Defense Department's Role in Homeland Security Outlined
By Ed Somers
July 1, 2002
Peter Verga, Special Assistant for Homeland Security for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), outlined for the nation's mayors the various roles of DoD in domestic security during a special Homeland Security Forum in Madison on June 14.
Mr. Verga said there are three circumstances in which the Department of Defense acts within U.S. borders.
The first is "extraordinary circumstances" in which DoD exercises its traditional military role at home, such as combat air patrols.
The second is "emergency circumstances of a catastrophic nature" in which other federal agencies take the lead, and DoD provides support such as responding to terrorist attacks or natural disasters.
The third category of domestic DoD action is "temporary circumstances" like security for major events such as the Super Bowl, or helping other agencies develop technologies such as detecting chemical weapons.
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