with federal/state resources, with multiple agencies, and with military and law enforcement even–all for fighting a complex fire operation. For fighting fires, Incident Command is the glue that joins the pieces of that effort, and it can certainly be applied to the current war effort. It deserves to be studied at the least and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Thanks to Small Wars Journal for posting this. –Matt
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Civilian Surge: Key to Complex Operations
Posted by SWJ Editors on
February 6, 2009 3:07 PM
National Defense University’s Center for Technology and National Security Policy has just released an online report – Civilian Surge: Key to Complex Operations – by Hans Binnendijk and Patrick M. Cronin.
The United States needs to develop the capacity to conduct complex operations that require close civil-military planning and cooperation in the field. This study is comprehensive review of this national need and examines how the need can best be met.