Crisis Action Plan (Cas) Crisis Action Plan

Crisis action Plan (CAS)

Crisis Action Plan

How CAS supports contingency response to terrorist acts

CAS can be used to plan and execute multiagency response to terrorist attacks. With CAS, the planners can see the progress of a coalition planning effort. The first phase of CAS, which touches on situation development, enables respective coalition headquarters and military representatives to assess the event or intelligence submitted to them. Assessment of a crisis begins immediately after the NCA has received military representative's assessment. Upon receipt of this assessment, the NCA can return to pre-crisis situation or have military options developed. This then culminates into COA development. At this juncture, the coalition NCA issues a coalition warning order. The support commander then submits a Coalition Commander's estimate together with courses of action. The courses of action are then presented to the NCA. Selected courses of action are then issued in an alert Order of Planning. Execution planning is then initiated followed by development of executable operations order. The NCA can then decide to execute, place on hold, or cancel the executable operations order. Execution ends when a crisis is satisfactorily resolved (Anonymous, 2004).

How agencies are tasked to respond to terrorist acts

When a terrorist act is committed both the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation act as coordinating agencies. Departments of Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and State are some of the cooperating agencies. Environmental Protection Agency also acts as a cooperating agency incase a terrorist attack occurs. Attorney General oversees criminal investigations that touch on terrorist acts orchestrated by individuals within the Federal criminal jurisdiction of the United States. He also coordinates other law enforcement agencies. This entails detection, prevention, preemption, and disruption of terrorist attacks. The above mentioned agencies at times participate in Federal planning and response operations. They can designate liaison officers that provide any support in counterterrorism efforts.

FBI acts as an on scene manager for the Federal Government especially after it has been assigned lead responsibility for operational response by the Department of Justice. It also consults and advice White House on policy issues that touch on emergency response. The FBI designates and establishes a Joint Operation Committee in the field. The FBI's OSC manages and coordinates the federal operational response by chairing operational decision makers meetings that provide initial assessment of the situation.

The Department of Homeland Security is the lead agency for consequence management. It coordinates all federal assistance to state and local governments. Terrorist attacks orchestrated by Weapons of Mass Destruction have to be responded to by all agencies because no single agency at the federal, state, and local level may be having the capabilities of doing so (Anonymous, 2004).

Department of Homeland Security and terrorist response operation