According to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (HSA), the ONCRC,  located within DHS’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),  is required, among other things, to:  coordinate the activities of DHS relating to the NCR;  coordinate on terrorism preparedness with federal, state, local, and  regional agencies, and private sector entities in the NCR to ensure  adequate planning, information sharing, training, and execution of  domestic preparedness activities among these agencies and entities;  serve as a liaison between the federal government and state, local,  and regional authorities, and private sector entities in the NCR to  facilitate access to federal grants and other programs; and provide state, local, and regional authorities in the NCR with regular  information, research, and technical support to assist the efforts of  state, local, and regional authorities in securing the homeland. ONCRC Has Taken Various Actions to Help Improve Emergency Communications Interoperability in the NCR

The ONCRC has worked with both state and local entities and other DHS  components on various efforts aimed at improving emergency  preparedness in the NCR, including emergency communications  interoperability. For  example, ONCRC staff helped revise the NCR’s 2013 Homeland Security  Strategic Plan (NCR Strategic Plan). One of the goals of the plan is to  ensure interoperable communications capabilities. The plan identified a  number of NCR’s initiatives to achieve this goal including: ensuring communications interoperability across agencies, managing and coordinating radio upgrades across jurisdictions, maintaining a cache of extra radios,  conducting training to improve the ability of all NCR partners to  access and use communications systems effectively, and encourage participation in biannual communication exercises that test  all regional communication platforms. The  ONCRC officials told us that the ONCRC (as a member of the Senior  Policy Group) has collaborated with the NCR’s Emergency Preparedness  Council to facilitate state and local agencies access to the DHS’s UASI  grant program. The UASI grant program is the primary source of federal  homeland security funding for the NCR. In fiscal year 2014, DHS  allocated $53 million through the UASI grant program to the NCR to  enhance the region’s homeland security and preparedness capabilities. Almost $7 million of the $53 million was to fund projects aimed at the  NCR Strategic Plan’s goal to ensure interoperable communications  capabilities, such as purchasing radios and other equipment as well as  developing a strategic plan for radio encryption. The ONCRC’s Ability to Coordinate with Federal Agencies to Help Improve Emergency Preparedness, Including Communications Interoperability, in the NCR is Currently Limited

As discussed in the previous section, the ONCRC coordinates with state  and local agencies in the NCR primarily through its participation on NCR  committees including the Senior Policy Group and the Emergency  Preparedness Council. However, the ONCRC currently does not have a  formal mechanism in place to coordinate with federal agencies and is  making some effort to improve how it coordinates with them. From the establishment of the ONCRC in 2002 through 2014, the Joint  Federal Committee (JFC) was the ONCRC’s primary means of  coordinating federal efforts with state and local agencies in the NCR. However, the ONCRC officials said that the  JFC has not convened since 2014. However, according to ONCRC  officials, written plans or documents for the specific elements of the  restructuring were not available. When the JFC existed, it did not fully  operate in a manner that was consistent with key considerations for  implementing interagency collaboration mechanisms that we have  previously identified. Addressing the above key  considerations for implementing collaborative mechanisms in the planned  restructuring of the JFC could provide greater clarity to its members on  their roles and responsibilities, particularly when responding to incidents,  as well as improve the ONCRC’s ability to carry out its statutory  responsibilities for coordinating federal homeland security and  emergency-management activities in the NCR. Recommendation for Executive Action

To further build on the efforts to improve emergency communications  interoperability in the NCR, we recommend that the FEMA Administrator  direct the Director of ONCRC to take the following action: as part of its efforts to restructure the JFC, clearly articulate in a  written agreement the roles and responsibilities of the participating  agencies and specify how these  agencies are to work together  across agency boundaries.
Why GAO Did This Study

The NCR is considered at high risk for various threats and hazards. Federal, state, and local agencies in the NCR continue to face challenges with emergency communications interoperability—that is, the ability to use radios to communicate across entities when needed. The federal government has taken actions to improve interoperability in the NCR including allocating almost $720 million through a DHS grant program to enhance regional preparedness since fiscal year 2002, and establishing the ONCRC to coordinate NCR entities on homeland security activities, including interoperability.
GAO was asked to review federal efforts to improve emergency communications interoperability in the NCR. This report examines (1) actions the ONCRC has taken to help improve emergency communications interoperability in the NCR and (2) status of the ONCRC's efforts to coordinate with federal agencies to help improve emergency preparedness in the NCR, including communications interoperability. GAO reviewed documentation from the ONCRC and interviewed DHS officials and emergency managers from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.

What GAO Found

The Office of National Capital Region Coordination (ONCRC), within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has taken various actions, mainly through coordination with state and local agencies, to help improve emergency communications interoperability in the National Capital Region (NCR), a legally-designated area including Washington, D.C. and nearby parts of Virginia and Maryland. For example:
The ONCRC participates in several committees that are involved in planning and carrying out efforts to build preparedness and response capabilities of the region. In particular, the Director of the ONCRC is a member of the NCR's Senior Policy Group, which coordinates these efforts. The ONCRC staff helped develop the NCR's 2013 Homeland Security Strategic Plan . One of the goals of the plan is to ensure interoperable communications capabilities. The Strategic Plan identified a number of NCR initiatives to achieve this goal, including supporting the establishment and maintenance of radio interoperability and managing and coordinating radio upgrades across jurisdictions.
As part of the responsibility to serve as a liaison with entities in the NCR, the ONCRC has collaborated with the NCR's Emergency Preparedness Council (an NCR advisory body) to facilitate state and local agencies access to the DHS's Urban Area Security Initiative grant program—the primary source of federal homeland security funding for the NCR. In fiscal year 2014, DHS allocated $53 million in grant funding to the NCR to enhance the region's homeland security and preparedness capabilities. Almost $7 million of this amount was to fund activities, such as purchasing radios and other equipment, aimed at achieving the NCR Strategic Plan's goal to ensure interoperable communications capabilities.
A key role of the ONCRC is to coordinate with federal, state, and local NCR entities on emergency preparedness and homeland security activities. However, the ONCRC currently does not have a formal mechanism in place to coordinate with federal agencies. From 2002 through 2014, the Joint Federal Committee (JFC) was the ONCRC's primary means of coordinating with federal agencies in the NCR. The ONCRC has not convened the JFC since 2014 and plans to restructure it. Officials explained that the JFC was not efficient and effective as a coordinating body and that they plan to strengthen its coordination capabilities. However, written plans were not available. When the JFC existed, its operation was not fully aligned with interagency collaboration mechanisms that GAO has identified. In particular, the JFC's charter did not specify the roles and responsibilities of participating agencies or how they were to work together across agency boundaries. Addressing these interagency collaborative mechanisms in the planned restructuring of the JFC could provide greater clarity on roles and responsibilities and enhance its ability to coordinate federal efforts in the region.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that ONCRC, as part of its efforts to restructure the JFC, clearly articulate in a written agreement the roles and responsibilities of participating agencies and specify how they are to work together across agency boundaries. ONCRC concurred with this recommendation.