Does the creation of a military command with civil authority mark a step towards martial law? Rumsfeld says “Trust me.”
- DoD’s New Unified Command Plan (Map, PDF)
The creation of Northern Command will not conflict with a 19th century law, called the Posse Comitatus Act, that was meant to prohibit the military from acting as a domestic police force, Rumsfeld said in announcing the changes.
“Some in the past have worried that creation of a command that covered the United States of America could be inward-looking; nothing could be further from the truth,” Rumsfeld told a Pentagon (news – web sites) news conference.
“The creation of NorthCom means that we now have the command assigned to defend the American people where they live and work and it will be functioning in a supporting role to civil authorities as occasions arise,” he said.