WASHINGTON -- Preparedness and military readiness go hand in hand in the Defense Department’s role to protect national security, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense integration and defense support of civil authorities said.
In a DoD News interview focusing on the 2016 “America's PrepareAthon!” campaign, Robert G. Salesses said the Defense Department depends on the strength and readiness of its military and civilian workforce -- nearly 3 million strong -- at home and overseas.
“One of the top priorities of [DoD] is focusing on the well-being and safety of each member of our workforce and their families so that we can continue to safeguard U.S. security,” Salesses said. And that’s why national preparedness and military readiness are synonymous, he added.
At the direction of President Barack Obama, the Federal Emergency Management Agency manages the national America's PrepareAthon! campaign to build and sustain national preparedness by identifying and learning about the hazards people face, he said.
Salesses called the April 30 observance of National PrepareAthon! Day “a great day to think about preparedness.”
Raising Awareness
By raising preparedness awareness twice a year -- in spring and fall -- DoD considers the campaign a professional and personal educational opportunity, Salesses said, which is “a very small investment” when putting plans in place before events occur. Being prepared at work and at home “strengthens our collective security and resilience,” he emphasized.
This year’s spring campaign will focus on weather emergencies such as tornadoes, floods, wildfires, hurricanes and extreme heat hazards, but everyone should consider potential hazards in their region and how to prepare for them, he noted.
From top leadership to installation level, DoD fully supports preparedness, Salesses said, noting that long-standing installation emergency management infrastructures extend into surrounding communities and that both work together as partners to plan for potential emergencies.
The broader the participation from people and DoD organizations, the more employees, family members, their communities and the department will benefit, Salesses said.
Salesses encouraged people making preparedness plans to look at the many resources available on DoD’s Special Report on National Preparedness and the Department of Homeland Security’s Ready websites.
“We use military readiness as the measure of our effectiveness,” he said. “And the term ‘preparedness’ is an emergency management term, so recognizing national preparedness is synonymous with our readiness responsibilities is an important step.”
(Follow Terri Moon Cronk on Twitter: @MoonCronkDoD)