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All disaster planning and response begins at the local level, yet the impact of disasters can sometimes exceed local resource capabilities and may require support from state and federal partners. Effectively incorporating military assets into large-scale responses is important, especially given modern resource constraints and the increasing threat of catastrophic events. This issue brief provides a cursory overview of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 (PCA), one of many doctrines that inform military integration into emergency planning and response.