Washington, DC – Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ranking Member Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) today held a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to examine the performance of the military in response to Hurricane Katrina. Witnesses included leaders from the Department of Defense (DOD) and National Guard. The hearing focused on the coordination of active duty and National Guard rescue and recovery efforts, questions about chain of command, and difficulties in the relationship between DOD and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Defense officials who testified today expressed the need for more frequent regional interagency training exercises to plan and train for a broad and unified response to catastrophic disasters. One witness also suggested that these exercises include private sector service providers that would need to contribute to response and recovery efforts.
“Our investigation has found that one of the fundamental problems at all levels of government in responding to Hurricane Katrina was the lack of concerted pre-disaster planning. Expectations and capabilities must be understood in advance, so that needs can be met rapidly and efficiently when disaster strikes,” said Senator Collins. “The testimony today reinforced my belief that we should create regionally based task forces that include representatives from state, local, and federal agencies, including FEMA, the Defense Department, and other agencies that would play significant roles in the event of a catastrophe, whether it be a terrorist strike or natural disaster. The planning and training should include up front agreements with regard to command and control that might well differ from one catastrophic scenario to the next.”
“By virtue of their leadership and professionalism, Generals Honore and Landreneau combined the capabilities of the fine men and women of the National Guard and the Active Duty forces, ultimately to great success. The White House cobbled together a change in the command structure at the height of the crisis, but the uniformed and civilian leaders of DoD confirmed the White House plan was a mistake. As we heard from General Honoré, we must establish leadership roles in advance, and pre-position assets that we know will be required. It is clear that proper planning, training, and exercising is essential in order to avoid confusion, unnecessary bureaucratic struggles, and human suffering,” said Senator Lieberman.
The witnesses who testified at today’s hearing were: The Honorable Paul McHale, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense, U.S. Department of Defense; Admiral Timothy J. Keating, Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command; Lieutenant General H. Steven Blum, Chief, National Guard Bureau; Lieutenant General Russel L. Honore, Commanding General, First U.S. Army; Major General Bennett C. Landreneau, Adjutant General, Louisiana National Guard, Director, Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
The Committee will hold its next hearing on Friday, February 10th, at 9:30am, titled “Hurricane Katrina: The Roles of DHS and FEMA Leadership.” The witnesses scheduled to testify are: The Honorable Michael D. Brown, Former Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response and Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Patrick L. Rhode, Former Acting Deputy Director and Chief of Staff, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Robert B. Stephan, Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Matthew Broderick, Director for Operations Coordination, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.