U.S. Army North (Fifth Army), the Army Service Component Command (ASCC) to U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), is the premiere Army headquarters focused on Homeland Defense (HD), Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA), and Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) for the North American Theater. Every day, U.S. Army North partners with joint, interagency, and multinational teams to prevent, shape, and win in the complex environment of North America.

The U.S. homeland is a sensitive and challenging operational environment. While relatively safe from nation-state attack, it remains vulnerable to an array of natural and man-made threats, many of which strike with short or no notice. Government responses must be timely -- not late to need. Federal military forces and civilian agencies must fully understand, and act in accordance with, law and established frameworks for providing support to civil authorities. The American people expect federal agencies, including the Army, to provide rapid, visible, and effective assistance during complex domestic disasters and pre-planned events.

In this complex environment, U.S. Army North leads the effort to create joint and multinational interoperability and synchronized, rehearsed plans for Unified Land Operations. U.S. Army North's efforts ensure that, even with a no-notice event, operations in the homeland will occur as planned events and not mere happenings.

COOPERATIVE DEFENSE TO PROTECT THE HOMELAND

As the 2014 QDR highlights, our predominant security challenges in the homeland no longer stem from state actors, but rather from non-state actors such as transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). As the name implies, TCOs respect no boundaries -- a fact that has become clearer over the past few decades as cartels previously centered in South America have continued to expand their networks in North America. Moreover, TCOs have the potential to exploit and exacerbate the other, already complex threats we face in North America in the form of natural and man-made disasters. Shared challenges call for shared solutions and commitment. Thus, it is in the mutual interest of the United States, Canada, and Mexico to unite to develop a regional capacity to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat these threats posed by TCOs and other non-state actors. U.S. Army North leads the way in working with our partners to achieve mutually reinforcing and interdependent planning and operations to confront our threats and protect our citizens and our ways of life.

As our military has learned in other theaters of operation, our most sustainable victories often come from supporting our partners' objectives. This lesson is clearly evident in the relationship between U.S. Army North and the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA). The third largest army in the Western Hemisphere, SEDENA is a highly capable and trusted force in the region, solely focused on domestic operations. To this strong relationship that dates back over 40 years, the U.S. Army brings valuable experience gained over 14-plus years of persistent conflict. In 2014, our bilateral collaboration helped bring about takedowns of numerous major cartel leaders. U.S. Army Mobile Training Team (MTT) engagements with SEDENA are at an all-time high and, especially with the recently assigned Regionally Aligned Force (RAF), these shared training opportunities continue to expand. Earlier this year at Camp Bullis, TX, the U.S. Army and SEDENA conducted our first ever side-by-side airborne jump. We seek to continue such reciprocal events in the future, expanding them into National Training Center exercises.

Our main focus in this area over the next year will be developing our own supporting plans to reinforce SEDENA's southern border strategy. This will include working with multiple partners, such as U.S. Army South and Department of State, to align our efforts in support of the security cooperation and interoperability of the Mexican military with its southern allies. In addition, we will continue to build upon one of our greatest accomplishments of this fiscal year: a common framework for conducting synchronized quarterly combined mid-to-long-range planning meetings between U.S. Army North and SEDENA. Our long-term goal is to fully integrate these capacity development efforts into U.S. and Mexican institutional programs.

The foreign military sales program between our two nations is a sustained success in this area, and it continues to grow as SEDENA enhances its domestic response capacity with major end items such as UH-60s and HMMWVs. In the coming year, U.S. Army North will continue to work closely with SEDENA to support their institutional programs such as organizational maintenance and occupational specialty development.

To further consolidate these regional successes during fiscal year 2016, we will also develop a strong partnership with a newly established organization within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS): Joint Task Force West (JTF-W). JTF-W will unify what were previously four separate regional operations along the 2,000-mile Mexico-U.S. border and will include 16 federal agencies to include DHS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This partnership will greatly enhance the effective integration of interorganizational and multinational security efforts.

With Canada, our long term goal is to maintain the interoperability built over 14 years of shared multinational operations. As both our nations undergo military reductions, we will continue to maximize every training opportunity to ensure our ability to operate interdependently at home and abroad. This year, for the first time ever, a Regionally Aligned Force (RAF) participated in Canada's premiere culminating validation event -- Maple Resolve. In the coming year, in addition to our well-established military exchange program, we will continue to share Battalion-level training opportunities as well as reciprocal unit programs at the Brigade Combat Team level.

DEFENSE SUPPORT OF CIVIL AUTHORITIES (DSCA):

While the defense of our homeland and support of civil authorities require the efforts of all Services, DSCA is manpower intensive and depends on face-to-face support where American citizens live -- on the ground. Here the Total Army -- Regular, Reserve, and Guard -- plays a central role. Soldiers and Civilians from all components are engaged in the homeland on a daily basis, in capacities ranging from personnel serving within Defense Coordinating Elements (DCEs) in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to U.S. Army North leading and coordinating DSCA missions. Further, the Total Army is always prepared to conduct a no-notice DSCA response. During fiscal year 2015, U.S. Army North made great strides in our Regional Plans program which focuses on potential Complex Catastrophic events such as major earthquakes, hurricanes, pandemics, or man-made disasters. All this planning starts at the FEMA Regional level, where the ten DCEs, supported by the Army North staff, ensure DoD requirements are identified and fully integrated as part of a whole of government response. The regional focus for 2015 was an earthquake scenario in Southern California. In 2016, the focus will be on support requirements for New Madrid Seismic Zone earthquake and man-made disaster scenarios.

Additionally, Army North maintains the responsibility for the training proficiency assessment of the entire DoD CBRN Response Enterprise (CRE). The CRE is made up of members from the Joint Force and the Total Army and includes 57 Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams (CSTs), 17 CBRN Enhanced Response Force Packages (CERFPs), 10 Homeland Response Forces (HRFs), the Defense CBRN Response Force (DCRF), and two Command and Control CBRN Response Elements (C2CRE A and B).

The DCRF and C2CREs participate in a confirmation exercise every year titled VIBRANT RESPONSE. This year, that exercise validated the mission readiness of the three Title-10 2-Star Joint Task Force (JTF) headquarters assigned CRE. It included robust participation from federal and state agencies, including the FEMA, the Department of Energy (DOE), the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Army forces allocated to the Brigade and below elements of the JTFs participated in a Field Training Exercise (FTX) at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) to confirm their mission readiness earlier this year. This year was the first year a JRTC rotation was used to train and validate CRE forces.

Also this year, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) requested a trained Medical Support Team (MST) from DoD as an added prudent measure to ensure our nation is ready to respond quickly, effectively, and safely in the event of additional Ebola cases. U.S. Army North coordinated the training for two 30-person MSTs that could, if needed, provide short-notice assistance to civilian medical facilities in the United States. This event highlights the dynamic operational environment in which Army North stands ready to rapidly respond at all times.

The Soldiers and Civilians of U.S. Army North serve throughout North America, alongside our domestic and multinational partners, to help protect our fellow Americans from natural and man-made disasters and defend the homeland in depth in order to build a more secure North America. Army North embraces the characteristics of our complex environment, and we understand that our successes are measured by the successes of our partners. Our singular purpose is the American people, upon whose everyday lives our successes or failures have a direct impact.

Author Biographical Information:

By Lt. Gen. Perry L. Wiggins

Commanding General,

U.S. Army North (Fifth Army)

Lt. Gen. Perry L. Wiggins assumed command of U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) in September 2013 after serving as the deputy commanding general since January of that year. He previously served as the commanding general of First Army Division (West) at Fort Hood, Texas. He earned his commission as an Infantry lieutenant from Mercer University in 1983. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College, where he earned a master's degree in strategic studies.