Several HSPDs assign responsibilities for incident management leadership to federal departments that fall outside of the area of responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security.
Several HSPDs assign responsibilities for incident management leadership to federal departments that fall outside of the area of responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security. Do the identified lead departments have a day-to-day HS mission and focus? What challenges may exist when they are called to lead a multidisciplinary response effort if emergency management or HS are not their primary focus? State emergency management and homeland security agencies design their response structures to reflect the anticipated organizational hierarchy established in several federal laws and policies (e.g., the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and HSPD-5). Does current policy guidance support this planning assumption? What challenges exist or may emerge as a result of unclear pathways of command, control/coordination, and convergence during disaster or incident response operations? Is the new environment supportive and appropriate for an all-hazards concept of homeland security and emergency management, or is it too focused on terrorism?