Northcom urged to set priorities.

• Author: Fein, Geoff S.
• Position: Security Beat - Brief Article

The U.S. Northern Command needs to set priorities in its homeland security responsibilities, recommended a recent Defense Science Board study.

The study, led by retired Adm. Donald Pilling and Donald Latham, suggested 15 new tasks for Northcom. "We know that putting all these [tasks] on their plate now would be too much," said the study.

The "big four" priorities, as the study called them, are developing an integrated plan for maritime surveillance; developing a low-altitude air-threat defense roadmap; taking the operational lead for Defense Department mission critical infrastructure protection in the continental United States, and leading homeland defense-related exercises, training, experiments and standards.

Northcom also should sponsor an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) for information sharing. This ACTD should...