New type of commander may avoid Katrina-like chaos

[repeter]

New type of commander may avoid Katrina-like chaos

The Defense Department is grooming a new type of commander to coordinate the military response to domestic disasters, hoping to save lives by avoiding some of the chaos that plagued the Hurricane Katrina rescue effort.

The officers, called dual-status commanders, would be able to lead both active-duty and National Guard troops — a power that requires special training and authority because of legal restrictions on the use of the armed forces on U.S. soil.

I think this is a pretty cool idea, and part of me wonders why we didn't have this before.

The most telling part, IMO, is the comparison to the '04 G8 Summit in Georgia.

 

[GPS_Flex]

New type of commander may avoid Katrina-like chaos



I think this is a pretty cool idea, and part of me wonders why we didn't have this before.

The most telling part, IMO, is the comparison to the '04 G8 Summit in Georgia.

It absolutely has to be the National Guard/State authority that is in command if any law enforcement duties are assigned. Putting the President in charge of military forces policing the civilian population would be unconstitutional and a disaster just waiting to happen.

 

[apdst]

New type of commander may avoid Katrina-like chaos



I think this is a pretty cool idea, and part of me wonders why we didn't have this before.

The most telling part, IMO, is the comparison to the '04 G8 Summit in Georgia.

Wow, that sounds almost illegal.

 

[repeter]

It absolutely has to be the National Guard/State authority that is in command if any law enforcement duties are assigned. Putting the President in charge of military forces policing the civilian population would be unconstitutional and a disaster just waiting to happen.

I would agree the constitutional reasoning behind that. The disaster part is alarmist, and sensationalist, at best.

 

[repeter]

Wow, that sounds almost illegal.

Then take it to the courts.

 

[apdst]

Then take it to the courts.

I'm not going to have to. This is clearly an attempt to sidestep the Posse Comatadus Act and will no doubt be challenged.

This is what we can expect from the current administration.

 

[krickitt]

I don't like it much. Sounds good, on the surface, but they could declare civil unrest as a disaster, send out the troops. Sounds like something wrapped in pretty bows to me, that could actually infringe on our rights at some point. We don't NEED more gov't. We have all we need, and WAY more than we need. It needs to used properly. I do not support having the Obama Justice Dept. in charge of anything else. Living in AZ I have little respect for them.