Air Forces Northern National Security Emergency Preparedness Directorate

The Air Forces Northern National Security Emergency Preparedness Directorate (AFNSEP) will be operating out of United States Air Force Northern Headquarters at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, effective January 1, 2008. It is currently operational at Fort McPherson, Georgia.

AFNSEP was originally Air Force National Security Emergency Preparedness Agency, but changed its name when it was deactivated as an Air Staff Field Operating Agency to Air Forces Northern National Security Emergency Preparedness Directorate. This realignment occurred under the United States Northern Command, Oct 1, 2006. The commander of AF Northern HQ is Maj. Gen. Hank Morrow, AFNORTH Commander.

Background

The lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and new needs arising out of US homeland disaster and emergency response operations dictated this re-alignment. This will result in a contiguous command, control and support from Air Forces forces to needed civilian authorities during times of national emergencies and disasters. The AFNSEP program was originally developed due to President Ronald Reagan's 1988 Executive Order 12656. There was a need to expand the military's role beyond military defense to responding to national emergencies and supporting civilian needs in natural disasters.

Since their formation, AFNSEP has supported more than 125 major disasters, including the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, several California wildfires, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, several hurricanes to include Andrew and Katrina, and typhoon relief across America and the Pacific region.

Operations

The role of AFNSEP is to train and deploy Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers (EPLO). EPLOs are normally senior Air Force Reserve Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) officers, who coordinate military assistance to federal agencies and state government when homeland support is requested.

Source

* [http://www.1af.acc.af.mil/media/archive/story.asp?id=123063098 AF Northern National Security Emergency Preparedness] Official News Release