MILWAUKEE, Wis., - Wisconsin's Homeland Security Advisor Brig. Gen. Don Dunbar, who is also the adjutant general of the Wisconsin National Guard, joined several of his peers in homeland security and
emergency management recently in developing and presenting an independent
report to Congress that identifies challenges and gaps in the nation's
preparedness efforts and offers recommendations to improve those efforts.
Last spring, the Department of Homeland Security appointed Dunbar to the
national advisory group. Dunbar was one of 36 members representing a diverse
cross-section of governmental leaders working in homeland security and
emergency management, and the only adjutant general named to the group.
"It was a privilege to serve on this task force and work with leaders from
all levels of government - local, tribal, and state," Dunbar said. "We
collaborated with DHS and FEMA leaders and heard from various experts on key
issues affecting homeland security and emergency management. We focused on
three main areas - policy, capability assessment, and grant administration -
and also included some overarching strategic concepts.
"If Congress concurs and these recommendations are adopted, I believe
the existing preparedness system will be significantly improved."
Congress authorized the local, state, tribal and federal preparedness task
force to evaluate the nation's preparedness efforts and provide
recommendations on how to improve and enhance current programs and policies.
After several months of meetings and reviews, the task force recently
presented to Congress the report entitled, "Perspective on Preparedness:
Taking Stock Since 9/11."
The report reflects members' consensus opinion
about where America stands today in terms of preparedness for natural
disasters, acts of terrorism and other hazards.
Bold, innovative improvement ideas are offered in conjunction with carefully considered refinements to the existing preparedness landscape.
Some of the suggestions include:
Based on the belief that a well-educated citizen should understand basic
preparedness tenets, we should entrust our Nation's teachers to incorporate
preparedness concepts into existing school curricula which would dramatically
increase citizen preparedness in one generation
Expand the reach and connect existing national and regional advisory
bodies to form a tightly coupled preparedness policy advisory system by
realigning the National Advisory Council (NAC) and the existing Regional
Advisory Councils
- Ensure national cybersecurity efforts address local, state, tribal, and
territorial preparedness implications
- Implement a preparedness assessment framework utilizing a three year time
frame, with yearly benchmarks, to institute a NIMS-typed resource inventory
system, conduct Threat and Hazard Identification Risk Assessments (THIRA) at
all levels of government, and link future grant investments to assessed risk
and needed capability
- Improve grant coordination among federal agencies and improve visibility
at the state, local, and tribal level for all grant programs
The report is available athttp://www.fema.gov/preparednesstaskforce/