' What the National Guard Is Facing
Link:
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Comment:
This was testimony presented to the Senate Special Committee on
the Year 2000 Technology Problem on October 2.
Read every word.
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Major General Edward Philbin, Executive Director, National Guard
Association of the United States October 2, 1998, Washington,
D.C. Emergency Planning for the Year 2000: Preparation or Panic?
Mr. Chairman, I am Major General Edward J. Philbin, USAF (Ret.),
the Executive Director of the National Guard Association of the
United States (NGAUS). I am present to offer opinions on the
problems that may arise as a result of non-compliant computers and
computer dependent systems that are unable to transition through
midnight, 31 December, 1999 and the role the National Guard could
and probably will play in managing emergencies arising from those
problems. My testimony generally reflects the opinions of the
Association and its members, who are the commissioned and
warrant officers of the Army and Air National Guard. It should not
be construed as representing the official positions of the Department
of Defense or of the National Guard Bureau.
It is increasingly evident that an appreciable part of the nation's
infrastructure could be adversely affected in some way, by what is
commonly referred to as the Y2K problem. In general, the National
Guard has the capacity to provide Military Support to Civilian
Authorities (MSCA) and can contribute a myriad of human and
equipment resources to restore essential operations disrupted by
Y2K generated incidents.
Considering the possibilities of a large scale disruption of
governmental, commercial and other routine daily activities, it is
certain that the National Guard will be among the first organizations
activated to assist in the revitalization of the nation's computer
dependent infrastructure. As with hurricanes, floods and other
incidents requiring a quick reaction by a well-trained and equipped
on-site team, no other organization will be able to respond in support
of police, fire fighting and other civilian emergency responders, to
major crisis situations that may be caused by Y2K disruptions as
well as the National Guard. The National Guard's practiced
interaction with state and local organizations and its connections to
the National Command Authority provide a unique emergency
response capability not found in any other federal or state
organization.
The immediate need is to determine what responsibilities the Guard
will be expected to assume in the management of the Y2K related
problems, that many analysts have forecast, which have the potential
to trigger the destabilization of societal functions. The National Guard
needs to be prepared to assist in maintaining or reestablishing
essential stability in the civil sector.
I suggest that the Department of Defense (DoD) must develop a
clear concept of how the National Guard will be required to respond
to the spectrum of problems that could be created by a Y2K
disruption. The DoD, through the Chief of the National Guard
Bureau (NGB), must now coordinate with the Adjutants General and
the Governors to determine the likely, locality specific scenarios that
may arise in a Y2K situation.
The DoD should also assist the Governors and State Emergency
Response Coordinators to ensure that the National Guard itself will
not be impaired by the effects of a Y2K incident at a time when it
will be most needed.
I suspect that, to date, this has not been a priority effort on the part
of the DoD, even though to properly prepare for possible Y2K
disruptions, the OSD must be cognizant of the importance of the
National Guard being made fully capable of responding to any such
technical breakdown.
We must be certain that the National Guard will not itself be a victim
of any Y2K disruption. All National Guard units in 3,200 locations
throughout the nation, must possess computer dependent equipment
that is Y2K compliant. Responding to the consequences of a Y2K
disruption will be futile if the National Guard's operations are plagued
by the very consequences the Guard is attempting to manage. It is
critical that the Y2K response requirements of the National Guard be
fully funded to ensure that it is able to respond quickly and effectively
to the needs of the community. I respectfully request, Mr. Chairman,
that this Committee urge the Senate to provide full funding for Y2K
compliance upgrading of National Guard equipment as one of the
highest priorities for such funding, since the Guard will be among the
first responders to a Y2K incident together with police, fire- fighting
and other civilian emergency response personnel.
The critical first step in ensuring that the National Guard will be fully
prepared for a possible Y2K calamity is the collection and sharing of
information. When I was Commander of the New Jersey Air
National Guard, the State Adjutant General, for the first time
requested all of his commanders to conduct a survey to identify all of
the Army and Air Guard resources that could be made available in
response to a state emergency. My survey of the New Jersey Air
National Guard identified a surprisingly long list of both mundane and
sophisticated equipment which could be useful in responding to a
state emergency. I strongly recommend that such a survey of the
available resources of both the Army and Air National Guard of each
state and territory be conducted prior to midnight on 31 December
1999. Equally important, we must determine how the National Guard
will interact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) and the DoD in response to Y2K induced emergencies.
Command and control of multiple agencies must result in mutual
support rather than multiple collisions in addressing emergency
situations.
Therefore, a comprehensive study should be conducted on the
potential roles of and the interaction between the FEMA, the DoD,
and the National Guard of the various states and territories in
response to Y2K induced problems. I applaud the recent inclusion of
the National Guard in the President's Y2K subcommittee on
emergency response chaired by FEMA and believe that the
subcommittee, with the DoD, National Guard Bureau (NOB) and
the Adjutants General must develop a cohesive strategy that
prepares this country for any event of mass effect leading up to and
after midnight, 31 December 1999. Mr. Chairman, let me stress the
need for the Adjutants General to play an important role in the
development of this strategy. In most cases, it will be the Adjutants
General who will integrate the planning efforts for their respective
states, with those to be developed by the National Command
Authority.
As you are aware, the Quadrennial Defense Review highlighted the
role of the National Guard in homeland defense of the United States.
While the Guard stands ready to meet the needs of the citizenry
during any Y2K incident, it is important that in preparing for that
eventuality, the National Guard's ability to respond to it's Total Force
mission of rapidly expanding our Army and Air Force in response to
a national threat not be denigrated. Funding for current combat
readiness resourcing should not be used to enhance the Guard's
ability to respond to a Y2K event. As an example, it is becoming
increasingly evident that the current structure of the Active Duty
Army cannot execute the two Major Theater Wars (MTW) strategy
without the assistance of the Army National Guard Combat Divisions
and Brigades. This increased dependency on the National Guard
requires increased, not decreased combat readiness resourcing to
enable the Guard to accomplish its historic combat mission. Mere
reallocation of current funding to Y2K missions will have a negative
effect upon the National Guard's ability to recruit, train and keep our
soldiers and airmen combat ready to respond at a moments notice to
a national threat.
The Year 2000 challenges present an emergency scenario unlike any
other in our nation's history. Our technological society has grown
extremely dependent upon the continuity of computer driven systems
and networks and as a consequence, the nation's vulnerability has
increased appreciably. Any significant disruption of our computer
dependent infrastructure could result in a significant societal
disruption. However, with the cooperative interaction of federal and
state governments, the military, the private sector, and with serious
advance preparation, the impact of such an event on the American
people can be significantly reduced, if not totally eliminated.
Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, I would like to thank you
for the opportunity to offer the opinion of the National Guard
Association of the United States on the readiness of the National
Guard to deal with potential Y2K emergencies. As we have for over
three and a-half centuries, the National Guard of the United States,
Army and Air, stands ready to protect the nation against military
threats and local disasters. This concludes my statement subject to
your questions.
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