07 June 2006
Honorable Richard L. Canas
Director of Homeland Security and Preparedness
c/o P.O. Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625-001
Dear Director Canas:
We understand that the State is conducting the analysis of
homeland security assets recommended by the
Governor’s Transition Team
of which I was a member. The Naval Militia Foundation hopes
to partner
with the N.J. Office of Homeland Security &
Preparedness (Office of
Homeland Security) to better protect and prepare our State
for any
contingency. We believe the resources of the N.J. State
Guard and N.J.
Naval Militia would be better utilized under your direction
and
recommend that the Governor exercise his executive powers
to transfer
these components from the Department of Military &
Veterans Affairs
(DMAVA) as a state (Military Guard) analog to the U.S.
Coast Guard
Reserve for service ashore or afloat under the direction of
the Office
of Homeland Security.
Proposed Partnership Role of Foundation:
Continue to raise money
through corporate and individual donations to support the
Military Guard as we have the N.J. State Guard and N.J.
Naval Militia.
We could provide for the routine maintenance of small boats
used by the
Military Guard and would lease for $1 (one dollar) small
boats to the
Office of Homeland Security for the use of the Military
Guard.
Proposed Chain of Command over Military
Guard (In order of seniority): (1) the
Governor, (2a) the Director of Homeland Security, (2b) the
Adjutant
General (if Military Guard ordered by Governor to augment
DMAVA like the
U.S. Coast Guard may be ordered to augment the U.S. Navy);
and (3) the
Commandant of the Military Guard (the equivalent of a
Deputy Adjutant
General).
Proposed Primary Mission (Force
Multiplier): Provide the
Office of Homeland Security with trained military units and
qualified
persons available for (1) state inactive duty (i.e., drill
status) and
state active duty in time of emergency and at such other
times as state
security may require to fill the needs of the Office of
Homeland
Security; and (2) the emergency augmentation of State and
local response
personnel during a time of serious natural or manmade
disaster,
accident, or catastrophe.
Budget Proposal/Fiscal Impact: With an
initial investment of $60,000
(sixty thousand dollars) the Military Guard can reduce
costs for the State
and local entities, generate revenue for the Office of
Homeland Security,
and improve the State’s federal grant posture because
its initiatives
will be more sustainable with lower manpower costs.
Reducing manpower costs will markedly improve the
State’s posture for federal funding. The N.J. State
Police will be the
primary responding agency for nearly all state emergencies.
The Military
Guard can augment State Police security and response
operations with
qualified personnel to make operations more sustainable
through reduced
costs. Volunteer commitments for military guardsmen will
vary depending
upon status, but the average military guardsmen will
volunteer for ten
days of unpaid state service each year valued at $4,900.
That volunteer
service can be used to support State homeland security
initiatives or
sold on a per diem basis to other agencies.
Numerous state, county, and local agencies need low cost
trained
manpower for technical, security, or other support. For
example, there
are agencies responsible for designated critical
infrastructure that do
not have any security or law enforcement forces or have
understaffed
forces. Some have gone without active security rather than
pay local
police overtime rates which are as much as $520 per
man-day. Others have
been unsuccessful in receiving State Police and National
Guard support
because of manpower shortages. Such agencies would gladly
pay the Office
of Homeland Security a $100 per day premium for a total of
$250 per
man-day to receive qualified support from the Military
Guard. For every
local police officer in military guard volunteer status
loaned to a
local agency at $250 per day, the receiving agency will
save $270 per
day, and the Office of Homeland Security will gross $250
per day. For
each military guardsmen in per diem hazard status at a flat
$150 per day
for salary and expenses, the Office of Homeland Security
would gross
$100 per day. With fifty military guardsmen deployed per
day around the
State in per diem status, the Office of Homeland Security
would generate
$1.8 million dollars in annual revenue to fund the Military
Guard and
specific homeland security programs and initiatives
administered by the
N.J. State Police, etc…. Numerous state, county, and
local agencies need
low cost trained manpower for technical, security, or other
support. For
example, there are agencies responsible for designated
critical
infrastructure that do not have any security or law
enforcement forces
or have understaffed forces. Some have gone without active
security
rather than pay local police overtime rates which are as
much as $520
per man-day. Others have been unsuccessful in receiving
State Police and
National Guard support because of manpower shortages. Such
agencies
would gladly pay the Office of Homeland Security a $100 per
day premium
for a total of $250 per man-day to receive qualified
support from the
Military Guard. For every local police officer in military
guard
volunteer status loaned to a local agency at $250 per day,
the receiving
agency will save $270 per day, and the Office of Homeland
Security will
gross $250 per day. For each military guardsmen in per diem
hazard
status at a flat $150 per day for salary and expenses, the
Office of
Homeland Security would gross $100 per day. With fifty
military
guardsmen deployed per day around the State in per diem
status, the
Office of Homeland Security would generate $1.8 million
dollars in
annual revenue to fund the Military Guard and specific
homeland security
programs and initiatives administered by the N.J. State
Police, etc….
The initial investment to transfer the State Guard and
Naval Militia
from DMAVA to the Office of Homeland Security would be
$60,000 (sixty
thousand dollars). $25,000 would be used to pay for
administrative
expenses, training aids, computers, electronics, and
communications
equipment and proprietary software, and personal protective
equipment
for on-duty personnel. $35,000 would be used for
headquarters staffing.
The Joint Command’s current headquarters is only open
one day per week
and staffed by volunteers. With more volunteers the
headquarters could
be open more, but it would still be more efficient to have
at least one
permanent part-time per diem member assigned to supervise
the
administration of the Military Guard on a regular basis.
This money
would provide a $100 per day clerical stipend to cover
travel expenses
and per diem salary for one member as well as travel
expenses for other
clerical volunteers.
Moving Forward. All that is necessary to
move beyond the status quo is
some imagination, your support, and the approval of the
Governor. Once
the force multiplier or other mission is approved, the
Military Guard
can recruit an average of fifty U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and
Marine Corps
Reservists and qualified civilians for the Military Guard
each month.
Civilians would be recruited for specific skills and
qualifications
needed by the Office of Homeland Security. Reservists would
only need a
one or two day orientation program to be indoctrinated.
Most civilians
would be required to undergo a ten-day basic indoctrination
program
similar to the indoctrination programs conducted by the
U.S. Coast Guard
and U.S. Navy for their reservists. The State Guard can
conduct this
basic indoctrination program, as in the past, over the
course of five
weekends. Within one year the Military Guard can have 600
qualified
members available to the State for any contingency and
3,000 members in
less than five years.
Our 17 March 2006 Proposal to your Office and 30
January 2006 Report to the Governor contain additional
details. Our
chief goals are that the Naval Militia and State Guard
remain military
components, have a meaningful mission, and that the
Military Guard be a
full partner in the future of the State’s security
and preparedness
under your control.
Our Foundation President Ed Griffin can be reached
at (609) 587-4400 and Egriffin@princetonfuel.com for any
questions.
Likewise, I can be reached at Mannionesq@Optonline.net or
201-907-5237.
Sincerely yours,
Steve Mannion
Director of Legislative Affairs
