Northern Command

Overview
Northern Command (NORTHCOM) is the military’s unified command responsible for the defense of the U.S. and for support to civil authorities engaged in homeland security. In addition to concerns unique to the military (such as the restrictions on military involvement in law enforcement activity under the Posse Comitatus Act and DoD regulations), NORTHCOM’s mission raises question about what guidelines are necessary to govern the military’s access to information about domestic activities.

"In order to defend the U.S. from attack, NORTHCOM has a strong rationale for access to information collected by various intelligence and law enforcement agencies. However, at a certain point, such access could create the perception—or the reality—that the military is spying on U.S. citizens. What type of access should NORTHCOM be given to various types of sensitive data? What types of safeguards need to be established to ensure that this data is used properly?”"