Brigadier General Michael C. McDaniel
Brig. Gen.
Michael C. McDaniel, Assistant Adjutant General for Homeland Security, Michigan
National Guard, was appointed by the Governor as her Advisor on Homeland
Security, on February 5, 2003. His promotion to Brigadier General was
confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 22, 2006.
He
serves as the liaison between the Governor's Office and all federal, state and
local agencies on homeland security. He is responsible for developing statewide
policy on homeland security preparedness and for coordinating the development of
plans and training for homeland security on a statewide basis. His duties
include coordinating efforts to protect the state and its critical
infrastructure from terrorist attacks, to ensure all state agencies have
interoperable IT and communications systems, and to prepare for, prevent, and
mitigate the consequences of terrorist threats or attacks.
Brig. Gen. McDaniel
serves as a member of the National Governors Association's Homeland Security
Advisors Council and was elected to the eight-member Executive Committee in
2006. Brig. Gen. McDaniel was recently named by the Department of Homeland Security as
Chair of the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Government Coordinating
Council. Brig. Gen. McDaniel has been a member of the Michigan National Guard for over
23 years, previously serving as a military judge.
As
Michigan's Assistant Adjutant General for Homeland Security, Brig. Gen. McDaniel has
command and control of the Homeland Security Directorate. This Directorate
includes Military Support to Civil Authorities, the 51st WMD Civil
Support Team, the Reconnaissance & Interdiction Detachment (RAID) Team, the
Exercise Planning Group, the Counter-Drug Division including the Drug Demand
Reduction Program and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Support,
Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection, Emergency Communications, and the Michigan
Volunteer Defense Force (500-member State Militia). He is directly responsible
for over 700 full and part-time soldiers and volunteers who serve as the "First
Responders" for the Michigan National Guard.
Brig. Gen.
McDaniel has developed and led a number of large-scale Homeland Security
exercises and commanded a multinational operation, MEDCEUR/RESCUER 2004. This US
Army Europe, (USAREUR) sponsored international military exercise focused on
crisis relief operations and brought together over 2000 troops from Germany,
Poland, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Bulgaria, Armenia, Latvia, Estonia,
Lithuania, Azerbaijan and the United States. The exercise was the first major
military training event for the Baltic States since joining NATO. The
successful completion of the exercise created synergy between these great
nations and established a basis for joint relief operations thereby enhancing
the global fight against terrorism.
In May of 2005, Brig. Gen. McDaniel sponsored, and served as Exercise Co-Director of
Exercise Vigilant State (EVS) with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA),
and the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW). EVS was a full-scale exercise
designed to coordinate the joint response to a Man-Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS).
This exercise included over twenty-six federal, state, county, and local
agencies from the State of Michigan, federal agencies and military support from
the Michigan National Guard, utilizing both Air and Army assets, including the
Michigan Army National Guard Quick Reaction Force (QRF), and both fixed and
rotary wing air assets.
Brig. Gen.
McDaniel served as the Michigan Exercise Director for ARDENT SENTRY 2006 (AS06),
a national homeland security exercise, sponsored by NORAD-USNORTHCOM in May of
2006. This was the first national level exercise since Hurricane Katrina. It
was designed to test the ability of Federal, State, and local agencies to
respond to Incidents of National Significance under the National Response Plan,
including the ability to mobilize and deploy Department of Defense resources and
coordinate response efforts with international partners. The Michigan venue was
a critical part of the exercise and accounted for a significant portion of the
training audience.
Previously, Brig. Gen. McDaniel was the Assistant Attorney General for Litigation, in
the Executive Division of the Michigan Department of Attorney General. His
duties included reviewing and providing recommendations to the Attorney General
on all civil and criminal actions proposed to be initiated by the department in
state or federal trial courts, and evaluating and providing recommendations to
the Attorney General on all proposed settlements of every court case. Brig. Gen.
McDaniel was responsible for special projects, such as anti-terrorism
legislation, forming the hate crimes prosecution team, and supervising the
prosecution of internet tobacco sales to minors.
Brig. Gen.
McDaniel has a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Bonaventure University, a Juris
Doctorate degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, a Master of
Strategic Studies degree from the Army War College, and a Master of Arts in
Security Studies (Homeland Security) degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.