Lessons for FEMA from the USAWC

To my Leadership at FEMA

The Army War College Root Report was published very recently, and is being reviewed on hundreds of desks now. It was included in the reading list for one of my current civilian college courses.

 There are some interesting thoughts for FEMA’s “Next New”. In particular, the sections about “Options to Policy Makers: Improving Army Effectiveness in JIIM (Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental and Multinational)” and general discussions about TAA (Train, Advise, Assistance) missions.

 Opportunities exist to cross train with our state partners by rotating FEMA staff into embedded positions for calendar quarters. Quoting from the paper, “While FAO and ARSOF leaders continue to leverage their experience and subsequent assignments and flourish in the JIIM environment, their experiences are not shared with commanders of conventional units and headquarters. Conversely, other non-FAO/SF officers experienced challenges when placed in the JIIM environment. This is a case in which simple, inexpensive changes in the assignment of personnel can have outsized benefits for the Army.”

 Tasks could include closeout work in a grantee environment, PDA staff training and preparation, and grantee reach down training to local emergency managers.

 Other cross training opportunities in grantee environments, outside of state emergency management agencies, might include departments of transportation (roads, bridges, harbors and airports), environmental and historical preservation departments, state versions of the GSA, National Guard units, state police and firefighting units relative to emergency management and planning cells, and state legislative and executive offices.

 Relative to the mission of emergency management as a whole, particularly looking toward future operations, there is a teling remark within this study, “… reliance of the wisdom of policy makers, and the corresponding patience of the American people, is a poor stratgey for military preparation.”

V/r