Ensuring Military Capability: Continuity of Operations

This chapter addresses the third homeland security task area—the continuity of military operations in the United States, its territories, and its possessions. As distinct from the COG operations, discussed in Chapter Five, this task area of homeland security consists of the continuity of military operations, including • force protection, primarily for deploying units; • critical infrastructure protection, i.e., the protection of mission-critical facilities and systems, i.e., the infrastructure necessary for the Army to carry out its missions; and • protection of higher headquarters operations, which will help to ensure the integrity of the military chain of command. The importance of this task lies in the following simple truth: Unless the Army and other military organizations can ensure the continuity of their own operations, they will be incapable of defending the United States and its vital interests at home and abroad and providing military capabilities for other purposes.