On July 15 the Michigan Department of Military and Veteran Affairs announce the departure of Brigadier General Michael C. McDaniel to serve the nation as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Strategy and Force Planning in Washington D.C. McDaniel served in the Michigan military for 25 years. His duties within DoD Homeland Defense will include overseeing strategic initiatives related to homeland defense as well as force planning and capabilities development in support of civil authorities.
In 2009, McDaniel Chaired The Infrastructure Security Partnership’s (TISP) State and Local Security and Emergency Management Agencies Committee, coordinating the developing of the committee operational plan for 2009-2010 and supporting the re-establishing of TISP’s Annual Infrastructure and Regional Resilience Conference held Dec. 8 – 10 in Grapevine, Texas.
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm appointed McDaniel as Michigan’s Homeland Security Advisor on Feb. 5, 2003. McDaniel serves as liaison for the Governor’s office with all federal, state, and local agencies on homeland security and is responsible for developing statewide policy on homeland security preparedness and for coordinating the development of plans and training for homeland security. “Mike McDaniel has been a fantastic colleague and public servant. I am proud to have served with him and commend him on over 25 years of public service”, stated Governor Granholm.
McDaniel noted: “The post-9/11 asymmetric threat environment and natural disasters of increasing intensity require innovative thinking, an appropriate application of resources, and sound coordination and collaboration at both the federal and state levels. So I look forward to bringing the experience I have gained over the years – here in Michigan and with the Guard in particular – to Washington during this critical and challenging time.”
As Michigan's Assistant Adjutant General for Homeland Security, McDaniel has command and control of the Homeland Security Directorate. 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. A complete biography of McDaniel’s work will be available at the ceremony.
State Adjutant General, Major General Thomas Cutler said, “I am most impressed by the way General McDaniel made great strides in preparedness for our state in the area of homeland security. The Michigan Infrastructure Coordinating Committee (MICC), the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center (MIOC), the state fusion center and the Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKR) desk are all great examples of preparedness progress.” Cutler added. “They are lucky to get a diligent, dedicated, hard worker and we are blessed to have someone looking out for Michigan’s unique security issues at a higher level.”