Humanitarian Missions Need Advanced Echelon Teams
The Navy has increased its humanitarian and civic assistance (HCA) operations over the past few years, undertaking missions designed to provide sustainable aid projects to developing countries and also prepare naval forces for response to natural disasters. Many, such as Pacific Partnership and Continuing Promise, take place in countries the Navy otherwise rarely visits. HCA missions are large-scale, performed by a combination of military and civilian organizations. Usually all military services are represented along with numerous nongovernmental organizations and partner nations. The missions include various building projects and medical-treatment sites for thousands of patients, requiring detailed and efficient planning and execution.
The Advanced Echelon (ADVON) teams, which deploy to mission countries before the main force, are a primary element in the planning. From November 2010 to July 2011, I was assigned as the officer in charge of one of two ADVON teams supporting Pacific Partnership 2011 (PP11). In this job I traveled to the countries of Vanuatu and Timor-Leste to plan and help execute HCA operations for PP11.
Tasking and Composition
The ADVON precedes the main force to a specific operational location to establish on-the-ground arrangements for individual aid projects; interact with local leaders, business owners, and community representatives; and set up the mission’s logistical infrastructure. The HCA operations doctrinal guidance lays out the responsibilities and composition of the ADVON along with other aspects of the mission.1 The ADVON reports directly to the mission commander and works closely with the embassy, host-nation officials, and partner-nation advanced planners involved in the operation. Achieving the necessary interagency and multinational unity of effort for this level of interaction among the many groups involved has been the ADVON’s constant goal.2 To meet these challenges the team should concentrate on two main objectives: creating a favorable environment and collecting resources necessary for success. Mission commander guidance provides direction in these efforts.
The ADVON should have the appropriate expertise to prepare for anticipated projects. Team members should include the officer in charge, planners for each intended project area (including medical, dental, engineering, veterinary, and public health), a logistics planner, a public-affairs officer, and a maritime civil-affairs specialist. Other knowledgeable professionals may be needed depending on the operational scope of the particular mission for a country (for example, beach-landing specialists or flight-operations experts). We found that a small group of six to eight people was manageable and could multitask through all the required jobs.
HCA operations use very specific funds resulting in unique legal requirements and project guidelines. Team members should understand the financial nuances in detail, especially since these operations are “independent” in nature: the ADVON will be located in remote areas sometimes having tenuous communication links, and immediate guidance may not always be possible. The HCA operations publication contains a broad overview of fiscal guidelines, but research should be done for recent directives and regional specifics.3 Knowing the general information becomes essential when local organizations ask for additional projects, more money is needed, or new logistics requirements arise.
Essential Advance Planning
The team’s first major event is the pre-deployment site survey (PDSS), a one- to two-week evolution during which the ADVON visits the mission area to develop a project list. The PDSS takes place three to six months before mission execution. During this time, the team is supplemented by a variety of experts and, optimally, members of the mission commander’s staff and planners from the main force. The PDSS is also an opportunity to disseminate information to the local population. Initial face-to-face visits with the embassy staff, host-nation officials, and partner-nation planners are important events. The ADVON should spend most of its time conducting site visits to gather information. During the Pacific Partnership 2011 PDSS we surveyed project sites, made estimates for construction materials, met with contractors to determine what was locally available, calculated transportation needs and determined what should be ordered in advance. In remote areas the lead time for ordering materials and arranging vehicle rentals was months, so understanding these constraints and making advance arrangements with local vendors was essential.
The final product from the PDSS is a broad outline of planned operations for that country. Items that should be developed during or immediately after the PDSS trip are a full project list, scheme of maneuver, and operational timeline. Outlines should include information on the overall size and scope of each major project, required transportation, and other location considerations. Caveats, or areas where activities could have a negative impact on the community, even temporarily, should be noted. This includes medical clinics located on school grounds, which will affect student attendance as well as the reactions of neighbors to proposed construction projects. These adverse factors have the potential to negatively influence the community and invalidate the mission’s results. Smaller events, such as community service projects and information exchanges, that don’t involve large logistical requirements or force commitments, can remain largely notional through the PDSS phase.
Following PDSS, the ADVON begins more detailed planning. The different professional specialties involved quite literally “speak their own language,” making the officer in charge responsible for fusing the separate plans into the larger scheme. The ADVON should continue to coordinate with the embassy, local officials, and others to gain information and ensure realistic expectations. Local officials may choose varying levels of planning involvement, but including them as much as possible and giving them a level of ownership in the operation is, in the long run, the best way to ensure success. In my experience, regular and meaningful interaction with local organizations such as the police forces and health services, was necessary to ensure success, even though language barriers and cultural differences always remained challenging.
Ready for Execution
The second crucial event is redeployment to the operational locations to prepare for the main force arrival. Phasing ADVON arrival is recommended: some advance planners should take up residence at least a month prior to the mission start, while others require less time in country. The ADVON should reside in the operational area and have regular contact with the local people who will be involved in the projects. Understanding the culture that the mission will affect is very important. Given that the ADVON returns three to six months after PDSS, the team must be sure to confirm all plans, ensuring that the previously surveyed projects are still viable. During this time the ADVON should also complete detailed planning on the “minor” projects such as charity donations, community relations, and band concerts. These interactive projects require a deep understanding of the local culture, geography, and political situation. The ADVON can only gain this information from an extended stay in the country and close interaction with the residents, local NGOs, and other active groups in the area.
Having worked the planning process since the beginning, the ADVON team has a prime role in mission execution. With their inherent knowledge of the environment and understanding of logistical constraints, team members are now suited to help meet objectives. All the major projects and, if manpower permits, as many of the smaller ones as possible, should have a team member present, especially in the initial phases. Perhaps most important is the need for the ADVON to monitor and assist with logistical arrangements. The group should be ready to provide alternative solutions for the inevitable transportation delays, interpreter reassignments, and other emergent logistical needs. During Pacific Partnership 2011, the ADVON fulfilled most of the liaison roles with partner-nation forces and local organizations, using contacts developed during the pre-mission planning to ensure a synchronized effort. When the main force personnel came ashore each morning, they were able to efficiently conect with the local logistical support.
The ADVON plays an important role in HCA operations. Members of the team require diplomatic skills, logistics familiarity, planning expertise, public-affairs knowledge and an overall can-do attitude. I found leadership of my ADVON to be a challenging and rewarding experience.
1. Chief of Naval Operations, Navy Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Operations, Navy Tactics, Techniques and Procedures, NTTP 3-57.3, November 2009, 3-14—3-22
2. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Joint Operation Planning, Joint Publication 5-0, August 2011, II-35.
3. NTTP 3-57, Appendix A, 3.
Lieutenant Commander Mahon served as the officer in charge of Advance Echelon Team Bravo for Pacific Partnership 2011, while attached to Commander, Destroyer Squadron 23, from November 2010 to June 2011. He is currently commanding officer of the USS Typhoon (PC-5), forward deployed to Manama, Bahrain.