State funding is sometimes earmarked for a specific state activity, such  as disaster response. CAP Has Performed Certain Homeland Security Missions for Federal, State, and Local Customers

Our review of fiscal year 2011 CAP flight hour data and discussions with  officials from 10 CAP wings show that CAP has performed missions that  fit within three of the five QHSR homeland security mission areas: (1)  preventing terrorism and enhancing security, (2) securing and managing  borders, and (3) disaster response. CAP missions related to these  areas have accounted for 9 percent of CAP’s flying hours; however, CAP  has devoted the majority of its flying hours (approximately 63 percent) to  training for these and other missions and cadet and Reserve Officer  Training Corps flying orientations. Air Force Auxiliary Missions Include Some Homeland Security Activities, but Consist Primarily of Training and Flight Orientation

CAP flight hour data for fiscal year 2011 show that CAP participated in a  variety of homeland security activities, but that a majority of the  organization’s Air Force-assigned flying time was devoted to training and  flying orientation for cadets and Reserve Officer Training Corps members. CAP also devoted 2,314 Air Force-assigned flight  hours to defense support to civilian authorities/disaster relief,  corresponding to the homeland security mission area of ensuring  resilience to disasters. CAP intends for its training  and pilot certification missions to prepare its pilots and other volunteers to  perform homeland security-related missions. For example, 9 of the 10 wings had contributed to preventing terrorism  and enhancing security by participating in military readiness exercises  where CAP aircraft acted as mock targets for airborne interceptors or  ground-based radar. While some of these factors were cited by the DHS components we  contacted as issues that could affect CAP’s suitability for additional  homeland security missions, neither DHS nor the components have  assessed how CAP could be used to perform certain homeland security  missions. Several Factors May Affect CAP’s Ability to Support Homeland Security Missions

			Legal Parameters Guide CAP’s Mission Involvement

As a volunteer auxiliary of the Air Force, CAP is subject to laws and  regulations governing the use of the military in support of law  enforcement and is thus limited in the types of support it can provide. In providing support to civilian law enforcement agencies, CAP is  precluded from participating in the interdiction of vehicles, vessels, or  aircraft, or in search, seizure, arrest, apprehension, surveillance, pursuit,  or similar activity. U.S. Air Force, Air Force Instruction 10-2701, Organization and Function of the Civil Air  Patrol (Jul. According to CAP and DHS officials, CAP’s existing operational  capabilities—aircraft and vehicles, personnel, and technology—have  been sufficient to support certain homeland security missions, yet they  may not be suitable for other types of missions. As an example, FEMA officials cited CAP’s  support of the agency’s operations in response to Hurricane Isaac in  2012, specifically stating that CAP’s imagery helped to establish  situational awareness. For example,  CAP’s single-engine aircraft have limited transport capacity. For example, the Coast Guard Director of Air Operations during the  Deepwater Horizon oil spill told us that CAP personnel conducting high  profile shoreline and oil boom patrols were well-organized. However, officials from CBP and the Coast Guard also commented on  CAP’s limitations in the border and marine environments, citing  inadequate imagery capabilities, incompatible communications, and  insufficient detection technology. DHS Has Not Assessed CAP’s Ability to Support Additional Homeland Security Missions

DHS has not assessed CAP’s capabilities and resources or determined  the extent to which CAP could be used to support future homeland  security activities. By establishing  such relationships and assessing the ability of CAP to provide additional  homeland security capabilities, DHS, in coordination with the Air Force,  could position itself to better understand, and potentially utilize, another  resource to accomplish its homeland security missions. At  the same time, while some concerns exist among DHS components  about partnering with CAP, a cost-effective assessment of CAP’s  capabilities and resources, in coordination with the Air Force, could help  DHS to better identify whether CAP can assist with its future homeland  security missions. Recommendation for Executive Action

To determine the extent to which CAP might be able to further assist DHS  and its components in conducting homeland security missions, we  recommend that the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with  the Secretary of the Air Force, cost-effectively assess how CAP could be  used to accomplish certain homeland security missions based on the  factors described in this report, including legal parameters, mission  funding and reimbursement, capabilities, and operating capacity. DHS concurred with our  recommendation, citing some challenges and constraints to the expanded  use of CAP for DHS missions as well as describing its plan to address our  recommendation.
Why GAO Did This Study

Homeland security partnerships may grow increasingly important as fiscal constraints provide impetus for federal agencies to look to partners for mission support. One partner is CAP, a congressionally chartered, federally funded, nonprofit corporation with approximately 61,000 volunteer members that can function as the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. CAP conducts missions throughout the United States, including counterdrug, disaster relief, and search and rescue, using mostly single-engine aircraft. The conference report accompanying the fiscal year 2012 DHS appropriations act directed that GAO study the functions and capabilities of CAP to support homeland security missions. In response to the mandate, this report addresses (1) the extent to which CAP has been used to perform homeland security missions to date at the local, state, and federal levels, and (2) the factors that should be considered in determining CAP's ability to support additional homeland security missions and the extent to which DHS has assessed CAP's capabilities and resources to accomplish such missions. GAO reviewed laws and guidance; analyzed fiscal year 2011 CAP flight data; and interviewed officials from DHS, the Air Force, CAP, and a nongeneralizable sample of 10 of 52 state-level CAP wings.

What GAO Found

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has performed certain homeland security missions for federal, state, and local customers, but devotes the majority of its flying hours to training and youth programs. Several of CAP's mission areas fit within the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) definition of homeland security, as found in the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Report (QHSR)--a strategic framework for homeland security. For example, CAP disaster assistance and air defense activities relate to the QHSR mission areas of ensuring resilience to disasters and preventing terrorism and enhancing security, respectively. CAP has performed some of these activities in support of DHS components, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Coast Guard, as well as state and local governments. For example, CAP has provided disaster imagery to FEMA, performed certain border reconnaissance for CBP, and assisted the Coast Guard in providing air support during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. CAP has also performed homeland security-related activities for other customers, such as the U.S. Air Force. For example, 9 of the 10 CAP wings GAO spoke with had participated in military readiness exercises where CAP aircraft provided mock targets for military interceptor aircraft or ground-based radar. CAP's participation in homeland security activities accounted for approximately 9 percent of its fiscal year 2011 flying hours, but the majority of its flying hours (approximately 63 percent) were devoted to training and flying orientation, with the remaining devoted to other activities such as counterdrug and maintenance.
Several factors affect CAP's ability to support homeland security missions, and DHS and its components have not yet assessed how CAP could be used to perform certain homeland security missions. These factors--including legal parameters, mission funding, existing capabilities, and capacity--were issues cited by the DHS components and Air Force and CAP officials GAO contacted that could affect CAP's suitability for additional homeland security missions. For example, as an Air Force auxiliary, CAP is subject to laws and regulations governing the use of the military in support of law enforcement, which, among other things, allow CAP to conduct aerial surveillance in certain situations, but preclude its participation in the interdiction of vehicles, vessels, or aircraft. Similarly, while CAP's existing operational capabilities--aircraft and vehicles, personnel, and technology--position it well to support certain homeland security missions, they also limit its suitability for others. For example, FEMA officials cited the role of CAP imagery in providing useful situational awareness during the initial stages of some past natural disasters, while, in contrast, officials from CBP and the Coast Guard noted limitations such as inadequate imagery capabilities and insufficient detection technology. Although the components we contacted provided varying opinions regarding CAP's suitability for certain homeland security activities, DHS has not assessed CAP's capabilities and resources or determined the extent to which CAP could be used to support future homeland security activities. By assessing the ability of CAP to provide additional homeland security capabilities in a budget-constrained environment, DHS in coordination with the Air Force could position itself to better understand, and potentially utilize, another resource to accomplish its homeland security missions.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that DHS, in coordination with the Air Force, cost-effectively assess the extent to which CAP can further assist DHS with future homeland security missions. DHS concurred with the recommendation.