Military Officer - December 2008 - (Page 50) must be nurtured to ensure swift, capable action to protect Americans from terrorists, enemy missiles or aircraft, and natural disasters. I Renuart, 59, entered the Air Force in 1971. He is a graduate of Indiana University and was commissioned through officer training school. A command pilot with more than 3,900 flight hours and 60 combat missions, he had multiple operational command assignments. As director of operations for U.S. Central Command, he oversaw the planning and execution of allied combat operations for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom in 2003. He served as senior military assistant to the secretary of defense after a tour as director of strategic plans and policy for the Joint Staff. He assumed command of NORTHCOM and NORAD in March of 2007. I Several weeks before Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf Coast in late August, Renuart sat down with Contributing Editor Tom Philpott to discuss how his commands operate and the challenges they face in the current threat environment. I This interview has been edited for length and, in some cases, clarity. Before NORTHCOM was established in October 2002, what commands tackled militaryrelated homeland security responsibilities? It didn’t exist in any one command. Joint Forces Command and its predecessor had some tasks. Others were done via a memorandum of understanding between DoD and the services. NORTHCOM has inte50 MILITARY OFFICER DECEMBER 2008 defense. They also have support missions for law-enforcement agencies and a traditional role in support of civil authorities during disaster. But since [Sept. 11, 2001], demands on the Guard have changed substantially — from those of a strategic reserve called on only in dire circumstances to providing everyday capabilities to large-scale operations, from frontline combat missions to detention center operations and logistics. So as NORTHCOM emerged and demands on the Guard changed, we had to re-center the relationship. We’ve been able to reduce some of the institutional friction that existed early on. Today, we are integrated [with the Guard] in nearly every fashion as we conduct operations. How many personnel are in NORTHCOM? There are about 1,800 [personnel] in headquarters of NORAD and NORTHCOM. We have separate operations directorates for each command, given the unique binational nature of NORAD. In all other areas — personnel, logistics, and communications — each directorate has NORAD and NORTHCOM people. What about operational units? We have a few small standing joint task forces, functionally focused, such as the Joint Task Force Civil Support, which has experts on chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological matters. If we have a large-scale event, this task force will form the headquarters element for additional forces. Located at Fort Monroe, Va., it plans every day for these kinds of events. We also have an 11,000-member force allocated for response to natural disasters. They are initial responders to get on the ground quickly with medical support and communications, command and control, [and] some logistics. The department in grated capabilities into a coherent process and response. Did the National Guard have missions that now fall to NORTHCOM? Constitutionally, the National Guard Bureau has responsibility to provide homeland security in support of state governors. When activated, they also can contribute to homeland-defense missions assigned by the secretary of
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