2. During the response to Hurricane Andrew, the military—

specifically, the U.S. Army and the U.S. Coast Guard—

performed outstanding emergency search and rescue work, much of it well ahead of civilian government agencies at the local, state, and federal levels. After the hurricane, some lawmakers proposed folding up FEMA and moving its duties to the Pentagon. Should domestic emergency management be assigned to the military rather than to civil authorities? Explain why or why not, and defend your answer. What advantages does the military have in providing emergency relief to disaster victims? Given that we count on the military to provide aid in foreign disasters, why might officials not want them to assume a similar role at home?