Civil-Military Coordination in Disaster Preparedness and Response

Abstract

This paper identifies common civil-military coordination challenges in disaster preparedness and the response among actors who operate at the regional, national, and international levels. The study was accomplished using literature reviews, interviews with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) subject-matter experts, and the author’s experience. The report considers lessons learned from disasters occurring in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Northeast Asia, specifically studies of Typhoon Haiyan (2013), Typhoon Hagupit (2014), the Nepal Earthquake (2015), and the Great East Japan Earthquake (2011). Trust issues, political constraints, lack of formal agreements, and deficiencies in habitual relationships all affect civil-military coordination. Current initiatives undertaken by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers Meeting Plus Experts Working Group on HADR, the ASEAN Coordination Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, and the Regional Consultative Group (RCG) on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination for Asia and the Pacific may help to address these issues.