Task Force?

JArvey · January 09, 2011, 02:15:49 AM

What exactly is a task force? I saw it in my leadership book but could not find it in the regs. Could someone please tell me the reg or explain it to me?

RiverAux · January 09, 2011, 02:19:54 AM

It is usually a group of people who either volunteer or are appointed to work on a particular issue, usually with the intention that they finish fairly quickly and then dissolve.

JArvey · January 09, 2011, 02:23:00 AM

Who appoints the cadets, and could they make decisions? I would tell you what I'm trying to do I just dont want to have my squadron tag on it because its a far fetched idea.

JohnKachenmeister · January 09, 2011, 02:26:48 AM

A Task Force is a temporary unit designed to do... well, a task. A Task force can be a collection of persons, like a CAP SAR mission where individuals are called up under a Task Force (Incident) Commander, or it could be a collection of units assigned under a single commander to accomplish a single mission.

The key to a task force is it is not a real unit. It has no unit colors, no history. It is put together for a single mission, and once that mission is accomplished, it goes away.

JArvey · January 09, 2011, 02:29:18 AM

Oh so its for ground team and not problems within the squadron?

EMT-83 · January 09, 2011, 02:50:25 AM

A task force could be established for just about anything; it doesn't have to be operational.

One could be established to develop new technology or resolve a specific issue, such as a problem in a squadron.

manfredvonrichthofen · January 09, 2011, 03:10:55 AM

Task forces are also multiagency or multi unit groups set up for one operation. But yes, when the task is done it is dissolved.

JArvey · January 09, 2011, 03:31:01 AM

Does the squadron commander set these up?

RiverAux · January 09, 2011, 03:44:16 AM

In your case, yes.

JArvey · January 09, 2011, 03:58:53 AM

Ok thanks

a2capt · January 09, 2011, 04:24:20 AM

Which makes me wonder if this "task force" isn't related to the other thread on reporting something, perhaps you want to know who makes up a task force to get to the bottom of a specific matter, and if someone other than the seemingly non-caring unit CC can "create" the desired task force to "find" whatever it is.

JohnKachenmeister · January 09, 2011, 04:51:09 AM

Quote from: JArvey on January 09, 2011, 03:31:01 AM
Does the squadron commander set these up?

Any commander can. Hey... why don't you drop a few PM's around to some of us? it sounds like you have something on your mind.

JArvey · January 09, 2011, 06:26:52 PM

Ok I will and it isnt really to accomplish somthing rather than run somthing

Spaceman3750 · January 10, 2011, 02:02:35 AM

Thinking in terms of NIMS, a task force is a collection of non-like units (fire trucks, ambulances, police cars, or thinking in terms of people, firefighters, EMTs, police officers) that are assigned a task to complete. For example, I might have a task force consisting of a backhoe and a bulldozer tasked to tear down a house. Federal law enforcement agencies have standing task forces that are made up of officers from surrounding agencies (they're non-like units because they all belong to another agency) with a specific task to complete. The US Marshal Service Fugitive Apprehension Task Force is an example of this.

In comparison, a strike team is a group of like units (5 firetrucks or 5 police officers) with a task to accomplish. For example, the unit commander may create a strike team of 5 CAP cadets to compile and present a plan for a unit SAREX. We would more commonly call this a committee or action team outside of an incident setting.

Flying Pig · January 10, 2011, 02:16:13 AM

Im going to start a task force to find out what it is your trying to ask

addo1 · January 10, 2011, 02:31:12 AM

Examples of task forces can be seen with the National Cadet Advisory Council. When we have issues that we want to examine, we often create task forces to evaluate solutions. Task forces, in this concept, are essentially mini-councils within our council to allow the council to continue focusing on its overall objectives.

coudano · January 10, 2011, 03:33:59 AM

Probably going to be important to distinguish between the leadership books, and this below definition from NIMS.
I don't think they mean the same thing. You will need to know (you will be tested on) both, within their different venues.

Quote from: Spaceman3750 on January 10, 2011, 02:02:35 AM
Thinking in terms of NIMS, a task force is a collection of non-like units (fire trucks, ambulances, police cars, or thinking in terms of people, firefighters, EMTs, police officers) that are assigned a task to complete. For example, I might have a task force consisting of a backhoe and a bulldozer tasked to tear down a house. Federal law enforcement agencies have standing task forces that are made up of officers from surrounding agencies (they're non-like units because they all belong to another agency) with a specific task to complete. The US Marshal Service Fugitive Apprehension Task Force is an example of this.

In comparison, a strike team is a group of like units (5 firetrucks or 5 police officers) with a task to accomplish. For example, the unit commander may create a strike team of 5 CAP cadets to compile and present a plan for a unit SAREX. We would more commonly call this a committee or action team outside of an incident setting.

JArvey · January 10, 2011, 05:23:06 AM

Oh ok that makes more sense, so can there be councils within squadrons?

a2capt · January 10, 2011, 06:19:03 AM

Councils? Well, you have a membership review committee, a review board is a committee, a finance committee, etc. Same thing more or less. Though these tend to be formed for longer periods of time, and of course, as permanent fixtures where as a task force would be put together/seated to handle a specific action and when thats done, they did their job.

Like perhaps looking for a new meeting place, putting together a unit banquet, etc. When the event/action/outcome happens it's done.

Eclipse · January 10, 2011, 06:40:10 AM

Calling them councils implies a sub-structure with parliamentary rules.

Quoth the all-knowing wiki:
A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many non-military organizations now create "task forces" or task groups for temporary activities that might have once been performed by ad hoc committees.

Task forces are generally temporary entities assembled for a specific duty or time period.

For example many major crime investigations assemble a task force from involved agencies to handle that specific crime and then are disbanded when the crime is either "solved" or goes cold.