As a Sailor prior to 9/11, protecting the homeland from a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) incident was probably the last thing you thought you would ever be doing and if you heard the term "civil support" mentioned it would probably conjure images of rendering assistance to foreign nationals in another country. Many of us have been there, involved in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, or other contingency operations around the globe. Not many of us thought we would actually be preparing to do that in response to a natural or terrorist disaster in our own country.
In addition, make sure to read these premium articles also available with your free trial: