The Federal Civil Defense Authority was established in the United States Department of Defense

United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

 (DOD), by DOD Directive 5105.43, May 5, 1972.

Predecessor agencies

• Federal Civil Defense Administration
  Federal Civil Defense Administration
  The Federal Civil Defense Administration was organized by Democratic president Harry S. Truman on December 1, 1950, and became an official government agency on January 12, 1951...
  
   (FCDA), Office for Emergency Management
  Office for Emergency Management
  The Office for Emergency Management was an office within the Executive Office of the United States President. It was established by administrative order, May 25, 1940, in accordance with EO 8248, September 8, 1939....
  
   (OEM), Executive Office of the President (EOP, 1950–1951)
• FCDA (1951–1958)
• Office of Defense and Civilian Mobilization (ODCM), EOP (1958)
• Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization (OCDM), EOP (1958–1961)
• Office of Civil Defense
  Office of Civil Defense
  The Office of Civil Defense was an agency of the United States Department of Defense from 1961-64. It replaced the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization. The organization was abolished on July 20, 1979, pursuant to Executive Order 12148. It was a predecessor to the Federal Emergency...
  
   (OCD), DOD (1961–1964)
• OCD, United States Department of the Army
  United States Department of the Army
  The Department of the Army is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Department of the Army is the Federal Government agency which the United States Army is organized within, and it is led by the Secretary of the Army who has...
  
  , DOD (1964–1972)

Functions

It coordinated and directed federal, state, and local civil defense

Civil defense

Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...

 program activities, including fallout shelter

Fallout shelter

A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designed to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War....

s; chemical, biological, and radiological warfare

Weapons of mass destruction

A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...

defense; emergency communications and warning systems; post-attack assistance and damage assessment; preparedness planning; and government continuity.

Abolished

By EO 12148, July 20, 1979, retroactive to July 15, 1979, pursuant to Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978, effective April 1, 1979.