TheDepartment of Defense Civil Disturbance Plan, also known by its cryptonymGARDEN PLOT, was a generalUS Army andNational Guard plan to respond to major domesticcivil disturbances within theUnited States.[1] The plan was developed in response to the civil disorders of the 1960s and fell under the control of theU.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM). It provided Federal military and law enforcement assistance to local governments during times of major civil disturbances.
The Garden Plot plan—drafted after theWatts,Newark, andDetroit riots—captures the acrimonious times when the document was drawn up. The "Plot" warns against "racial unrest," as well as "anti-draft" and "anti-Vietnam" elements."[2]
The Pentagon activated Garden Plot to restore order during the1992 Los Angeles Riots.[3] Garden Plot was superseded by USNORTHCOM Concept Plan (CONPLAN) 2502 following theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.[4][5] UnderHomeland Security restructuring, it has been suggested that similar models be followed:
Oversight of these homeland security missions should be provided by the National Guard Bureau based on the long-standing Garden Plot model in which National Guard units are trained and equipped to support civil authorities in crowd control and civil disturbance missions.
— Major GeneralRichard C. Alexander, ARNGUS (Ret.), Executive Director, National Guard Association of the United States, Testimony in the Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing on Homeland Defense, April 11, 2002[6]