AP: GAO Reports Military Unprepared for Storm

[Hissyspit]

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/14587702.htm

GAO reports military unprepared for storm
HOPE YEN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The government won't be ready for another major disaster such as Hurricane Katrina unless the Pentagon takes a more aggressive role in the federal response, congressional investigators said Monday.

Poor planning and confusion about the military's role contributed to problems after the storm struck on Aug. 29, 2005, and without immediate attention improvement is unlikely, the Government Accountability Office said.

It urged the Defense Department to establish procedures to speed aircraft, troops and reconnaissance gear to hurricane-stricken areas when local and state officials are overwhelmed as well as beef up communications support to Homeland Security officials, who have the lead role in a disaster.

"The devastation of Katrina and the issues it revealed serve as a warning that actions are needed," said the report by Congress' investigative arm. "Without urgent and detailed attention to improve planning, the military and federal government risk being unprepared."

"No one had the total picture of the forces on the ground, the forces that were on the way, the missions that had been resourced, and the missions that still need to be completed," the GAO said. "Substantial improvement will require sustained attention from the highest management levels in DoD, and across the government."

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[Rex]

1. Wow, just wow man.

How can they continue to get back up and run head first into that brick wall? Everyone knows why Katrina sank NOLA, Congress wouldn't eek out 23 million dollars to fix the levees, because mostly poor people lived in the area. So no one cared.

Now this gives the BFEE even more control, sounds like they want to deploy federal troops. No surprise, all our National Guard and Reserve units are fighting Bush War II. IMO, The more they sing about security, the tighter the noose around our liberties.

[Barrett808]

3. NOLA sank because Bush diverted over $200 million from levee construction

...to his vanity war in 2003-2004. The New Orleans Times-Picayune documented the disastrous decision very well.

[bvar22]

6. What Barrett808 said!!!

[Hissyspit]

2. kick

[uppityperson]

4. good line here

""Striking the appropriate balance between the military's primary warfighting role overseas and the need to support civil authorities at home is a difficult but fundamental issue," McHale said in a letter included with the report."

[MetaTrope]

5. The Pentagon? Isn't that the job of North Carolina mercenaries?

[saigon68]

11. Here are those HEROES at $2000.00 a day.

I love the machine guns someone authorized them to carry.

[AnneD]

7. I think about that

every since NOLA. I live in Houston and it is a real fear here as we get closer to hurricane season.

[bvar22]

8. This is especially troubling.

I want local National Gaurd to be tasked with this duty.
Part of the BFEE power grab may be to destroy the effectiveness of the National Guard through civilian suppression duty in Iraq.

In the Soviet Union, they detailed military from opposite ends of their nation to do "Police Duty".
Their reasoning was that military personel from far away would find it easier to shoot somebody who wasn't a friend or neighbor!



The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[Mythsaje]

9. They don't usually post recruits

anywhere near home here either. It takes a while before someone's able to get back to a base near their home.

Coincidence?

Maybe.

[Sgent]

10. I'm not big on military assets being used like this

Personally, I think the USCG should take point on rescue operations -- they have the most training and best institutional knowledge base for it. All signficant resue operations are either on a coast or major river

As for policing actions, IMHO the national gaurd should be assigned to the Adjunct General of the State's national gaurd -- even if it requires detaching army/marines from the US Military Command temporarily.

[Canuckistanian]

12. Nattering nabobs of negativity, aren't they?

Any bets on when Shrub tries to close the GAO?