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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Concepts of Military Support for Civil Defense Address by Major General Thomas S. Bishop, Adjutant General of Texas, given to the Fifth Annual Conference of City and County Civil Defense Directors at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel, 15 February 1965, on The Concepts of Military Support for Civil Defense. Colonel Garrison, Ladies and Gentlemen: I am very pleased to meet with you today and discuss one of the newer concepts for planning and executing military support for civil defense. All of us realize Civil Defense is an essential part of our total defense posture. There is also a broad realization today that civil defense and military defense are interdependent elements of national defense. An important deterrant to nuclear was is the ability of the nation to survive a nuclear attack and to achieve initial recovery in a reasonably brief period of time. There is great awareness throughout the military establish- ment that in the event of a nuclear attack on this country our first task will be to achieve recovery as rapidly as possible. It will be necessary to accomplish some degree of recovery be- fore we can engage in effective military counter - operations against our enemy. President Kennedy in an effort to strengthen our civil de- fense program delegated major civil defense responsibility to the Secretary of Defense. These responsibilities were subsequently redelegated to the Secretary of the Army. During the past year the Army conducted studies of the pro- blems and requirements involved in making the best use of existing military forces in support of civil defense. One of the principle needs revealed by these studies was the requirement for State level military headquarters which could devote a major part of its time and effort to military support planning for civil defense. Another need was for a State level military headquarters which could control the operations of forces of all services, both active and reserve which could be committed to military support missions. The logical solution to these two problems led to what is sometimes called the "Adjutant General's Concept ". The State Adjutants General serve as an official of the executive branch of State government and also as the administrators of the federal military programs for the State National Guards. This dual function of the State Adjutant General was well suited to the mission of planning and controlling the military support of civil defense. Since the State Adjutants General are provided with a National Guard headquarters manned by militarily qualified personnel, he is capable of fulfilling all the operational requirements of the military support program for civil defense. In this new role, the State Adjutants General and their staffs, augmented by a small planning group of full time employees, will work with State and local civil defense authorities to develop plans against those eventualities and conditions in which civil defense would require military support. This will enable the military extablishment to respond rapidly to Civil Defense needs in accor- dance with previously prepared plans. If the United States is subjected to a nuclear attack, the State Adjutants General and their staffs will immediately assume federal status and will function as the command headquarters for federal military forces allocated to military support missions. This includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and National Guard units. One of the greatest concerns about this program is the possibility of having this military support role misinterpreted. The military role is strictly a support one. Civilian effort and organization is still the heart and fibre of the US Civil Defense preparedness. We count on your understanding to see that the increased military planning in civil defense is not misinterpreted as an assumption by the military of the primary responsibility for civil defense. 2. As a matter of fact, the military resources based in this country, even if entirely committed to civil defense operations, could not cope with the problem since these forces represent less than 3/ of the Nation's manpower and equipment. Military assistance must augment and not be a substitute for civilian participation in the organization, planning and operation of local and State civil defense. Emphasis must always be placed on the full use of all civil resources before military resources are committed to recovery operations. And it must always be borne in mind that plans for the em- ployment of military forces, in support of civil defense, does not abrogate the responsibility of military forces to fulfill their mission to provide the military defense of the nation. In fact, all plans for committment of military forces to support of civil defense must also include plans for the withdrawal of those forces as soon as possible, or when it is necessary to employ them in the military defense of the United States or to conduct required military operations. Military support envisions the commitment of only those military resources which are required in the aftermath of an attack to alleviate suffering, restore order and expedite national recovery. We set no time limit for support, nor do we earmark any specific units for operations in any specific area. These decisions can only be made when the extent of damage has been ascertained and the military requirements determined. It is very desireable that each political sub - division prepare itself to the fullest possible extent in its civil defense plans so that military support will be more meaningful. If there is no civil defense plan, there can be no military support plan. Like- wise, if there is an inadequate civil defense plan, it will hamper the developement of an effective military support plan. Military support of civil authority is not a new concept. Your Texas National Guard in its State capacity has performed this service on many occasions. In a recent five year period it has aided civil authorities in local disasters and emergencies 47 times. 3. Military support for civil defense has been a contigency program of the Army and the other services for many years. This new program is part of a continuing effort to improve our National Defense by providing for more detailed planning and coordination between the military services and the civil defense authorities, and to provide and develop a command and control organization for the execution of military support plans for civil defense. 4.