DSCA (Dual Status Military Commanders) - Admission/Application Essay Example

Previously employed construct has been criticized for hampering military response to such events. The construct used either state or parallel command structure to handle no-notice complex catastrophes. Each of these two structural approaches has its own advantages as well as disadvantages. The structure of state command has been maintaining the sovereignty of a state. However, it limits the incorporation of federal resources in disaster response. This has been making it to be unable to yielding the required output in terms of disaster management.

Parallel command structure on the other hand enables employment of federal resource in disaster response. However, the structure is somehow problematic in terms of control of information, timely decision-making, synchronization, interoperability, and situation awareness. Therefore, it is also not appropriate to continue employing it in disaster management. An approach that would integrate these two approaches could yield better result in terms of disaster response. Dual status command approach integrates these two kinds of approaches by keeping them under one command or commands.

In doing this, it combines both the advantages of state command approach and the advantages of parallel command approach. Achieving unity of efforts made in managing no-notice disasters caused by Defense Support Civil Authorities events like Hurricane Katrina through enhanced command, control, cooperation, and coordination. One of the options that could be chosen for employing dual status command approach in disaster management is use of a single task force commanded by one dual status commander.

In this approach, the single individual selected from either the military or the state guards is given the authority to offers command to both title 10 forces and title 32 state active duty forces assigned to the duty of responding to a disaster. When used for disasters spanning