Seeing the Elephant

Consequence Management is a complex problem facing the US today. A subset of Homeland Security, Consequence Management is the post attack actions needed to prevent further suffering and restore basic government services. Consequence Management requires a symphony of effort from many federal agencies, including the Department of Defense. Because organizations are driving their actions based on misperceptions gleaned from the 1996 Sarin attack in Tokyo, many are moving in divergent directions. These divergent programs are often competing for the same resources, and siphon these resources away from the local response community. This monograph explores these common misperceptions and recommends a new direction, closer to the required capabilities, for the Department of Defense role in Consequence Management. The monograph recommends the elimination of specialized units for WMD response. An honest assessment of the time element of an event shows the folly of this approach. The second recommendation is the creation of a tiered response capability that balances time and tasks required for effective Consequence Management. The three response tiers allows the DoD to provide a predesignated level of support to the appropriate Federal and state agency. The first two tiers address the response required for toxic chemical events. The third tier is reserved for the actions required for the Consequence Management for a biological release.