“Whole-of-Nation” Response to Crisis: Who is at the Table? Who is in Charge?

As the United States begins to grasp the impact of COVID-19, experts across industries are beginning to evaluate our ability to respond effectively to national crises. This evaluation, and the identification of best practices, is an exceptionally difficult task due to the sheer number of actors involved.

Actors such as federal agencies, state and local governments, non-governmental organizations, and even faith-based institutions all bring their own expertise, resources, and operating styles that often lead to haphazard results. Moreover, current protests around the country have highlighted social policy issues that go hand-in-hand with crisis management.

We have brought together a panel of distinguished leaders to discuss observations from the current coronavirus pandemic and the challenges that arise from our “Whole-of-Nation” response.

Panelists include:

• GEN (R) Vince Brooks, IDB Executive Fellow and former Commander U.S. Forces Korea
• LTG (R) Kathleen Gainey, Co-Lead for the National Coalition to Support COVID-19 Frontline Responders under Operation Gratitude and former Director of Logistics, Joint Staff J4
• Mr. Jeff Orner, President of Arlington Ridge Consulting, LLC and former Chief Readiness Support Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

The panel took place on Thursday, June 18th at 3:00 PM EST.

A recording of the panel can be found on the IDB YouTube Channel: