Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) constitute a direct threat to national security. The specific role that Department of Defense (DOD) would have in case of the use of weapons of mass destructions (WMD) within the territory of the United States would be coordination of crisis management activities (Department of Defense, n.d.). As a government agency supervising all national security issues, DOD is the entity responsible for organizing joint forces to counter a WMD attack.
DOD ensures the involvement of active duty personnel under Title 10 of the US Code in the response activities. However, the case of a WMD attack requires the presence of “specialized forces developed, recruited, selected, trained, organized, equipped, and capable of carrying out assigned missions” (Joint countering of weapons of mass destruction, 2021, p. 58). Active duty service members constitute the foundation of local asset necessary to respond to an attack.
Another military force involved by DOD is the National Guard under Title 32. The specific specialized unit in the National Guard that would be involved in WMD response is WMD civil support team (2017). As soon as an attack would transpire this unit would “identify CBRN agents and substance, assess current and projected consequences, advise on response measures and assist with requests for additional support” (Weapons of mass destruction civil support team (2017).
Both active duty and National Guard personnel would be required to provide defense support of civil authorities. Unlike the active duty personnel, National Guard answers to state governments, which greater presence of National Guard units in the area (Army National Guard, n.d.). In essence, the National Guard is the first responder, while active duty personnel is deployed to reinforce local assets that are already operating.
References
Army National Guard: FAQ. (n.d.) Web.
Department of Defense: About. (n.d.) Web.
Joint countering of weapons of mass destruction. (2021). Web.
Weapons of mass destruction civil support team fact sheet. (2017). Web.