One of the greatest sources of America's troubles in Iraq, Afghanistan, and New Orleans was the inability of our government's many parts to work well together. Often called interagency operations, applying everything that official Washington can do to keep Americans safe, free, and prosperous, is no easy task. The Pentagon, State Department, Homeland Security, Treasury, FBI, CIA, and other agencies have different capabilities, budgets, cultures, operational styles, Congressional oversight committees, and even operate under different laws. Getting them all organized on battlefields, after disasters, and during other times of crisis is often equated with herding cats. The history of getting government agencies to cooperate is replete with stories of courage, heart-breaking tragedy, and blundering incompetence. To meet the dangers of the 21st century, interagency operations will be more important than ever, yet few Americans understand the troubling history of Washington's failures and the pressing needs for reform. One of the greatest sources of America's troubles in Iraq, Afghanistan, and New Orleans was the inability of our government's many parts to work well together. Often called interagency operations, the coordination of everything official Washington can do to keep Americans safe, free, and prosperous, is no easy task. The Pentagon, State Department, Homeland Security, Treasury, FBI, CIA, and other agencies have different capabilities, budgets, cultures, operational styles, Congressional oversight committees, and even operate under different laws. Getting them all organized on battlefields, after disasters, and during other times of crisis is often equated with herding cats. The history of getting government agencies to cooperate is replete with stories of courage, heart-breaking tragedy, and blundering incompetence. To meet the dangers of the 21st century, interagency operations will be more important than ever, yet few Americans understand the troubling history of Washington's failures and the pressing needs for reform. This book is the first comprehensive history and sober analysis of one of the most pressing national security challenges of the century. The goal is to make a serious and unappreciated subject accessible to a wide audience through a series of engaging and informative historical case studies. The case studies span American history from the turn of the 20th century to today. They cover a variety of subjects from dealing with the great flu epidemic of 1918, to responding to natural disasters at home and abroad, to fighting wars and rebuilding countries after war. Each engaging chapter is a single case study written by a distinguished scholar who covers the historical context, the key players, actions, incidents, and, perhaps most important, lessons learned.

In Wiki at War, James Jay Carafano explains why these and other Internet-born initiatives matter and how they are likely to affect the future face of war, diplomacy, and domestic politics.

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, there has been much discussion of the security of borders and ports of entry in the United States and around the world. Ports of entry, particularly sea ports, are viewed as one of the most defenceless targets for a terrorist attack. In response to this perceived vulnerability, a number of port security initiatives have been implemented both on both a domestic and international level. This timely project investigates a number of issues surrounding the container security issue. It examines the scope of containerized freight security, analyzes cooperation between agents in the United States and abroad, explores the politics of port security, and provides an assessment of 17 of the world's sea ports. The work sheds light on the container security threat and the domestic and international responses that have emerged, as well as those steps that still must be taken.

The Indian Ocean Tsunami, which devastated 70 percent of Sri Lanka’s coastline and killed an estimated 35,000 people, was remarkable both for the magnitude of the disaster and for the unprecedented scale of the relief and recovery operations mounted by national and international agencies. The reconstruction process was soon hampered by political patronage, by the competing efforts of hundreds of foreign humanitarian organizations, and by the ongoing civil war. The book is framed within this larger political and social context, offering descriptions and comparisons between two regions (southwest vs. eastern coast) and four ethnic communities (Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and Burghers) to illustrate how disaster relief unfolded in a culturally pluralistic political landscape. Approaching the issue from four disciplinary perspectives - anthropology, demography, political science, and disaster studies - chapters by experts in the field analyse regional and ethnic patterns of post-tsunami reconstruction according to different sectors of Sri Lankan society. Demonstrating the key importance of comprehending the local cultural contexts of disaster recovery processes, the book is a timely and useful contribution to the existing literature.

Critical incidents all too often explode onto the social conscious and challenge our sense of security. This comprehensive handbook brings together a range of experts who provide a foundation for the field of critical incident analysis by examining specific incidents9/11, the Virginia Tech massacre, the H1N1 pandemic, the BP oil spill, and more--through various methodological and disciplinary lenses. This groundbreaking book develops a new organizational theory derived from ideas in statistics and psychometrics. The author's core premise is that errors known to occur in social science research must also occur when managers look at their data and seek to make inferences about cause and effect. Statistico-organizational theory uses methodological principles to predict when errors occur and how great they will be. Expanding on this concept, The Meta-Analytic Organization offers new theoretical propositions about organizational strategy and structure with wide application to human resource management, international business, and more.

CAPT Erich M. Telfer of the U.S. Coast Guard examines the Intelligence Community and Coast Guard response to the 2010 BP oil explosion on Deepwater Horizon, which spilled tons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Telfer points out problems that hampered the response and suggests approaches for better communication and coordination in future responses.

As Britain and the United States commemorate five decades of the special nuclear relationship embodied in the 1958 Mutual Defense Agreement (MDA), two leading research institutes--one on either side of the Atlantic--have collaborated to examine that history. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, in Washington, D.C., and the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, enlisted senior officials, scientists, academics, and members of industry who have been involved in the implementation of the MDA over the years. The contributors were asked to recount how the U.S.-UK nuclear relationship flourished despite such obstacles as the halt in the scientific cooperation that had spurred the Manhattan Project; the Suez crisis; and sharp disagreements over scientific, political, and technical issues. They were also asked to look to the future of this unparalleled transatlantic relationship. Abstracts from 36 oral histories (taken with, among others, Des Browne, UK secretary of state for defence; James Schlesinger, former U.S. secretary of energy; and Harold Brown, former U.S. secretary of defense) add to the historical dimension of this work. The resulting collection of histories, analyses, and anecdotes provides valuable reading for an understanding of how the two nations were drawn together by a common threat during a turbulent era, as well as how they will face future challenges in a radically changed security environment. -- Amazon.com.

The application of our Armed Forces within the states and territories of the United States is far from intuitive. The challenges of defending the country against assaults within the homeland are much more complex than engaging our enemies on foreign soil. Likewise, the introduction of the military’s appreciable capabilities in response to disasters, be they natural or manmade, comes with authorities and restrictions reflective of an American ethos that will always hold those forces as the servants of the people, never their overseers. Introduction to Homeland Defense and Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA): The U.S. Military’s Role to Support and Defend examines the requirements and regulations that guide the utilization of our forces in the domestic environment. Topics include: The importance of the distinctions between homeland security, homeland defense, and Defense Support of Civil Authorities as they pertain to both authorities and responsibilities The deliberately subservient position of the military to civil authorities when engaged in response and recovery operations following a disaster The unique relationship between the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard in a mutually supportive effort that bridges requirements between defense on the high seas and law enforcement in territorial waters The air defense mission over the United States, orchestrating manned aircraft, unmanned aircraft, and cruise missiles against threats of the same nature The exceptional challenges that would be associated with the application of land forces in a defense mission on American soil The development of the CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) Enterprise as a function of the nation’s focus on preventing, responding to and recovering from a Weapons of Mass Destruction attack New challenges emerging in the domestic environment that will call for the application of military resources, to include the Arctic, complex catastrophes, and cybersecurity issues