More than 870 million people have been affected by natural disasters in the past five years.1 During 2017 alone, some 95 million people from 123 different countries felt their impact, with total damages estimated at $340 billion.2 Because of militaries’ unique life-saving capabilities, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) is a mission of many armed services around the world.
Nevertheless, militaries are not considered humanitarian actors by the nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations that work in the humanitarian response sector every day. There are reasonable arguments and a clear separation of functions that support this distinction. But when civilian and military responders must work together following a natural disaster or when assisting civilians in conflict situations, competence and adequate coordination are essential to ensure an efficient response.
Why Involve Militaries in HA/DR?
Today, worldwide investment in military assets accounts for 2.2 percent of global gross domestic product, or about $1.7 trillion U.S.3 These resources provide unique technological and logistic capabilities and often a high state of readiness, with training for complex operations. Air, sea, and ground lift support, medical resources, and engineering assets are common, key features of military operations.
Nations have limited resources. When a natural disaster or man-made crisis overwhelms civilian government response assets, it makes sense to divert existing, ready-to-deploy military forces to HA/DR operations—as long as the strategic environment suggests that their primary role (combat) is not at risk.
When strategic alliances and national interests present a compelling requirement to help those in need in another country, foreign military assets (FMA) are deployed to the affected regions, providing temporary assistance while the host nation recovers and the international organizations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) set up operations.
Countries with a robust national guard or a civil defense organization can better separate homeland emergency and homeland security functions. However, in most countries, armed forces are the primary emergency relief corps. Blue-water navies, in particular, provide unique capabilities for HA/DR. For example, the U.S. Navy’s 21st Century Seapower strategy states:
During peacetime and times of conflict, across the full spectrum from supporting an ally with humanitarian assistance or disaster relief to deterring or defeating an adversary in kinetic action Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen are deployed at sea and in far-flung posts to be wherever we are needed, when we are needed. Coming from the sea, we get there sooner, stay there longer, bring everything we need with us.4
It is almost impossible not to think of military forces as an ideal source of specialized professionals and equipment to help alleviate the suffering of citizens or allied populations. Governments around the world are aware of this perception, and while most are careful not to allow the training and capabilities of their militaries to deviate from their primary mission, preparedness for and effective response in HA/DR operations is a legitimate role.
Militaries and Humanitarians Working Together
There is little doubt that militaries will continue to respond to humanitarian crises. In 2008, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute studied the effectiveness of FMA in natural disaster response and concluded: “Militaries’ assets have been an integral part of the international community’s humanitarian responses to many major, rapid-onset natural disasters, and they are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.”5 Between 1970 and 2000, of 660 cases where U.S. military forces were diverted from their regular schedule, 366 times were for HA/DR operations.6
But while everyone responding to an emergency executes humanitarian action, not everyone is categorized as a humanitarian actor. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) defines humanitarian actors as “civilians, whether national or international, United Nations (U.N.) or non-U.N., governmental or nongovernmental, which have a commitment to humanitarian principles and are engaged in humanitarian activities.”7 This organized philanthropy normally is embodied by NGOs and operationalized in humanitarian volunteer teams. Humanitarian actors are guided by the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and operational independence. These principles have been adopted by the U.N. in General Assembly resolutions and guide the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.8
Militaries, on the other hand, do not observe the principles of neutrality and operational independence. Therefore, a clear distinction between humanitarian actors and militaries helps create a safer and more effective operating environment.9 For example, humanitarian actors may be allowed greater access to places and people where conflict or lack of authority prevails.
The humanitarian sector should view military support as a last resort, when there are no other civilian means available. UN-OCHA recommends that host nations facing frequent natural disasters invest in their civilian capacity to better respond to humanitarian crises without relying on FMA.10 Governments should be able to provide aid to affected populations by working together with NGOs and local resources. If the scale of the disaster overwhelms host-nation capacity, FMA may be requested, but it should be used only until humanitarian actors and local authorities are able to manage relief efforts.
The problem with the concept of last resort is the fact that militaries, because of their unique abilities, often are the first to arrive or provide assistance after a disaster. For example, when NGOs do not have the means to reach isolated areas, they may have to rely on militaries for transport. This highlights the difficulty of maintaining the separation and independence of the different actors.
The best way to address this complex relationship is through coordination and an understanding of the other actors’ principles, mandates, and working structures. It is key for militaries to know and understand the framework in which humanitarian actors operate, to respect the principles and the civilian character of the humanitarian response, and to comply with international humanitarian, human rights, and refugee law.11
In September 2018, UN-OCHA published Recommended Practices for Effective Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination of Foreign Military Assets (FMA) in Natural and Man-Made Disasters. The U.S. Naval War College, through its Civilian-Military Coordination Humanitarian Response Program, collaborated on this publication, believing that coordination and mutual understanding are the foundation of effective humanitarian operations.
The relevant government agencies and emergency organizations also can help improve how civilians and militaries work together. Joint Publication 3-29, Foreign Humanitarian Assistance, defines a clear structure for interagency coordination, putting military assets in a supporting role under civilian direction, normally through the respective embassy and the U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance Office of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Updated strategic guidance is necessary to define military preparedness and involvement in HA/DR operations. The 2017 U.S. National Security Strategy states, “Even as we expect others to share responsibility, the United States will continue to catalyze international responses to man-made and natural disasters and provide our expertise and capabilities to those in need.”12 This concept was adopted earlier in the U.S. Maritime Doctrine, in which one of the core naval missions derived from the national guidance is to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster response.13 Southeast Asia, Pakistan, Nepal, the Philippines, and many other regions and countries have hosted U.S. military forces engaging in HA/DR operations, where coordination with civil authorities, humanitarian organizations, and local militaries has been essential.
Preparedness & Coordination are Key
Militaries provide unique life-saving capabilities in humanitarian operations. Though typically considered as a last resort, they provide an immediate source of assets to bridge the gap in humanitarian response.
Coordination and mutual understanding among military, local, and humanitarian actors are crucial for effective disaster response. This cannot be improvised during an emergency. Leveraging the research, education, and recommendations of UN-OCHA and other organizations (military and civilian), many issues can be addressed early to more effectively prepare military and civilian actors for humanitarian operations.
HA/DR is a critical role of the military in a humanitarian crisis. Militaries will never be humanitarians, but they will continue to work to alleviate the suffering of people in need whenever they are called on.
1. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), Global Humanitarian Overview 2019, 15.
2. UN-OCHA, World Humanitarian Data and Trends 2017; and World Humanitarian Data and Trends 2018.
3. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, “Global Military Spending Remains High at $1.7 Trillion,” press release, 2 May 2018.
4. Department of the Navy, A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower, (March 2015), 1.
5. Sharon Wiharta et al., The Effectiveness of Using Foreign Military Assets in Natural Disaster Response (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 2008).
6. W. Cobble, H. Gaffney, ad Dimitry Gorenburg, For the Record: All U.S. Forces’ Responses to Situations, 1970–2000 (Center for Strategic Studies, May 2005).
7. UN-OCHA, UN-CMCoord Field Handbook, 11.
8. UN-OCHA, “Humanitarian Principles,” June 2012.
9. UN-OCHA, Recommended Practices for Effective Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination of Foreign Military Assets (FMA) in Natural and Man-Made Disasters, vol. 1.0 (Geneva: United Nations, 2018), 4.
10. UN-OCHA, Recommended Practices, 13.
11. UN-OCHA, Recommended Practices, 14.
12. The White House, National Security Strategy of the United States of America, 28 December 2017, 42.
13. Department of the Navy, A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower, 2.