Defense Support of Civil Authorities

American perspective on armed forces bringing order and peace domestically A U.S. Navy Sailor assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) directs a U.S. Army light medium tactical vehicle off a landing craft, utility in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Service members returned to the U.S. Virgin Islands to assist with disaster relief operations in response to hurricanes Irma and Maria. September 2017 Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) is the process by which United States military assets and personnel can be used to assist in missions normally carried out by civil authorities. These missions have included: responses to natural and man-made disasters, law enforcement support, special events, and other domestic activities. A recent example of the use of DSCA is the military response to Hurricane Katrina. DSCA is the overarching guidance of how the United States military can be requested by a federal agency and the procedures that govern the actions of the military during employment. The "Directorate of military support" (DOMS) for domestic operations (DOMS) who is the functional process manager of DSCA is located inside each state's "Joint Operation Cente