Bureaucratic Structures and Mass Casualty Events

In the preceding chapter, Carl Jensen reviewed the final reports issued by commissions investigating Pearl Harbor, the 9/11 attacks, and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These inquiries paint a grave picture of the ability of government to consistently recognize and understand looming threats and to respond to large-scale critical incidents. We must, of course, recognize that all three documents he reviewed were produced by political entities that may have been seeking to further various ends in the course of investigating and reporting upon each incident. We must further recognize that while governmental efforts were not optimal in these three cases, they may succeed in many other situations. Unfortunately, society often judges government not on its many successes, but upon its glaring failures.