Research for Homeland Defense

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The Naval Militia: A Neglected Asset?
July 1, 2007
The naval cognate of the National Guard, with both state and federal service obligations, the Naval Militia played a significant role in the nation’s maritime preparedness for more than a quarter of a century before being largely replaced by the Naval Reserve and passing virtually out of existence. In the post-Cold War period, and particularly since the onset of the Global War on Terrorism, interest in the Naval Militia has been rising, and the institution has been revived or is in the process of being revived in several states. In some other state the topic is somewhat controversial, as some complex legal and political issues may be involved. On the whole, however, reinstituting the Naval Militia may be of considerable benefit to the nation, the states, the reservist, and the naval service, providing a “force multiplier” in domestic emergencies and homeland defense.
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Forward ... From the Start: The U.S. Navy & Homeland Defense: 1775-2003
February 1, 2003
Written in the wake of the "9-11" terrorist attacks, this short paper lays out and draws conclusions from the long history of U.S. Navy involvement in what are now called "homeland defense" operations. Topics covered in the survey include: The submersibles and gunboats of the Revolution and the War of 1812; the creation (and subsequent reorientation forward) of a Home Squadron in 1840s; the innovative naval homeland defense systems of the Confederate Navy during the Civil War; the role of inshore U.S. Navy monitors during and after the Civil War; the massive failure of American homeland defense at Pearl Harbor in 1941; offshore antisubmarine warfare during both world wars; and Cold War U.S. Navy continental air defense and coastal underwater surveillance efforts. Analysis of the historical record shows that U.S. Navy forward offensive deployments have almost always taken precedence over homeland defense efforts; that naval systems and organizations originally developed for homeland defense usually migrate to other roles; and that naval homeland defense operations have almost always been embedded in larger joint, inter-agency and total force efforts, usually involving the U.S. Coast Guard. (A shorter version of this paper was published in the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings May 2003 edition).
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The Role of the Reservist in Maritime Homeland Defense
August 1, 2002
This white paper analyzes and draws conclusions about Department of Defense (DOD) support for homeland security (HLS) and homeland defense (HLD) in general, and maritime homeland defense (MHLD) specifically. It was requested by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (OASD/RA) as part of that office’s comprehensive review of the reserve component (RC) as directed by the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). OASD/RA’s original question was, “What is the appropriate mix of forces between the active component (AC) and the RC to accomplish the MHLD mission?” However, initial research quickly revealed that as yet there are no official definitions of HLS, HLD, or MHLD, no definitions of service MHLD roles and missions, and no official organizational structure in which to manage the HLS missions and forces. These issues are being considered in ongoing discussions about the establishment of U.S. Northern Command (NORCOM). Until official decisions are made, there is no way to determine the appropriate AC/RC force mix. Those limitations notwithstanding, this paper presents a general overview of the HLS and HLD missions, and provides a framework and a methodology for determining the appropriate AC/RC mix in the MHLD mission area when key decisions are reached.
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Future Deployable Medical Capabilities and Platforms for Navy Medicine
February 1, 2002
Abstract: D5085 The Director, Medical Resources, Plans, and Policy (N-931) asked CNA to analyze potential alternatives for Navy Medicine's future deployable medical platforms, focusing on the 2015-2025 time frame. Specifically, N-931 directed CNA to: 1. Analyze future operating environments 2. Analyze the medical capabilities required by those environments 3. Describe and analyze generic potential platforms that will supply those capabilities 4. Analyze the requirement-setting process and funding cycle, to draw recommendations for Navy Medicine's actions. Future operating environments could require Navy Medicine to support a wide variety of missions, including homeland security, operational maneuver from the sea, and managing the consequences of biological and chemical attacks. Our analyses show that there will be a continuing need for both land-based and sea-based medical platforms because no single platform is optimal in all circumstances. Among sea-based platforms, we found that variants or conversions of amphibious ships would be strong candidates for many future missions. Maritime Pre-positioning Force Future (MPF(F)) ships should also be considered among potential future medical platforms for echelon II care. Variants of today's fleet hospital could serve Navy Medicine's needs for future land-based options. Navy Medicine needs to begin the process of developing mission needs statements soon because the requirement setting, funding, and procurement processes take many years.
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