U.S. Army North in the Hurricane Maria Response
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
U.S. Army North in the Hurricane Maria Response ERIC V. LARSON, BRYAN BOLING, DEREK EATON, SUZANNE GENC, DAVID KRAVITZ, KRISTIN J. LEUSCHNER, ANDREW LEWIS, JASON LIGGETT, LINDSEY POLLEY Prepared for the United States Army Approved for public release; distribution unlimited ARROYO CENTER For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR2967 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2020 RAND Corporation R® is a registered trademark. Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions. The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org Preface This report documents research and analysis conducted as part of a project entitled “Lessons from USARNORTH’s Response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico,” sponsored by U.S. Army North (USARNORTH). The purpose of the project was to conduct an analysis and assessment of USARNORTH‘s support to U.S. Northern Command’s response to Hurricane Maria; document interagency coordination between USARNORTH as the Joint Forces Land Component Commander, U.S. Northern Command, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency; compare operations in Puerto Rico with existing authorities, policy, doctrine and other guidelines for disaster responses; and identify gaps and shortfalls and potential remedies to challenges encountered to develop lessons learned and improve future capabilities and capacity to respond to catastrophic incidents. This research was conducted within RAND Arroyo Center’s Forces and Logistics Program. RAND Arroyo Center, part of the RAND Corporation, is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) sponsored by the United States Army. RAND operates under a “Federal-Wide Assurance” (FWA00003425) and complies with the Code of Federal Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects Under United States Law (45 CFR 46), also known as “the Common Rule,” as well as with the implementation guidance set forth in DoD Instruction 3216.02. As applicable, this compliance includes reviews and approvals by RAND’s Institutional Review Board (the Human Subjects Protection Committee) and by the U.S. Army. The views of sources used in this study are solely their own and do not represent the official policy or position of DoD or the U.S. Government. iii Contents Preface .......................................................................................................................................... iii Figures, Tables, and Boxes .......................................................................................................... vi Summary ....................................................................................................................................... ix Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................ xx Abbreviations .............................................................................................................................. xxi 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 Approach ................................................................................................................................................... 3 Organization of this Report ....................................................................................................................... 4 2. Background on the 2017 Hurricane Season ............................................................................ 6 Unique Conditions in Puerto Rico ............................................................................................................ 7 The 2017 Hurricane Season ...................................................................................................................... 8 Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria ......................................................................................................... 9 Comparing the Characteristics of Hurricanes Maria, Harvey, and Irma ................................................. 12 Comparing the Impacts of Hurricanes Maria, Harvey, and Irma ............................................................ 13 Chapter Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 15 3. The Framework for Federal Responses ................................................................................ 18 Basic Authorities for Federal Disaster Responses .................................................................................. 18 National-Level Preparedness Guidance .................................................................................................. 19 The Department of Defense’s Role in Disaster Responses ..................................................................... 24 The Mission Assignment Process in Brief .............................................................................................. 28 USNORTHCOM’s Role ......................................................................................................................... 30 U.S. Army North’s Role .......................................................................................................................... 33 Chapter Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 37 4. Overview of the Response to Hurricane Maria .................................................................... 38 Title 10 and National Guard Peak Forces in Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria ................................ 38 The Response to Hurricane Irma ............................................................................................................. 41 The Run-Up to Maria .............................................................................................................................. 42 The Response to Hurricane Maria ........................................................................................................... 43 Overview of Force Levels, October 11 to November 19, 2017 .............................................................. 56 Chapter Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 57 5. DSCA Command-and-Control Arrangements: Doctrine and Practice During Hurricane Maria ...................................................................................................................................... 59 Command and Control in Doctrine and as Observed .............................................................................. 59 Defense Coordinating Officer and Element in Doctrine and as Observed .............................................. 72 The Dual-Status Commander in Doctrine and as Observed .................................................................... 75 iv Decision Logic for Choosing a JFLCC or JTF for Operational C2 ........................................................ 80 Chapter Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 85 6. Mission Assignments ............................................................................................................... 87 Overview of the Mission Assignment Process ........................................................................................ 87 Overview of Mission Assignments in the USVI and Puerto Rico .......................................................... 91 Challenges Associated with Mission Assignments ............................................................................... 101 Options and Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 109 Chapter Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 112 7. DSCA Training for Effective Command and Control ....................................................... 113 Requirements for Effective C2 in a DSCA Response ........................................................................... 113 DSCA Training Conducted ................................................................................................................... 114 Organizations and Personnel Receiving DSCA Training ....................................................................