Anticipating threats key to success, commander says

by John J. Kruzel
January 30, 2009
American Forces Press Service

1/30/2009 – WASHINGTON (AFNS) — Anticipating threats is the key to readiness, the chief of the combatant command responsible for the military role in homeland defense said.

Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, said that when he took over the reins two years ago, he modified the Northcom mission statement to reflect this notion.

“I added the word ‘anticipate’ in there, and that really changed the culture of our command,” General Renuart told an audience at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University here this week. “We anticipate each day what we might be asked to do.”

He said his commands monitor 35 to 40 daily “events” across the country that potentially could require assistance.

“If you wait to be a responder, you will always be late — you will always be playing catch-up. We can’t afford to do that in our country,” General Renuart said.

Northcom, which was established about a year after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, is responsible for an area of operations that includes the United States, Canada and Mexico. It serves as a “one-stop-shopping” point for military support in case of an attack on American soil.

Last week, Northcom served as one of the elements supporting the U.S. Secret Service in providing security for the Jan. 20 inauguration of President Barack Obama. Some 6,000 active-duty military and 9,300 National Guard members participated in the event that boasted between 2 and 3 million attendees.

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