"Incidents that begin with a single response discipline within one jurisdiction may quickly expand to multi-disciplinary, multi-jurisdictional incidents that require additional resources and capabilities. In order to ensure high-level organization and efficiency among multiple actors in these challenging and complex environments, the response community must rely on fundamental principles that guide the full range of response activities. NIMS forms the backbone of this doctrine and includes, among other things, an Incident Command System as the overall management structure for responding to an incident as well as the concept of Unified Command, which provides for and enables joint decisions and action based on mutually agreed-upon objectives, priorities, and plans among all homeland partners involved in the response effort without affecting individual agency authority, responsibility, or accountability. We will continue to expand and refine the full set of fundamental doctrinal principles underlying our National Response Framework. For example, we will incorporate and further emphasize the concept of readiness to act that is imperative for nonotice incidents as well as incidents that have the potential to expand rapidly in size, scope, or complexity. Through the framework, we will encourage engaged partnerships in which all organizations establish shared objectives, assess their capabilities, identify gaps, and work collaboratively to fill those gaps well in advance of an incident. We also will underscore that our national response must be scalable, flexible, and adaptable to respond to the full range of potential incidents that our Nation could confront". (White House, National Strategy for Homeland Security, October 2007, pp. 32-33).