News - Local
New type of commander may avoid Katrina-like chaos
Posted: Jul 3, 2011 10:53 AM by AP Posted by James H Egbert
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) - The U.S. military hopes a new type of commander can avoid some of the failures that plagued the response to Hurricane Katrina.
The military is training high-ranking officers to command both active-duty and National Guard troops in a domestic emergency.
Normally they report up separate chains of command leading to the president on one side and the governor of their state on the other.
That division has been blamed for a lack of coordination that resulted in delays, duplications and gaps after Katrina.
The new commander would have temporary authority to lead both types of troops.
They're being trained at the U.S. Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.
Northern Command was created after the 2001 terrorist attacks to defend the homeland and help civilian authorities handle domestic crises.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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