Tillman, Matt

EXSUM Organizational Behavior NRF Excercise

Question: How does the Department of State support local, state, and federal response to a
domestic disaster?
Domain: Military Medical
Method of research/Model: Scenario / National Response Framework
Assumptions: N/A
Overview: Given the San Antonio Metro area and the National Response Framework, the class
was asked to coordinate among each other. Different groups represented different agencies and
governmental organizations. Our group would serve as the Department of State.
The US Department of State serves as a funnel for information to the international community
and again for support that comes from the international community to the US. In our scenario,
there was a potential disease outbreak in the San Antonio area with potential links to both
Mexico and Africa.
As the funnel for information, the DOS was responsible for collecting information about
impacted foreign nationals in the US. Because of the potential cross boarder nature of the
suspected disease, the DOS also served as the coordinating agency with international
governments.
Lessons Learned: Our group did not focus on the medical necessity of actions enough. We
were stovepiped in our execution despite the fact that we knew communication and coordination
were keys to success.