From Battle to Homeland: Does Battlefield Leadership Work in Homeland Security

As threats to the homeland become more complex, the homeland security enterprise (HSE) has incorporated the military leadership approach of mission command to handle these dynamic situations. This thesis used the Super Storm Sandy, Camp Fire, and 1 October Las Vegas Shooting as case studies to examine to what degree and how mission command has affected the response of the HSE. It then examined what elements of mission command should be more integrated into the National Incident Management System and Incident Command System and how to achieve implementation. Using mission command might also improve interoperability between civil and military authorities, as increased threats to the homeland require more coordination. The thesis demonstrates a positive correlation between the incorporation of mission command and improved response performance in the HSE. Thus, the thesis concluded that mission command had improved the HSE. The thesis recommends that mission command should be integrated into the Federal Emergency Management Agency incident response system in a formal way to improve interoperability in the HSE and to continue improving performance in the HSE. The recommendation is for a multi-year integration process based on how the military has implemented doctrinal change. The thesis also developed a new means of visualizing mission command in the Boyd OODA loop.