Homeland Defense and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Additional Steps Could Enhance the Effectiveness of the National Guard's Life-Saving Response Forces

On August 13, 2015, the National Guard Bureau briefed GAO on their actions to implement the recommendations from GAO-12-114. In 2016, the National Guard Bureau provided supporting documentation to show its efforts to strengthen existing guidance on interagency coordination to enhance regional CBRNE preparedness and facilitate the CERFP's ability to respond to regional events. In particular, DOD has restructured its CBRN Consequence Management Response Force into a CBRN Response Enterprise to include the establishment of 10 Homeland Response Forces (HRF) that are aligned by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) region and can provide command and control over multiple Civil Support Teams and CERFP units as part of a regional response effort. As part of this effort, in October 2015, the National Guard Bureau issued a HRF/CERFP Concept of Operation, which includes, among other things, responsibilities for the HRF and CERFP to coordinate regional plans and exercises within their FEMA region and to develop and coordinate on regional response plans with federal, state, tribal, and local entities. During the course of GAO's review of HRF readiness (100189), the GAO team had the opportunity to conduct site visits in 2015 and 2016 to meet with some of the HRFs. During one site visits, a HRF provided examples of the types of outreach efforts that a HRF conducts, such as the development of a community outreach brief to assist in educating the community on the capabilities of the HRF as well the development of an outreach packet that the HRF provides to its regional state and local entities on the capabilities that are available to support a request for assistance. We believe these efforts show substantial progress on the part of the National Guard Bureau and addresses the intent of the recommendation and, with these actions, the recommendation is considered closed implemented.

On August 13, 2015, the National Guard Bureau briefed GAO on their actions to implement the recommendations from GAO-12-114. In 2016, the National Guard Bureau identified its concept of operation and yearly planning guidance as documentation supporting its efforts to increase awareness and understanding of coordination guidance within the CERFPs. In particular, the 2015 Concept of Operation contains information about coordination with other National Guard responders. For example, the guidance includes information on the National Guard Coordination Center, which provides a central base for conducting operations; describes routine and extensive coordination for the CERFPs, the Homeland Response Force, the Joint Force Headquarter-State, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Guard Bureau, and U.S. Northern Command during the preparation for a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) incident response. The Concept of Operation encourages regular coordination between the CERFP and other responders. We believe that the updated Concept of Operation shows substantial progress on the part of the National Guard Bureau and addresses the intent of the recommendation to improve awareness and understanding of guidance on coordinating with other CBRN responders. With these actions, the recommendation is considered closed implemented.

In response to our recommendation, in 2014, the National Guard Bureau developed an operation and training checklist for the CERFP in its Standardization, Evaluation, and Assistance Team inspection program. The inspection program was established to strengthen and improve the management controls and oversight for the National Guard CERFP forces. As part of the inspection program, the CERFP Commander is inspected on whether he/she or a representative performed liaison tasks with local, state, and federal agencies, civil authorities, and Title 10 response organizations to ensure that they understand the CERFP mission, capabilities, and request for support processes. By including CERFPs performance of pre-incident coordination activities in the inspection program, the National Guard Bureau should have more detailed information about coordination activities to support CERFP program management decisions. DOD has met both the letter and intent of this recommendation and, with these actions, the recommendation is considered closed implemented.

On August 13, 2015, the National Guard Bureau briefed GAO on their actions to implement the recommendations from GAO-12-114. In 2016, the National Guard Bureau provided supporting documentation to show that it has developed a number of efforts to date to set specific training goals and track progress by the CERFPs. These efforts include developing training and evaluation outlines which include a Joint Mission Essential Task List, collective tasks needed to support the Task List, and checklists to support completion of the tasks. In addition, the National Guard Bureau issues yearly training guidance, which directs CERFPs to develop yearly training plans and budgets that must include annual deployment readiness exercises, two collective training events per year, and the Joint Mission Essential Tasks to maintain proficiency and mission readiness, among other things. Further, the yearly planning guidance identifies the Joint Training Information Management System as the system of record for the National Guard CBRN Response Enterprise, to include the CERFPs, to report and track participation in collective training events and the results of external evaluations. We believe these efforts show substantial progress on the part of the National Guard Bureau and addresses the intent of the recommendation. With these actions, the recommendation is considered closed implemented.

Based on work GAO conducted for its report on Defense Civil Support: DOD Has Made Progress Incorporating the Homeland Response Force into the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Response Enterprise (GAO-16-599, June 28, 2016), we determined through a review of classified documents that DOD has incorporated readiness data on a scheduled basis for the CERFPs. Additionally, DOD has updated its Defense Readiness Reporting System guidance. The National Guard Bureau confirmed these actions. With these actions, the recommendation is considered closed implemented.

In response to our recommendation, the National Guard Bureau developed a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear-specific Emergency Management Assistance Compact form, a memorandum of understanding form, and cost estimates for CERFP capabilities in support of civil authority. The pre-scripted forms are expected to reduce delays in decision making of state leaders in requesting support after an incident. Six of the 10 Federal Emergency Management Agency region National Guard response forces have implemented the use of the forms. Officials with the National Guard Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction office stated that the remaining four forces will implement the use of these forms by mid-2017. Specific deployment agreements between states that host CERFPs and those that may receive CERFPs could improve regional CERFP support and response planning specifying, for example, command and control relationships for interstate operations and, thereby, substantially enhance regional preparedness for an incident response. DOD has met both the letter and intent of this recommendation. With these actions, the recommendation is considered closed implemented.

The National Guard Bureau is using its existing management processes to analyze CERFP personnel, training, and equipment requirements. Further, since the issuance of this report in fiscal year 2012, DOD has laid out guidance for requirements validation as part of the Chief National Guard Bureau Instruction (CNGBI) 3500.01, which is the Homeland Response Force/Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Enhanced Response Force Package (HRF/CERFP) Working Group and Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Integrated Product Team (IPT) Charter from November 2013. This document lays out the processes and the organizations (councils, working groups, and integrated product teams) responsible for reviewing and validating requirements for HRFs and CERFPs using the DOTMLPF process. The National Guard J3 Directorate is responsible for managing the CBRN Response Element Programmatic Management Process. Assessments are conducted and must include how well personnel, training, and equipment are performing in the field. This ongoing and annual assessment informs future guidance and plans of actions to be carried out by the staff and the states in order to have a trained and validated CERFP force capable of rapid deployment and mitigating loss of life in a catastrophic CBRN environment. The Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction Division of the National Guard Bureau is using external evaluations and Standardization, Evaluation and Assessment Team (SEAT) program results to identify training requirements. This division is responsible for all aspects of CERFP equipment management. National Guard officials told us that the division has updated the CERFP equipment requirement list regularly since 2012 to ensure the CERFP has the equipment necessary to conduct the CERFP mission. In addition, the division is responsible for identify resources to establish, analyze, and support the organizing, manning, equipping, training, and sustainment for all National Guard CBRN capabilities, including the CERFP. The division uses working groups to support their work to identify capabilities gaps in personnel, equipment, or other issues. According to the National Guard Bureau guidance, this management process provides guidance and direction, establishes priorities, aligns resources, and integrates efforts of National Guard Bureau and the states to ensure the CERFPs are able to conduct the mission. Therefore, based upon the support provided to us by the NGB, DOD has met both the letter and intent of the recommendation. With these actions, this recommendation is considered closed implemented.

On August 13, 2015, the National Guard Bureau briefed GAO on their actions to implement the recommendations from GAO-12-114. In 2016, the National Guard Bureau provided supporting documentation to show its efforts to ensure that CERFPs responding to a CBRN incident will have access to key communications capabilities that are interoperable with military and first responder communications equipment using the Joint Incident Site Communications Capabilities (JISCC). In particular, the National Guard Bureau introduced the Joint Incident Site Communications Capability to provide signal and communications capabilities. Based on the documentation provided, DOD has met the intent of the recommendation. With these actions, the recommendation is considered closed implemented.

In response to our recommendation, the National Guard Bureau Weapons of Mass Destruction office told us that they began conducting workshops across the Federal Emergency Management Agency regions. During those workshops, the National Guard Bureau provided state planners pre-scripted forms and cost estimates to support the establishment of agreements between states to ensure an expedited response by National Guard Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Response Enterprise forces when called upon by a Governor after an incident. Based on supporting documents provided by DOD, the department has met both the letter and intent of the recommendation. With these actions, the recommendation is considered closed implemented.

On August 13, 2015, the National Guard Bureau briefed GAO on their actions to implement the recommendations from GAO-12-114. Additionally, GAO analysis of both National Guard Bureau and U.S. Northern Command exercises demonstrate that DOD has plans in place to increasingly synchronize National Guard Bureau and U.S. Northern Command exercises so as to maximize opportunities for DOD's chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) response forces to gain experience in working in a shared command-and-control environment. Written responses from the National Guard Bureau state that an additional expectation of this exercise synchronization effort is that it would provide more and better opportunities for exercising with partners outside of DOD, such as local and state responders, the lack of such opportunities being a significant part of the relevant finding in GAO-12-114. As such, although more work may be required, we believe that DOD has substantially met the intent of the recommendation. With these actions, the recommendation is considered closed implemented.

On August 13, 2015, the National Guard Bureau briefed GAO on their actions to implement the recommendations from GAO-12-114. In 2016, the National Guard Bureau provided supporting documentation to show its efforts to strengthen existing guidance on interagency coordination to enhance regional CBRNE preparedness and facilitate the CERFP's ability to respond to regional events. In particular, in reflection of changes in DOD's consequence management strategy, DOD has restructured its chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) Consequence Management Response Force into a CBRN Response Enterprise (CRE) to include the establishment of 10 Homeland Response Forces (HRF) that are aligned by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) region and can provide command and control over multiple Civil Support Teams and CERFP units as part of a regional response effort. As part of this effort, in October 2015, the National Guard Bureau issued a HRF/CERFP Concept of Operation which, among other things, clarifies command and control relationships between various elements of the CRE, as well as the relationship of the CRE to other key actors, such as combatant commands, state commands, and the Incident Command System. Although the HRF/CERFP Concept of Operation is final rather than interim guidance, we believe that it fully addresses the intent of the recommendation. Based on documentation provided by DOD, the department has met both the letter and intent of the recommendation. With these actions, the recommendation is considered closed implemented.