Homeland Defense: Actions Needed to Improve DOD Planning and Coordination for Maritime Operations
Highlights
Recent events, such as the seaborne terrorist attack on Mumbai in 2008 and the pirate attack on the Quest in February 2011, highlight maritime threats to the United States. The maritime domain presents a range of potential security threats--including naval forces of adversary nations, piracy, and the use of vessels to smuggle people, drugs, and weapons--which could harm the United States and its interests. The Department of Defense (DOD) has also identified homeland defense as one of its highest priorities. GAO was asked to determine the extent to which DOD has (1) planned to conduct maritime homeland defense operations, (2) identified and addressed capability gaps in maritime homeland defense, and (3) made progress with interagency partners, such as the U.S. Coast Guard, in addressing information sharing challenges related to maritime domain awareness. To conduct this work, GAO examined national and DOD guidance and interviewed officials from DOD, Joint Staff, combatant commands, the military services, and others.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | To ensure that Northern Command is sufficiently prepared to conduct maritime homeland defense operations, the Secretary of Defense should direct the commander of Fleet Forces Command to develop a complete supporting plan for the Northern Command homeland defense plan, currently under review, once it is approved. |
The Commander of Fleet Forces Command provided a supporting plan for the Northern Command homeland defense plan. We had recommended they do so in Homeland Defense: Actions Needed to Improve DOD Planning and Coordination for Maritime Operations (GAO-11-661), and DOD had partially concurred with the recommendation. We had found that, by completing a supporting plan, Fleet Forces Command would expand on the operations planning already done for maritime homeland defense and help Northern Command further mitigate planning, operations, and command and control challenges to the maritime homeland defense mission. In their comments, DOD had reiterated many of the ongoing coordination and planning efforts between Northern Command and Fleet Forces Command that we noted in the original report. DOD further stated in June 2011 that in response to the recommendation, the Commander U.S. Fleet Forces Command had initiated development of a supporting plan to US Northern Command's homeland defense planning efforts. The Commander Fleet Forces Command provided the supporting plan in February 2013. U.S. Northern Command also continues to work with U.S. Fleet Forces Command on the next iteration of Northern Command's homeland defense plan. Northern Command is regularly exercising these plans to help identify any capability gaps. Taken together, these actions address the intent of the recommendation.
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| Department of Defense | To enable Northern Command to monitor progress toward addressing maritime homeland defense capability gaps--including the three specific to maritime homeland defense as well as the others that affect the mission--identified in the Northern Command homeland defense and civil support capabilities-based assessment, the Secretary of Defense should direct responsible DOD organizations to provide Northern Command with implementation plans for undertaking the actions identified by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council. |
U.S. Northern Command reported in July 2013 on some of the processes in which the combined North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command collaborates with other DOD entities and multinational partners--particularly Canada--in identifying and assessing maritime homeland defense capability gaps. Among the efforts in which NORAD/Northern Command reported participation were a Maritime Domain Awareness Interagency Solutions Analysis; a study by the National Maritime Intelligence Integration Office that correlated U.S., Canadian, and global supply chain maritime gaps; maritime stakeholders conferences; an operational maritime domain awareness process to help the command and partners identify interests, assess data, and facilitate collaboration; and a 2013Canadian-U.S. Multinational Vessel of Interest Lexicon to provide rapid information on vessels that may pose a threat. Taken together, these actions address the intent of the recommendation and, if pursued diligently, should help U.S. Northern Command and DOD identify and address maritime homeland defense capability gaps.
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