A dual status commander is authorized to command both Title 10 and Title 32 forces in support of civil authorities. Though successfully employed for planned national security events, the requirement for a dual status commander during unplanned, limited notice, or no notice events became apparent during the military response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. After the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, the dual status commander construct was implemented in 2012 during Hurricane Sandy with both success and challenges. The dual status commander construct is one of legal authorities and emphasizes command and control. The intentional use of operational art under the dual status commander construct during natural disasters is not readily apparent due to the short planning timeline, current defense support of civil authorities doctrine, and the legal constraints of the dual status commander. The purpose of this study is to encourage the consideration of operational art as the dual status commander concept matures and as defense support of civil authorities doctrine develops.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)