Enhancing Preparedness and Response ≈ Transition Management Architecture Improvements

Experts continue to debate about the range of threats that could realistically occur in America today. Disagreements range through the prevention, preemption, and response strategies with advocates continuing to argue for robust “whole-of-government” capabilities to muster and effective response. The debate is complicated by the increased societal churn driven by the changing popular culture, intense effects of technology change and impacts from social media and the 24 hour news cycle. Whether you can hear it, or see it, or not, the truth remains regarding an underlying latency of increased risk in our society. Further compounding this is the change in the oil economy. Latent risk has risen there as well, challenging current preparedness efforts. Increased flexibility, transitional success, better data sharing methods, and deeper situational awareness is needed for planning, preparedness, and response success. Coast Guard legal authorities are foundational in this regard especially as it relates to the proper apportionment of National Contingency Plan resources. The Coast Guard Vessel Response and Facility Response Plan regulations reflect an appropriate effort to assure the retention and allocation of those resources to meet preparedness and response requirements. How can we be sure, however, that this “force lay down” is effective? Can those resources be better accessed to support NCP requirements? This poster will depict a way to envision better transition of VRP/FRP resources. It will also explain a capability and architecture developed to ease the rapid shifts from day-to-day operations to a rapidly expanding crisis.