Defense Support of Civil Authorities It is a primary mission of the National Guard to stand by to assist the state or nation in matters of homeland security or natural disasters. That includes anything from fighting wild fires, to helping with oil spills, to helping flood victims, to assisting with riot control. This is the “traditional role” of the Guardsman – the image of the minuteman with one hand on the plow and the other on the rifle. This role is essential to the Guard’s identity. Guardsmen will always be there, prepared to handle these types of civil disruptions. For that reason, Georgia’s National Guard units are geographically dispersed throughout the state for quick response. And the Georgia Guard is not just defensively postured to assist civil authorities with emergencies, but the organization assists with proactive measures as well. The Guard has been on the ground fighting drug violence for some time here in Georgia. The Ga. DoD has an entire unit dedicated to Counterdrug efforts. The Joint Staff, through the JFHQ, provides a community-based response force that offers ready, rapid support in defense of the state, region and country. The Joint Staff enhances mission performance and strengthens the care provided to Ga. DoD members and their families by leveraging community presence, employer support and family care programs. Its auxiliary mission is to transform the Ga. DoD to meet future and present federal and state response capabilities. Under the JFHQ umbrella, the Ga. DoD maintains liaison with
the Georgia Office of Homeland Security and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, along with key emergency and law enforcement officials across the state. The Guard’s Quick Reaction Force stands poised to respond, on very short notice, to provide DSCA. The QRF provides force protection and security for WMD Civil Support Teams and CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Package Teams. The Georgia Guard’s Quick Reaction Force is comprised of 132 personnel who are capable of responding within eight hours and 500 personnel who can respond within 24 hours. The Georgia Guard also plays a major role in combating the threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction here at home through its 4th Civil Support Team. This team uses state-of-theart technology to assess suspected WMD attacks and then advises civilian responders on the appropriate responses to take. In addition to the CST, the Ga. DoD provides a layer of contingency response through the JTF 781 CERFP. This team can respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high yield explosive incidents and can support local, state, and federal agencies in managing the consequences of the event by providing capabilities to conduct casualty/patient decontamination, medical support, and casualty search and extraction. The National Guard also provides Critical Infrastructure Protection-Mission Assurance Assessment Detachments, which conduct all-hazard risk assessments on prioritized Federal and State critical infrastructure in support of the Defense Critical Infrastructure Program. The CIP-MAA team works in conjunction with GOHS and GEMA and provides assistance, advice, and
solutions for securing key facilities, and helps to identify and coordinate resources that might be needed in the event of a natural or manmade emergency. The CIP-MAA program focuses on increasing protection of critical assets within the state of Georgia. The team is comprised of National Guard Soldiers who have extensive knowledge and training in offensive and assault operations, physical security, structural design, infrastructure interdependencies, cyber security and emergency management. These are Guardsmen who help look after the security of our communications systems, public works, transportation, electrical power and water supply systems. Homeland risk assessments have shown that these points of interest are most likely to be targeted in the event of another domestic terrorist attack; and so, clearly, the Guard’s work here is vital to homeland security. And while it is perhaps well known that the Guard assists with fighting wild fires from the air through its Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, it is perhaps less known that the Guard has its own fire departments. In fact, the 165th Airlift Wing’s Fire Department was awarded the Air National Guard Fire Chiefs Association “Fire Department of the Year Award” in 2009. And, of course, one state’s Guard is always willing to help another state through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which is a national mutual aid partnership agreement that allows state-tostate assistance during governor or federally declared emergencies. These are just some of the ways the Georgia Guard is facilitating homeland security within the states and the nation at large. 2010 Annual Report | 30