text: Chapter 6
  Considerations for Defense Support of Civil Authorities
  This chapter discusses general characteristics of DSCA that influence the conduct of
  personnel recovery. Considerations discussed also include personnel recovery
  capability phases as well as commander and staff focus.
  CHARACTERISTICS OF DEFENSE SUPPORT OF CIVIL
  AUTHORITIES
  6-1. The Army provides DSCA when requested for domestic emergencies, support to law enforcement,
  and other domestic activities. DSCA includes support provided by the three components of the Army—the
  Regular Army, the Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard. Additionally, in DSCA there may be
  civilians and Army contractors. The National Incident Management System (known as NIMS) and the
  National Response Framework (known as NRF) establish the national policy for incident management.
  This policy applies across federal, state, and local governments and the military Services. DODD 3025.18
  establishes policy for DSCA. Army personnel recovery operations conform to the provisions of these
  policies. See ADP 3-28 and ADRP 3-28 for thorough discussions of Army DSCA.
  COORDINATION WITH PARTNERS FOR DEFENSE SUPPORT OF CIVIL AUTHORITIES
  6-2. Army commanders and staffs establish ongoing coordination with the appropriate unified action
  partners, including other Services and civilian organizations. This coordination is critical to ensure proper
  integration of military capabilities and procedures with civilian capabilities and procedures, to positively
  affect interoperability between military and civilian organizations. The command and control structures and
  procedures of federal and state military joint task forces facilitate the successful execution of personnel
  recovery operations. However, commanders cannot assume a high degree of interoperability or the
  existence of standardized personnel recovery procedures simply because they work with other Army units
  and civilian emergency management agencies. Prior coordination, training, exercising, and habitual
  relationships offer the best probability for success.
  CHALLENGES AND THREATS IN DEFENSE SUPPORT OF CIVIL AUTHORITIES
  6-3. Forces conducting DSCA face many challenges. Federal and state laws and regulations constrain the
  use of military forces in domestic environments. Coordination with partners, if not established in advance,
  will be difficult to arrange during response. Frequently, planning guidance requires minimal time between
  notification and deployment, allowing minimal time for detailed planning. Additionally, Army units
  typically deploy only elements of units with limited equipment. Most situations are more volatile and
  uncertain early in the operation. Early responding Soldiers may begin operations immediately upon arrival.
  Those unfamiliar with an operational environment may not recognize isolation hazards and inadvertently
  place themselves at risk. Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (known as CBRN) hazards could
  pose a potential threat. Moreover, criminals could pose a threat to a response force. Destroyed
  infrastructure and devastated terrain may also affect operations.
  6-4. Because of the immature protection situation in the early phase of deployment, unassisted recovery is
  the norm. This has implications for equipment and training of initial Army responders. Soldiers often
  operate independently at a time when their commanders and staffs may not be able to influence task
  organization arrangements for optimal personnel recovery operations. The risks of Soldiers becoming
  isolated in a DSCA environment are not to be underestimated.