# What ever happened to 'Civil Defense'?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-civil-defense/97783>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 12, 2002, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-civil-defense/97783 "2002-03-12T04:42:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2002, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-civil-defense/97783/1 "2002-03-12T04:42:07Z")

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Hey y’all,

I consider myself fairly astute in the mili-political ways since Reagan. I’m also a self-described Cold War buff. So, one would think that I know a lot of trivial knowledge about things. But, just one thing escapes me. With all the hullaballoo regarding Operation Noble Eagle and the Office of Homeland Defense, one can’t help but hear different agencies mentioned: FBI, CIA, FEMA, etc. . . However, one’s missing! What happened to the old Civil Defense office?

Was there an act of Congress that formally disbanded the agency? Did it just die out with the end of the Cold War, and not be reestablished due to it’s ‘marketability’? Why didn’t we revive the concept and “catchphrase” when Bin Butthead reared his ugly head catastrophically? Did I miss something?

Honest question! I know that in my hometown in Jersey, there’s an office in the basement of our Municipal Hall with a huge Civil Defense sticker, labeled the “Office of Emergency Municipal Management”. So, what gives? Where’d it go?

Tripler  
_Duck, and cover . . . duck, and cover . . ._

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2002, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-civil-defense/97783/2 "2002-03-12T05:05:26Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> The Office of Civil Defense-Dept of Defense was named as such throughout the 60’s. Then on May 5th 1972 the Office of Civil Defense within the Dept of the Army was disestablished and the new “Defense Civil Preparedness Agency” was formed (still part of the Dept of Defense). Throughout the 70’s it was known as the DCPA. Then in 1979 the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA was formed as an independant agency, no longer part of the Dept. of Defense. FEMA reports directly to the President.

from [http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:wjDkdpbbtV0C:www.civildefensemuseum.com/history.html+"office+of+civil+defense'&hl=en](http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:wjDkdpbbtV0C:www.civildefensemuseum.com/history.html+%22office+of+civil+defense%27&hl=en)

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**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2002, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-civil-defense/97783/3 "2002-03-12T05:16:41Z")

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Link didn’t work, but what the hey . . .

Wow! Seems it evolved into FEMA. I wonder what drove the process. . . Although, IIRC, that 1972 timeframe seems around the time that Congress passed the War Powers Act. . .

Maybe the President wanted his own direct reporting agency?

Tripler  
I’m now somewhat enlightened. I thank you, **sam**.