Maturing Defense Support of Civil Authorities and the Dual Status Commander Arrangement through the Lens of Process Improvement

During large-scale emergencies or disasters, National Guard forces regularly operate alongside Active Component forces in response to requests from civil authorities. Defense Support of Civil Authorities (Dsca), the U.S. military's domestic disaster response capability is robust. During incidents of great magnitude or duration, when local and state authorities are overwhelmed or unable to respond as needed, civil authorities sometimes request assistance from the Department of Defense (DoD). These Dsca operations span a wide range of scenarios, including response to natural and man-made disasters, civil disturbances, terrorism, and other significant incidents. In the early stages of response operations lives and property can be at risk, often requiring swift decision-making with limited information, similar to combat operations. The authors advocate the integration of process improvement methods into future Defense Support of Civil Authorities (Dsca) operations. They briefly discusses alternative process improvement strategies and their current state of employment in a variety of DoD programs. Methods discussed include Lean Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, and Capability Maturity Models, the utility of such methods is demonstrated, and the value in applying process improvement methods to Dsca operations is articulated. Three recommendations are given to demonstrate how a usable process maturity model can be built and employed for future operations. The monograph concludes by reaffirming the inherent utility of, and advocating for, process improvement techniques as a way to mature future Dsca operations using the dual status commander arrangement. While this text is mostly targeted as process improvements within the U.S. military, state and municipal government officials that often call on the assistance of the National Guard and Active component forces during a large-scale emergency may be interested in these process improvements that may impact their operations.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

RYAN BURKE is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Delaware with a research focus on defense support of civil authorities. Before starting his Ph.D., Mr. Burke was a captain and logistics officer in the U.S. Marine Corps where he served as a landing support platoon commander, operations officer, and company commander at Camp Lejeune, NC. He then served as the Deputy Marine Officer Instructor for the Philadelphia Naval ROTC Consortium at the University of Pennsylvania. After leaving the Marines, he worked as a Senior Consultant and Logistics Analyst for Booz Allen Hamilton supporting several Department of Defense projects both in the Pentagon and aboard Marine Corps Base at Quantico, VA. Mr. Burke attended Penn State University on an NROTC scholarship, graduating with a degree in crime, law, and justice, and a minor in military studies. He holds a Master of Science degree in homeland security from Saint Joseph's University.

SUE MCNEIL is Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware. She also directs the Graduate Program in Disaster Science and Management and is the former Director of the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware. Professor Mc-Neil has extensive experience working with transportation organizations and agencies on multi-criteria decision-making, performance measures, target setting, and asset management. Dr. McNeil has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board and a member of the Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment. She chaired the Transportation Research Board's Committee on Asset Management from 2004 to 2010 and is an Emeritus Member of the committee. She is a founding Associate Editor for the American Society of Civil Engineers' Journal of Infrastructure Systems and became the Editor-in-Chief in July 2010. Professor McNeil is a registered professional engineer.