Order Code RS21322
Updated August 18, 2006
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Homeland Security:
Establishment and Implementation of the
United States Northern Command
Steve Bowman
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Summary
The Department of Defense (DOD) established U.S. Northern Command
(NORTHCOM) to fight terrorism at home. Significant organizational and procedural
progress has been made in setting up this organization. However, questions remain
concerning interagency relationships and information sharing. This report will be
updated as events dictate.
Introduction
On April 30, 2002, President Bush signed a new Department of Defense Unified
Command Plan (UCP), which went into effect on October 1, 2002. Among other things,
the UCP established the United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM) to provide
command and control of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) homeland defense efforts
and to coordinate military support to civil authorities.
NORTHCOM’s specific missions are to conduct operations to deter, prevent, and
defeat threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories and interests within
its assigned area of responsibility; and as directed by the President or the Secretary of
Defense, provide military assistance to civil authorities, including immediate crisis and
subsequent consequence management operations. The command’s area of responsibility
includes air, land, and sea approaches and encompasses the continental United States,
Alaska, Canada, Mexico and the surrounding water out to approximately 500 nautical
miles. It also includes the Gulf of Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
NORTHCOM is also responsible for security cooperation and coordination with Canada
and Mexico.1
1 Prior to NORTHCOM’s establishment, homeland defense efforts had been coordinated among
four different combatant commanders. Joint Forces Command, Pacific Command, Southern
Command, and the U.S. element of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)
(continued...)
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

---

CRS-2
There are three primary mechanisms by which DOD would take part in a Federal
response to a domestic incident. Federal assistance, including DOD, would be provided:
(1) at the direction of the President; (2) if the Secretary of Homeland Defense declares an
event an Incident of National Significance; or (3) at the request of the Governor of the
affected state in accordance with the Stafford Act (P.L. 93-288, as amended by P.L. 100-
707). The second and third instances require a request for assistance and approval of the
Secretary of Defense in order to obligate DOD assets to provide support.
Recent Developments — Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina provided Northern Command with its first opportunity to respond
to a very significant natural disaster. In advance of the storm’s landfall, NORTHCOM
deployed Defense Coordinator Elements to Baton Rouge, LA; Clanton, AL; Jackson, MS;
and Tallahassee, FL. These units maintained liaison between NORTHCOM, the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Department of Defense. Liaison
teams were also in place at the FEMA Regional Response Coordination Centers in Texas
and Georgia. Joint Medical Planning Officers deployed both to these coordination centers
and on-site in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
NORTHCOM works in support of FEMA which is the lead federal agency for
disaster response. It will bring DOD assets to bear only under the conditions enumerated
above (e.g., when state and local resources are exhausted, a Presidential Disaster
Declaration is issued, and an official request is made by FEMA). The response, upon
approval by the Secretary of Defense, will be provided through the Joint Task Force-Civil
Support (JTF-CS), a subordinate command of NORTHCOM. As its name indicates, the
JTF-CS can call upon resources from all the armed services. Generally, the most vital
needs are transportation, temporary shelters, medical support, and limited infrastructure
support (e.g. potable water facilities), and emergency food supplies. National Guard
troops, acting under state (Title 32 U.S.C.) and not federal mobilization, assume the more
police-like functions such as protection of private property and traffic control.
NORTHCOM supplied helicopter transport for FEMA Rapid Needs Assessment Teams
and has designated Maxwell Air Force Base near Montgomery, AL as a federal
operational staging area for relief supplies. On August 29, the National Guard
Headquarter in Washington reported that despite very significant deployments to Iraq,
sufficient National Guard troops were available in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina to
meet disaster response requirements.2 The Emergency Management Assistance Compact,
which facilitates interstate National Guard operational support, worked in the transfer of
equipment and personnel to the stricken area from other states. The Army Corps of
Engineers supported debris removal and emergency repairs to storm-damaged levees
around New Orleans.
DOD assets brought to bear in response to Katrina included 72,000 active-duty and
National Guard troops, 23 Navy ships, 68 fixed-wing aircraft, and 283 helicopters.
1 (...continued)
previously had separate responsibilities for aspects of the defense of the United States.
2 “National Guard: Enough GI’s for Storm Duty,” Associated Press, Aug. 29, 2005.

---

CRS-3
Seventy percent of the personnel deployed were National Guard, 30,000 of whom were
on-site with 96 hours.3
Organization
One of DOD’s first challenges in establishing NORTHCOM was to determine how
it would be organized. The decision was made to place their headquarters at Peterson Air
Force Base, Colorado Springs, CO and to use four joint sub-units. The command is
staffed by approximately 1,200 civilian employees and service members (active duty,
guard, and reserve) from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.
At NORTHCOM’s headquarters, tracking potential man-made and natural threats
is the job of the Domestic Watch Center (DWC). The 70-plus military and civilian
personnel are “the command’s eyes and ears, detecting and assessing land and maritime
threats and reporting them. When necessary, the DWC coordinates federal military
support to assist civilian agencies in mitigating the after-effects.”4 For example, in
September 2004, as Hurricane Ivan approached the U.S., the DWC arranged for 500
tractor-trailers loaded with ice, clean water, food, and other supplies to be pre-positioned
out of harm’s way, but as close as possible to expected storm areas.
The DWC and the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Homeland Security
Operations Center (HSOC) maintained close communications. In accordance with a
Memorandum of Agreement between DOD and the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS), a DOD representative is on duty around the clock in the HSOC and maintains
constant communication with the DWC to coordinate and exchange information.
Standing Joint Force Headquarters North (SJFHQ-N). is based at Peterson
Air Force Base, CO. SJFHQ-N maintains situational awareness of NORTHCOM’s area
of responsibility to allow rapid transition to a contingency response posture, and when
directed, quickly deploys assets to support homeland defense and civil support operations.
SJFHQ-N is a staff directorate of more than 50 personnel which relies on a cross-
functional approach to integrate operations, planning, intelligence analysis, mobility and
support functions, and information command and control.
Joint Task Force North (JTF-N). is based at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss,
TX. JTF-N is comprised of approximately 160 soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and
civil servants. The task force aids federal law enforcement agencies protecting U.S.
borders from transnational threats, which “ include international terrorism, the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, delivery systems for those weapons and
organized crime.”5 Additionally, JTF-N provides counter-drug support to federal,
3 Testimony of Assistant Secretary of Defense (Homeland Defense) Paul Mc Hale before the
House Armed Services Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats, and Capabilities
on November 9, 2005.
4 Merrie Schilter-Lowe, “USNORTHCOM and NORAD - Partners in Defending the Homeland,”
Homeland Defense Journal, vol. 2, issue 11, Dec. 2004.
5 Cynthia De Pasquale, “NORTHCOM’s Counterdrug Task Force Adds Counterterrorism
(continued...)

---

CRS-4
regional, state, and local law enforcement agencies throughout the continental United
States. Task force operations include fixed and rotary wing aircraft reconnaissance
missions to locate drug operations; border detection missions to interdict drug smuggling;
and engineering missions to build fences, lights, and roads.
Joint Task Force Civil Support (JTF-CS). is headquartered at Fort Monroe in
Hampton, Virginia. The task force comprises of approximately 160 military and civilian
personnel. Their mission is to provide command and control of DOD assets deployed to
support the lead federal agency managing the consequences of a chemical, biological,
radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive incident in the U.S. or its territories and
possessions. Additionally, when directed, JTF-CS provides support to civil authorities
in response to natural disasters.
Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region (JFHQ-NCR). is located
at Fort Leslie J. McNair, in Washington, D.C. The headquarters is responsible for land-
based homeland defense, military assistance to civil authorities, and consequence
management in the national capital region. JFHQ-NCR brings together the resources
from the approximately 5,200 service members from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine
Corps, Coast Guard, and NORAD working across the capital region.
NORTHCOM also has agreements in place to take operational control of other
standing joint organizations, such as Joint Task Force Alaska, Task Force East -
Consequence Management, and Task Force West - Consequence Management.
Operational control of such organizations can be transferred to NORTHCOM in the event
of a specific threat or disaster.
Interagency Relationships
To facilitate interagency relationships, NORTHCOM has created a Joint Interagency
Coordination Group (JIACG). The JIACG currently consists of 46 agencies, including
representatives from “the State and Transportation Departments, Central Intelligence
Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence
Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Army
Corps of Engineers, Geological Survey and Sandia National Laboratories.”6
The Department of Defense (DOD) and DHS have taken several steps to ensure
coordination takes place at all levels of both organizations. At the national level, DOD
assigns personnel to DHS in accordance with a Memorandum of Agreement between the
two departments. The MOA, signed in September 2003, authorizes a total of 65 DOD
personnel to work at DHS. NORTHCOM provides planning and liaison personnel to
assist with national level plans for which DHS is the lead agency.
Regionally, NORTHCOM has personnel permanently assigned to support DHS
components and coordinate DOD support. An example of this is support to DHS for the
5 (...continued)
Mission,” Homeland Defense Watch, vol. 3, no. 19, Sept. 20, 2004.
6 Harold Kennedy, “U.S. Northern Command Actively Enlisting Partners,” National Defense, vol.
88, issue 607, June 1, 2004.

---

CRS-5
counter-drug/counter-terrorism and maritime security operations. During an emergency
response, NORTHCOM assigns senior military officers to the regional headquarters of
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate DOD support.
At the local level, NORTHCOM assigns military officers to the operations centers
of components of DHS to coordinate tactical operations. An example is DOD’s response
to the hurricanes in Florida in 2004. At the Secretary of Defense’s discretion,
NORTHCOM assigned senior military officers to FEMA’s Disaster Field Office.
International Relationships
NORTHCOM is also part of a binational planning group from the U.S. and Canada
that is reviewing the more than 600 agreements between the two countries. The group is
considering recommending the cooperative defense agreement be expanded beyond air
and space to include the maritime domain. They will make their recommendations
sometime in 2005.7
Mexican and U.S. forces regularly cooperate on anti-drug trafficking operations.
NORTHCOM has begun what it describes as the process of building further ties with
Mexico. NORTHCOM has held senior officer visits with Mexican counterparts, invited
Mexican participation in exercises, and continues to work on security assistance issues.8
Issues for Congress
Organization. When NORTHCOM was first established, many expressed concern
that there would not be large number of standing forces like other military combatant
commands. However, like Joint Forces Command, it appears NORTHCOM’s structure
allows it to pull forces and capabilities across virtually the entire Defense Department.
The advantage of this was demonstrated by the forces NORTHCOM was able to pre-
position in anticipation of Hurricane Ivan as described earlier. Yet some remain
concerned that growing operations tempo on units outside NORTHCOM may limit the
resources available in a disaster or during an emergency. This could result in a need to
re-examine NORTHCOM’s organizational structure and actual availability of forces.
Interagency Relationships. While the effectiveness of NORTHCOM’s own
organizational structure appears to have been tested by real-world disaster responses, its
interagency relationships have not. The most robust relationships built thus far appear to
be at the national level. For example, since 9/11, procedures have been put in place
where, if a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controller notices something
out of the ordinary with a flight, they can speak directly to NORTHCOM. As a result,
USAF fighters checked out over 1,500 suspicious flights since 9/11.9 While
NORTHCOM appears to be postured to more quickly respond to a 9/11-type attack, there
7 Cynthia Di Pasquale, “NORAD Agreement Could widen in 2006 to Include Maritime Domain,”
Inside the Air Force, vol. 15, no. 16, Sept. 3, 2004.
8 Cynthia De Pasquale, “NORTHCOM’s Counterdrug Task Force Adds Counterterrorism
Mission,” Homeland Defense Watch, vol. 3, no. 19, Sept. 20, 2004.
9 Adam J. Hebert, “Noble Eagle Without End,” Air Force Magazine, vol. 88, no. 2, Feb. 2005.

---

CRS-6
are still issues to be resolved. During the June 2004 ceremonies marking President
Reagan’s death, the NORTHCOM Commander had to consider whether to order the
shoot-down of an unidentified plane violating Washington, DC airspace. The FAA had
given the plane overflight permission without telling the military.10
While NORTHCOM has worked closely with the FAA to successfully develop a
more robust picture of air traffic within the continental U.S., they have not made the same
headway in the maritime arena. Capabilities today cannot provide a good picture of what
is happening at all times. Some are concerned that the agencies involved in providing
maritime security have not all been identified and begun to talk together. Others contend
that it is a technology issue that can be solved. For example, NORTHCOM is exploring
the use of high-altitude airships to help create better maritime awareness. Such airships
could help spot illegal or unidentified vessels before they near U.S. waters. They could
also help verify data supplied in advance by legitimate foreign carriers.11
While many strides appear to have been made at the national level, relationships at
state and local levels seem to be slower in being identified. These relationships will likely
continue to be built as NORTHCOM exercises with new states and localities. Some
observers have expressed that it is important that NORTHCOM continue to vary the states
and localities it exercises with as opposed to using the same areas continuously. Others
fear that this approach might only uncover similar high-level issues rather than allowing
an in-depth review of how the organizations work together. One of the biggest concerns
some analysts express is that most of NORTHCOM’s interagency relationships have
primarily been tested in exercise environments. Exercises allow for long lead times and
communications between agencies before the scenarios actually begin. Some argue that
this lead time can artificially create stronger communication than would likely exist in an
emergency or disaster. The experience of Hurricane Katrina has added some weight to
these observations.

10 Amy Imse, “Eyes and Ears Protecting U.S. Borders; Created After 9/11, Northern Command
Finds, Crushes Threats,” Rocky Mountain News, Nov. 8, 2004.
11 John M. Doyle, “NORTHCOM Looks at High-Altitude Airships for MDA,” Homeland
Security & Defense, vol. 3, no. 42, Oct. 20, 2004.

---