News From the Front: Command Relationships in Defense Support of Civil Authorities

Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) is support provided by U.S. federal military forces, Department of Defense (DoD) civilians, DoD contract personnel, DoD component assets, and, in coordination with the governors, federally funded National Guard (NG) forces in response to requests for assistance from civil authorities for domestic emergencies, law enforcement support, and other domestic activities, or from qualifying entities for special events. Major disasters are any man-made or natural catastrophe requiring DSCA (e.g., hurricane, tornado, earthquake, or snowstorm) or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion of sufficient severity. Under the Stafford Act, the governor requesting disaster assistance from the federal government must demonstrate the state’s lack of capacity or resources to mount an effective response. The NG is the first line of military response to most state or local incidents within a state or territory. This News from the Front article is an example of a DSCA process and response to natural disasters by the 49th Military Police Brigade, California Army National Guard.