Northern Command Hitting Full Stride, Inge Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2004 – While U.S. Northern Command passed the October 2003
gate for full operational capability, "we must continue to grow and mature,"
said the command's deputy commander here Oct. 28.
Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Inge told attendees at the Fletcher Conference there is
always something military officials can do to improve the defense of the
homeland, so the command may continuously reach for that full operational
capability.
NORTHCOM is responsible for the homeland defense of the United States. It is a
warfighting command formed as a result of the terrorist-attack experiences of
Sept. 11, 2001. The command has a dual mission: to defend the homeland and to
provide civil support to civilian authorities in case of consequence
management.
Inge, who arrived at the command three months ago, said the command is further
along than he thought. He said members of the command link with officials in
other government agencies – the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the
U.S. Coast Guard, state and local officials and so on – to ensure that
communications among the entities are good and that necessary intelligence gets
where it needs to go.
Inge said that while not totally satisfied with intelligence sharing, "I worry
now more about what we don't know than what we know and someone doesn't share
with us."
He praised this effort and said "it's too late to be exchanging business cards
when you are at the scene of a disaster."
The command has been involved in alleviating many natural disasters, and that
provides training and expertise to members of NORTHCOM as they move forward.
This has helped also to exercise the cell at NORTHCOM that contains
representatives from 50 different agencies.
The general said the joint task forces in the command are maturing and
developing the necessary ties to accomplish their missions.
For example, Joint Task Force-Civil Support, based in Norfolk, Va., continues
to grow its WMD detection capabilities and forge ties with states and first
responders.
Also, the Joint Task Force North – formerly known as the Joint Task Force 6 –
"now not only deals with narcotics trafficking, but transnational threats." The
organization is adapting to the additional missions, Inge said.
Co-located with U.S. Northern Command is the North American Aerospace Defense
Command. The command – a joint Canadian-U.S. effort – is not a part of Northern
Command, "but is a partner," Inge said. The command has flown more than 38,000
sorties in protection of the homeland since Sept. 11, he said.
NORTHCOM works closely with the U.S. Coast Guard in protecting ports and the
sea lines of communication. The command is also encouraging industry to develop
new technologies to detect weapons of mass destruction and to improve biometric
recognition.
Inge said the relationship with the Army and Air National Guard is excellent,
and the command is working closely with state and territory adjutants general
to make the system work even better.
Biography:
Lt. Gen.
Joseph Inge
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