Defining Homeland Defense

There is no definition in JP 1-02 “Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms”

A proposed definition:

The military role in the principal task of the

U.S. government to protect the United states, its

territories and citizens. It includes:

– deterring and defending against

strategic attack,

– supporting domestic authorities

for crisis and consequence

management for WMD,

– protecting national security assets, such as

installations and deploying forces,

– and helping to ensure the availability, integrity, survivability, and adequacy of other critical assets.

Interagency, joint, multi-jurisdictional, and AC/RC

"Homeland defense has been under

discussion for some time, because

we don't really know what it

constitutes in this day of

asymmetrical threats."

”We know for certain that it includes

responding to weapons of mass

destruction.We know that it

includes information operations

and counter intelligence operations

for information warfare.

It includes the air defense

of the United States.”

Charles L. Cragin,

Asst SECDEF

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Notes:

Slide 4, What is Homeland Defense

Sir, as you can see here we are only proposing a definition. Others are also working this issue, including RAND. Our definition spins off some thinking at DA in preparation for the homeland defense panel part of the TAA 07 conference held at the AWC this past Spring, which we attended.

Note that the next to last tic on protecting national security assets is intended to embrace our own AT/FP efforts, while the next tic focuses on support to others, which from the Army perspective may turn out to be a very limited mission, unless restoration comes into play, let’s say for an electric grid. That restoration would then fit more properly under consequence management.

Multi-jurisdictional refers to the various levels of government involved, Local, state and federal .