VOLUME VII | SPRING 2015

LIAISONA JOURNAL OF CIVIL-MILITARY DISASTER MANAGEMENT & HUMANITARIAN RELIEF COLLABORATIONS Lessons from Typhoon Haiyan

The Importance of Partnerships in Humanitarian Disaster Response WASH Disaster Preparedness: Partnerships to Promote Resilience

Partnerships for a stronger community

AID th 2Anniversary0 Issue CONTENTS Departments Typhoon Haiyan Beyond Build Back Better: 29 Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) Recovery in the Philippines By Sudhir Kumar Institutionalizing interagency 13 33 coordination for disaster relief: Lessons from the JSDF’s civil- military cooperation in the Philippines By Atsushi Yasutomi & Saya Kiba Technology The Seeing Stone: 38 Understanding Disasters and Coordinating Relief using Palantir 28 By Evan Koepke 38 Mind the Gap: Civil-Military 45 Communications APAN: How the DOD gets Social Features 47 By Lara Coutinho 7 JMSDF & NGOs 21 The Importance of Reseach & Science A Review of the Great East Japan Earthquake Humanitarian Partnerships By Capt. Takuya Shimodaira, Ph.D. Partnerships 50 By Vincenzo Bollettino, Ph.D. in Humanitarian Disaster Preparedness: 13 Partnerships & Disaster Response 55 Partnerships to Promote By Alan Johnson & Hannah Twine Resilience Planning in Migration 59 By Greg Ireton, Lisa Gibbs & John Richardson Crisis 25 Interview with By Christopher Hoffman Anniversary Section Lt. Gen. Robert In Every Issue 59 CFE-DMHA 3 The Director’s Letter 18 Taking Team Blackman 4 Letters to the Editor Rubicon Global: U.S. Combined Support Force commander, celebrates 20 years 5 Contributors Creating an International Veteran Service Indian Ocean Tsunami 67 Calendar of Events Organization for Disaster Response By William McNulty 64 Twenty Years: A Timeline 1 2 Letters to the Editor

The Director’s Letter LIAISON Col. Joseph Martin, USAF Editor elcome to the most Katryn Tuton LIAISON provides an open forum for stimulating recent edition of Liaison Art Director discussion, exchange of ideas and lessons learned magazine. It is a great Brian Miyamoto – both academic and pragmatic– and invites ac- honorW to lead the Center for Excel- Staff Writer tive participation from its readers. If you would Melissa Aaron lence in Disaster Management and like to address issues relevant to the disaster Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM- Researcher Alan Aoki management and humanitarian assistance HA), and I am proud to present this community, or share a comment or thought on edition of our magazine to the disas- Please direct all inquiries to: articles from past issues, please submit them ter management community. As a Center for Excellence in Disaster Management to [email protected]. 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You, the practitioner, have the LIAISON is a publication of the Center for seriously, and this magazine is one of opportunity to incorporate these Excellence in Disaster Management and those vessels. lessons now, before the next disaster Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DMHA) and Since arriving CFE-DMHA in occurs. serves to inform its diverse audience of current and May of 2014, I have gained a much The next issue of the Liaison is emerging issues related to civil-military relations broader appreciation for the interac- already under development and will across the broadspectrum of disaster relief in order tion of the world community in both focus on challenges in civil-military to enhance understanding among civilian and disaster preparedness and response. coordination. Through your experi- military practitioners and policy makers. 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3 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 4 CONTRIBUTORS Vincenzo Bollettino, Ph.D., is executive director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. He has 20 Sudhir Kumar is a disaster risk reduction specialist for the United Nations Development Programme years of professional and academic experience in international politics, humanitarian action, civil-military in the Philippines. He has more than 13 years of disaster risk management experience and has worked engagement in emergencies, and the security of humanitarian aid workers. He has spent the past 14 years with Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, Bangkok for five years, handling a number of projects ranging at Harvard University in administration, teaching, and research. Current research focuses on civil-military from mainstreaming disaster risk management to community-based disaster risk management. In Nepal, engagement during humanitarian emergencies, the security of humanitarian aid workers, and on the profes- he spent two years involved in technical assistance and capacity building to ministries at the national and sionalization of the humanitarian aid field. He has managed training and policy development initiatives district level on risk resilient development planning. He also worked with UNDP, India for three years and related to international humanitarian law, responsibility to protect, and peace-building operations, and was involved in drafting disaster risk management related policy documents and capacity building, and has has designed security reporting systems and program evaluations for field security measures in complex worked with the Government of Gujarat, India in the post-Gujarat earthquake R&R Program. He worked emergencies. He currently serves on the boards of Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian As- in Afghanistan with UNDP and GIZ to prepare disaster planning guidelines and capacity building. His sistance, Action Against Hunger, and the International Solutions Group. areas of interest include recovery, knowledge management and mainstreaming.

Christopher Hoffman is an emergency and post-crisis specialist for the International Organization for John Richardson is the national coordinator of Emergency Preparedness for the Australian Red Cross. Migration Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok. He has concentrated his work with IOM on He has worked in emergency management for 17 years, for both the Red Cross and state government in dealing directly with those affected by conflict and natural disasters, and in his current position provides Victoria, Australia. In addition to his contribution to emergency management policy and practice in Aus- support to 28 IOM missions, spread out over 53 countries and territories. Chris’ past work has been split tralia, he represented Australia at the United Nations International Recovery Platform meeting in Kobe, between East Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Currently, he provides technical assistance and advice within the Japan, and was part of the Australian Government Forward Assessment Team sent to Washington in the region and ensures that the main overarching themes related to migration are mainstreamed into humani- aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. tarian projects, guidelines, guidance and policy mostly related to preparedness, response and recovery to and from displacement due to conflict and natural disasters. Hoffman has coordinated large scale emergency response programs in more than 15 countries spanning over the last 10 years.

Greg Ireton has worked in the post-disaster community and government nexus in Victoria, Australia Evan Koepke is the operations planning associate for Team Rubicon, a veterans-based international for more than fifteen years. Working for both not-for-profit organizations and government, he has been disaster response organization that seeks to bridge the gap between disasters and relief, as well as veterans involved in most of the significant disasters in Victoria over this period of time as well as providing advice to and civilians. Formerly a student of Urban and Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia, Evan other jurisdictions as they have undertaken significant recovery programs. He has worked extensively within learned emergency management and response through the world of remote rescue and wilderness medicine. the state government and has had responsibility for a wide range of post-disaster recovery programs. He is He presently oversees Team Rubicon’s domestic and international response planning while guiding volun- now focusing on expanding knowledge in post-disaster recovery with the University sector (most notably as teer leaders in their execution of the planning function. an Honorary Research Fellow with the University of Melbourne) as well as pursuing a particular interest in the role of philanthropy in supporting communities.

Associate Professor Lisa Gibbs is deputy director of the Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Well-being Capt. Takuya Shimodaira, Ph.D., is the first Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force liaison officer as- Program in the School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She leads signed as an international fellow in the International Programs Department at the Naval War College. He a range of complex community-based child and family health studies exploring sociocultural and environ- graduated from the National Defense Academy in 1989 and was commissioned as a surface warfare officer, mental influences on health and well-being. For the past five years she has had a particular focus on leading subsequently serving on-board a number of destroyers, including commanding JS Ishikari (DE226). He a disaster recovery research program. These studies cover a range of topics including bushfire preparedness, took part in 2010’s Rim of the Pacific Exercise when the JMSDF joined the multilateral exercise for the first issues for children in disaster contexts, resilience, and individual and community level disaster impacts on time, and served as chief of staff of Escort Flotilla 1 during Operation Tomodachi. He earned a master’s mental health, social networks and well-being. degree in area studies (East Asia: China) from the University of Tsukuba and doctorate in political science from the Kokushikan University in Tokyo. His research interests include non-traditional security.

Saya Kiba is a researcher at the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University. Atsushi Yasutomi is a researcher at the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS) in Tokyo. He She studied in Kobe University (Ph.D. in Political Science) and the Third World Studies Center, University received a doctorate from the University of Leuven, Belgium in 2006. His recent works include “JSDF-NGO of the Philippines. Her major fields of interest are Southeast Asian studies, civil-military relations, interna- Cooperation: Issues and Challenges in JSDF’s ‘All-Japan’ International Cooperation Policy” (Kobe Univer- tional cooperation studies, and social movements. She has worked in the embassies of Japan in the Philip- sity, July 2013, co-authored, original in Japanese), “Challenges in civil-military cooperation in Japan’s Peace pines and Thailand, and the House of Representatives of Japan. Her recent works includes “Regional Coop- Support Operations: Cases in South Sudan and the Philippines” (Kobe University, July 2014, co-authored, eration on Civil-Military Coordination in Disaster Response – Crisis or Opportunity?” (Jennifer Santiago original in Japanese), and “Civil-Military Cooperation in Japan’s Peace Support Operations – JSDF in search Oreta ed., Security Sector Reform: Modern Defense Force Philippine, Ateneo de Manila University Depart- of NGO partners in South Sudan,” (Japanese Studies Journal, Vol. 31, No.2, Institute of Asian Studies, ment of Political Science) and “Civil-Military Cooperation in Japan’s Peace Support Operations – JSDF in Thammasat University, 2014, co-authored). He was a committee member of the Hyogo Earthquake Memo- search of NGO partners in South Sudan”, (Japanese Studies Journal, Vol. 31, No.2, Institute of Asian Studies, rial 21st Century Research Institute Research Bureau, Kobe, 2013-2014. Thammasat University).

5 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 6 JMSDF NGOs& A Review of the Great East Japan Earthquake By Capt. Takuya Shimodaira, Ph.D., Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force & U.S. Naval War College Liaison Officer Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

7 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 8 merican President Barack lateral cooperation in dealing with joint operations in the affected areas. without sufficient funds or an operat- has contracted with business com- the chaotic aftermath of a large-scale Obama declared during the frequent major natural disasters is These observations and recommenda- ing base. In less than three hours after munities, nearly 1,000 corporations in disaster, in which the local govern- 2014 State of the Union ad- indispensable. One of the most impor- tions are based on successes and areas the earthquake, JPF notified its mem- Japan to provide goods, clothes and ment has lost its functions, onshore dressA a continued focus on the Asia- tant security operations JMSDF can of difficulty during the response to the ber NGOs and private corporations of shelters to disaster survivors.5 infrastructure has been destroyed, and Pacific – to support allies, shape a fu- do now is humanitarian assistance and GEJE. the launch of its relief activities. The access to the disaster areas has been ture of greater security and prosperity, disaster relief (HADR), of which the first member NGO headed for Tohoku JMSDF’s Resilient Power restricted, an approach from the sea is and extend a hand to those devastated initial phase is critical to saving lives. A NGO’s after the GEJE within five hours and the first dona- On June 4, 2011, then Defense Min- highly effective. The experience of the by disaster.1 significant way JMSDF can contribute The damage resulting from the GEJE tion arrived at JPF within six hours of ister Kitazawa expressed his gratitude GEJE has proved that having a sea base That dedication to those impacted is by establishing trustful relationships was at a level beyond all imagination the earthquake striking. JPF received for assistance from the numerous is effective in securing access to islands, by disaster was seen in the Philippines among the nations of the Asia-Pacific and was extremely difficult for govern- donations at an unexpected speed, ex- Asia Security Summit (Shangri-La peninsulas and other areas isolated after Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), one region in order to share its knowledge ment agencies to manage. In such a ceeding 2 billion yen (US$19 million) Dialogue) countries that aided Japan from inland areas due to flooding or of the world’s strongest storms, struck and capabilities in a non-threatening situation, the knowledge and experi- in one month. In total, JPF received after the GEJE, and proposed to hold a debris. This access allows JMSDF the the nation in 2013 and wreaked un- donations of roughly 7 billion yen ($68 meeting for discussion on the coop- ability to initially focus on saving lives. precedented havoc. The United States million) from approximately 3,000 cor- eration among defense authorities for More specifically, the JS Hyuga (DDH responded by conducting Operation porations and 40,000 individuals in the unprecedented issues like nuclear inci- 181) Helicopter Destroyer can travel Damayan,2 which included dispatching year following the GEJE, and spent 80 dents.6 This is a promising area where while carrying with it the whole infra- the USS George Washington (CVN- percent of the donations toward relief Japan is able to play a more proactive structure necessary for daily life, which 73) Carrier Strike Group to conduct activities via its member NGOs. role in the Asia-Pacific region. The is the most important function at the initial relief operations. Civic Force, a leading domestic di- necessity for multilateral cooperation is time of a disaster. This equipment will In Japan’s largest international disas- saster relief NGO, also reacted rapidly increasing as urgent responses are re- be extremely effective in the initial ter relief mission to date, the country by sending helicopters to the disaster- quired in the region. JMSDF should of- phase of HADR because it can serve as joined the typhoon response efforts by affected areas for situational awareness. fer its capability to help maintain peace the command and control center for sending JS Ise (DDH-182), JS Osumi Thereafter, these organizations jointly and stability in the region as a respon- coordinating all the entities involved (LST-4001) and JS Towada (AOE-422), undertook a great many of the disaster sible power, especially in peacetime. in the operation. It can also serve as an including helicopters, as key naval relief tasks, such as distributing sup- Despite physical constraints on air base capability from which not only platforms. plies, preparing meals, and managing JMSDF’s capability, cooperation with Self-Defense Force (SDF) helicopters, The unity of effort between Ja- disaster relief volunteer centers.4 Civic the civil sector can remediate unpre- but also helicopters from the police pan and the United States to aid the Force has since developed an emer- dictable situations after a huge natural and fire departments, and NGOs can Filipino people brought back memo- gency response system in collabora- disaster. Any delay of response result- be operated in a centralized manner.8 ries of Operation Tomodachi, which tion with the government sector, the ing in the shortage of supplies in- (2) Share Information deepened the U.S.-Japan alliance after Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force business sector, and other NGOs and creases the anxiety among the general 2011’s Great East Japan Earthquake nonprofit organizations, so that it can public due to a delay in accurate and At the time of a large-scale disas- Japanese military and nongovernmental organization personnel work together to get relief aid to (GEJE). It was the biggest disaster to people in need following the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. save “more lives in less time” in the trustworthy information. Therefore, it ter, the havoc can cause the setup of strike Japan since the end of World event of another disaster. Its prin- is necessary for JMSDF to maximize its a coordinating section to take too War II. The response to GEJE showed manner. ence that nongovernmental organiza- ciple is that all parties involved in this capability to cooperate with the civil much time. This could have a nega- the utility of integrating a diverse coali- One of the most important lessons tions (NGOs) have acquired through system will provide personnel, goods, sector, which has expansive capabili- tive impact on the initial response that tion, of which the U.S.-Japan alliance learned from the GEJE is the impor- their participation in past emergency funds, and services, through coordina- ties. JMSDF should cooperate with the must be addressed urgently. Therefore, was the main pillar. As the English tance of smooth coordination with humanitarian assistance activities tion and cooperation. Specifically, it civil sector to subjectively grasp the a secondary role of the JMSDF is to translation of tomodachi means “close local authorities to judge the immedi- served as a driving force for providing aims to coordinate a variety of experi- actual needs of the people and distrib- share information with other entities friends who trust each other,” Japan ate needs in an appropriate and timely prompt and effective assistance. enced NGOs (personnel) with water, ute appropriate support and accurate through the use of its command and and the United States must work manner.3 This article provides a pos- Japan Platform (JPF), an interna- food, clothing, and daily necessities information as soon as possible. The control capability. It is very important together as strong allies and friends sible solution – by combining civil and tional humanitarian assistance organi- (goods), and provide rescue services following JMSDF resilient powers will for the JMSDF to make full use of the to help shape a peaceful future that military strengths in a multinational zation founded jointly by NGOs, the with helicopters, logistics support with contribute to that civil-military coop- U.S. Navy and NGOs’ quick initial ac- maintains security and prosperity in environment, one or more organiza- government of Japan, and the busi- trucks, medical experts, and trailers eration: tions, which are achieved due to their the Asia-Pacific region. But, what kind tions should be able to provide a solu- ness community, primarily provides and containers for housing (services). diversified knowledge and experiences, of role should the Japan Maritime tion to any gap that remains. financial support to Japanese NGOs Founder Kensuke Onishi said that (1) Provide Sea Bases and thereby capture accurate informa- Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) adopt This paper is written from first- so that they can embark on emergency Civic Force could be used as a main The primary asset the JMSDF pro- tion on disaster victims. As a result, it to shoulder assertive responsibility to hand experience; the author joined assistance activities quickly in response resource to gather emergency sup- vides when carrying out HADR opera- is critically important for the JMSDF to achieve that future? Operation Tomodachi on board the to disasters overseas. plies instead of JMSDF, because Civic tions with the U.S. Navy and NGOs put all of its power into initial actions In the Asia-Pacific region, multi- state-of-the-art JS Hyuga (DDH-181) JPF, to which 34 NGOs are affili- Force has the knowledge, experience are offshore platforms or sea bases.7 In and to conduct fact-finding opera- Helicopter Destroyer as chief of staff ated, functioned well in response to and platform to gather information, 5 Interviewed with Kensuke Onishi at United Nations in the Great East Japan Earthquake: New Aspect of USJ Al- 1 Barack Obama, The State of the Union Address, 28 January University on May 13, 2014. liance,” JMSDF Staff College Review Vol.1 No.2 (December 2014. of JMSDF Escort Flotilla 1 and was re- the GEJE. It was the first domestic manpower, funds and resources in an 6 Toshimi Kitazawa Minister of Defense, Japan Speech, The 2011), pp. 50-70. 2 Thomas Lum and Rhoda Margesson, “Typhoon Haiyan 10th IISS Asia Security Summit The Shangri-La Dialogue 8 (Yolanda): U.S. and International Response to Philippines sponsible for coordinating Japan-U.S. operation in which JPF was engaged to organized manner. Also, Civic Force Second Plenary Session, June 4, 2011. Disaster,” Congressional Research Service Report, February 3 Available at www.mod.go.jp/j/approach/defense/saigai/ 7 For the effectiveness of a sea base at the time of a large-scale Takuya Shimodaira, “Hyūga-gata Goeikan wo FukumuHato, Vol. 210 10, 2014, p.8. tohokuoki/. provide relief for a large-scale disaster, 4 Available at www.civic-force.org/. disaster, see Takuya Shimodaira, “USJ Cooperative Operation Butai(September Unyō Konseputo” 2010), pp. 63-67. (Concept for Operating Forces including a Hyūga Class Helicopter Destroyer), 9 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 10 NGOs are expected to com- multinational exercises.9 The United The JMSDF should give serious it is not a task that is imposed solely Asia-Pacific region, private corpora- bine the gemba power and the Nations, international organizations, consideration to building a partnership on the JMSDF. In the future, NGOs tions, NGOs, and government agencies chiiki power, while remaining NGOs and other related organizations with such a framework, and strength- and private corporations, which have of the countries and territories con- neutral with regard to the mili- should work together to this end. ening its solidarity with NGOs that unlimited potential, are expected to cerned collaborate with one another tary when engaged in provid- The GEJE revealed the effectiveness play an important role in emergency introduce new possibilities in the field beyond their organizational boundar- ing humanitarian assistance. of military-military coordination in assistance, and that have the “power to of HADR, and among them, NGOs, ies to share and use their resources However, considering the HADR. Therefore, it is necessary to connect” and the “power of partner- for their diversity, will play a signifi- with the aim of providing assistance situation in real-world terms, engage in joint military exercises not ship,” so as to gain a public under- cant role in connecting organizations more quickly and effectively. having a relationship with only for conflict scenarios, but also standing and trust for the JMSDF. involved in HADR operations. Also, the key to increasing the ef- the military is an issue that for non-combat military operations The relationship among the JMSDF, fectiveness of military-military and no NGOs can avoid. NGOs like HADR response operations.10 The Way Ahead the U.S. Navy and NGOs in HADR are civil-military coordination in HADR have the advantage of speed in cooperation should include the SDF, Japan’s Association of Southeast beneficial in the sense that when they is for joint training and exercises to initial actions, and in their vast U.S. forces and the military services of Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional overcome a gap between the civil sec- take place that prepare organizations experience. Therefore, they other countries, and local governments Forum membership and its leadership tor and the military sector by working for coordination and cooperation in

U.S. Navy can contribute to disaster relief and NGOs. in HADR operations will contribute to together, they can cause the fusion of real-world events. NGOs must be Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force doctor Yoshikazu Miy- by sending trained staff (e.g. maintaining Japan’s friendly relations the gemba (on-site) power displayed by included in these exercises in order to auchi provides care during a Pacific Partnership mission in JMSDF’s New Challenge Vietnam. Pacific Partnership is a multilateral naval exercise medical staff and architects), with ASEAN and China, and provide the JMSDF and the chiiki (community) maximize their capabilities in disaster that unifies the efforts of partner nation militaries, host na- developing relief plans, and The damage caused by the GEJE opportunities for Japan to talk with power hidden in the disaster area. It is situations, and familiarize the separate tion civilian agencies, and nongovernmental organizations to strengthen the collective ability of the international com- offering helicopters and ships was unprecedented, but when looking many nations, including North Korea. essential for civil and military organi- entities with each other’s procedures munity to operate as a team in delivering foreign humanitar- to transport relief supplies, and outside the country, we can see that Therefore, Japan may find a way to zations to share their roles cohesively for disasters. That way, when a disaster ian aid in times of natural disaster or crisis. fill other gaps that cannot be emergencies of the same magnitude lead the region in security and stability. to ascertain the changing needs accu- strikes, civil-military operations can tions as soon as possible. This can be provided by the military. Lastly, when are happening in many places around When an unprecedentedly large- rately and to bring to bear the maxi- occur smoothly. achieved by sending liaison personnel the military leaves as response opera- the world. At the same time, after scale disaster occurs, a response should mum effect of the united efforts of the In recent decades, and from the 2004 to the entities acting quickly at their tions transition to recovery operations, experiencing the GEJE, international be made through the united efforts whole-of-government efficiently. Indian Ocean Tsunami in particular, own behest, and the JMSDF can act NGOs can maintain the chiiki and Japanese NGOs that have focused on of the whole country, not disjointed The primary task that the JMSDF is much progress has been made in disas- to disseminate that information to all gemba power momentum to further helping people in developing countries support from the individual sectors. expected to perform is to display the ter response. However, the points listed response organizations. help survivors. are now directing their attention to If a disaster that is more devastating gemba power that it has cultivated over above show that there is much room domestic needs. Thus, NGO activities than the GEJE ever happens, assistance decades of experience, which primar- for improvement, and manners in (3) JMSDF fusion with gemba (4) Lead Exercises have become more multidirectional. would be needed at an unprecedented ily lies in offshore platforms. For the which JMSDF can lead the way toward (on-site) power and chiiki The final point that should be noted The foundation of Japan Platform scale. The basic principle of HADR is fu- ture, it is necessary to pursue greater improvement both from within (community) power is the usefulness of the military and has led to the formation of a frame- to “provide the necessary assis- building frameworks the nation and between multinational When the JMSDF fulfills its opera- its ability to promote preparedness work for providing emergency as- tance to those who need it,”12 wherein, when a militaries and nongovernmental tional capabilities to the maximum in peacetime. While the usefulness of sistance through united efforts where and, obviously, this large-scale disaster organizations. the JMSDF—To learn about the structure of search-and- extent by taking advantage of its naval military forces is expanding to cover NGOs, business communities, and the cannot be achieved takes place in an rescue amphibian plane, US-2,” available at www.civic-force. org/activity/activity-899.php/. characteristics – quick response times, a wider range of activities – from its government of Japan work in close solely by area within 12 Kensuke Onishi, NGO, Jōzai Senjō (NGO, Always Prepare Yourself As If You Are on flexibility, self-sufficiency, and ma- original role of war-fighting to main- cooperation, and make the most of the the To- neuverability – such capabilities will kuma Shoten, taining international stability – HADR the respective sectors’ characteristics JMS- a2006), Battlefield), p.243. (Tokyo, be able to bring about truly effective is not an issue that can be solved solely and resources – a “power to connect” DF, and power if they are combined with the by military forces. It is impossible to unique to the NGO community. capabilities of non-military personnel respond to disasters through military While JPF was originally founded as who are working in disaster relief oper- assets alone and therefore is critical an international platform, it has also ations. Such power can be called gemba for the military to cooperate with civil functioned well in domestic opera- power. While enhancing this gemba organizations. However, the larger the tions. Meanwhile, Civic Force, which power, at the same time it is impor- disaster, the more diverse the actors is a domestic NGO platform, is also tant to bolster the power that is latent involved in the response, and the more preparing for international disaster re- within the community involved in the difficult it becomes to build civil- lief operations by developing a partner- disaster, that is, chiiki power. Today, military lines of communication. For ship with the JMSDF to make the most more and more attention is being paid this reason, it is all the more necessary of the “power of partnership,” which to such chiiki power, which can be a to ensure strong communication exists it had experienced in response to the driving force for pushing forward the among international military forces GEJE.11 voluntary participation of citizens in in peacetime through a system for 9 Available at www.mpat.org/. The United States Army government initiatives, as well as col- centralizing multinational initiatives, Procedures (SOP) to facilitate multinational cooperation. 10 Takuya Shimodaira, “The Japan Maritime Self-Defense

Pacific (USARPAC) has developed the Standing Operating Japanese Red Cross laborative actions between government such as the Multinational Planning Force in the Age of Multilateral Cooperation,” Naval War College Review, Vol. 67, No. 2, Spring 2014, pp. 52-68. agencies and citizen groups. Augmentation Team (MPAT), and 11 A report dated June 12, 2012, entitled “Cooperation with

11 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 12 ne thing is for certain after Conflicts, political instability, decade, IOM recognized the specific- both conflict and natural disasters a disaster or during a crisis disasters and environmental changes ity of activities aimed at stabilizing is partnerships. The ability for – people move. Today, often produce ‘migration crises:’ communities after a crisis, as these agencies, governments, civil society theO movement of people, and their massive population movements gen- types of activities not only help to al- and beneficiaries to work together migration to areas of safety, is one erating acute vulnerabilities for the leviate the impact of hazards, but also towards the common goal of saving of the most significant drivers for affected population and long-term to address some of the root causes of lives is consummate to the success of both vulnerability and protection. migration management challenges populations’ exposure to risk, includ- any response activity. While noble in While discussed on the fringes or in that can also jeopardize hard-won ing systemic factors influencing vul- thought, practice can be a different context, mobility has not featured development gains. According to the nerability. Limited rural livelihoods, story. IOM is unique as an interna- prominently in the current overarch- Internal Displacement Monitoring poor urban and local governance, tional organization in that it is con- ing policy frameworks addressing Centre, between 2008 and 2012, 144 ecosystem decline, gender inequal- sidered as a fully operational agency. disaster risk reduction and disaster million people were forced from their ity and limited access to education, With member states as the driving risk management. While the United homes in 125 countries Nations’ “Guiding Principles for In- by violent natural events ternal Displacement” is still utilized such as earthquakes and today as the foremost document on floods. the rights of the displaced, there is yet a clear movement forward to address Durable solutions and foster mobility. Today more than Over the last four years, ever, organizations, governments and IOM has been addressing civil society must holistically accept the mobility implications and address both the risk aversion of disasters with more and enhanced risk driven by mobility than 250 projects com- through proper planning for future pleted, US$700 million movements and adequate response to invested and 23 million existing movements. people assisted world- The International Organization wide. The organization’s for Migration (IOM), an inter- experience shows that governmental body with more than mobility-based solutions 155 member states, is the global lead exist to reduce the impact agency on migration and migrants of disasters. issues. Over the past 60 years, IOM The urgency of work- has evolved into a “fit for purpose” ing with practitioners and agency that assists governments policy-makers to tackle in their response to humanitarian the root causes of vulner- International Organization for Migration crises, as well as in post crisis and ability becomes more The IOM coordinates with military personnel to distribute food aid in Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake. transition contexts. IOM is on the obvious with each disaster. cutting edge of displacement tracking Ensuring proper understanding of credit and financial systems are force of IOM’s response, the organi- International Organization for Migration and information management, bridg- the linkages between mobility and among the major structural factors zation has been placed in a different The International Organization for Migration has been present in Haiti since 1994, but worked to address and mitigate the effects the 2010 earthquake had on the most vulnerable sections of the population. ing the gap between development disasters will help in taking the next contributing to vulnerability. category from most other agencies of and humanitarian initiatives—which step toward building safer and more Addressing the issues of mobil- the same level and response pedi- is unique. Utilizing its wide-ranging resilient societies. ity in the context of disasters is of gree. Upon receiving operational project portfolio, IOM has been able Owing to its cross-cutting man- paramount importance when prepar- funds from donors, IOM is able to to foster linkages that encourage the date to help ensure the orderly and ing for disasters, saving lives during immediately react to the needs of Partnerships and Planning stabilization of communities affected, humane management of migra- responses, and ensuring a proper and beneficiaries. Working together with or have the potential to be affected by tion, IOM has been looking beyond sustainable recovery. IOM utilizes their member states, civil society, the both conflict and natural disasters. the emergency phase to promote its existing expertise and globally beneficiaries, and importantly their in Migration Crisis Fostering resilient communities to “durable solutions” in response to formed partnerships to solidify this global partners, IOM responds faster By Christopher Hoffman, mitigate the effects of destabilizing displacement induced by natural approach to the benefit of beneficia- and with a higher degree of impact events by concentrating on mobility disasters. This includes facilitating ries and its member states. than most. Emergency and Post-Crisis Specialist, and its direct relationship to cohe- sustainable return or, if the latter is The Global Cluster System, as International Organization for Migration sion and preparedness is at the core not possible, supporting the local in- Partnerships established by the Inter-Agency of the organization’s approach in tegration or relocation of the affected One major factor that ensures Standing Committee (IASC) in 2006, fragile and developing nations. displaced populations. In the past positive humanitarian response in agreed to place IOM as the cluster

13 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 14 lead for camp coordination and camp addition to providing a strong advo- promote community stabilization, 4) (MCOF) to be used as a tool during triggers and the potential effects that attained. IOM has concentrated the management (CCCM) in natural cacy framework to support an end promote NATO–IOM liaison officers all phases of the disaster manage- those crises will bring, coupled with MCOF document on 15 sectors of disasters. This responsibility entails to displacement where possible. The in order to establish common areas ment cycle. It is based on the under- targeted programmatic approaches direct assistance shown in Figure 1. coordinating activities and partners IDMC-IOM partnership extends to of interest relevant to strategic and standing that states bear the primary to address the needs that arise. In Developed on a country-by-coun- who work in camp-like situations populations that are not traditionally operational planning, and to provide responsibility to protect and assist tandem with this process, the MCOF try basis, the MCOP process first in the heart of a disaster to ensure considered IDPs, including jointly secondments to enhance civil-mili- crisis-affected persons residing on identifies direct linkages with part- identifies the potential crisis, identi- continuity of service delivery as well monitoring mixed migration flows in tary cooperation initiatives. their territory in a manner consistent ner agencies, systems and clusters to fies the IOM capacity to prepare, as cohesive response activities until the Horn of Africa to the Middle East Over the years, the NATO-IOM with international humanitarian and ensure a comprehensive approach respond and mitigate that crisis, durable solutions for the displaced and migrant population movements relationship has provided numerous human rights law. to migration management in crisis is and seeks to address potential gaps communities can be reached. to Europe from North Africa. actions and collaborative assistance The Operational Framework IOM’s role in the cluster approach in times of peace and conflict. IOM allows IOM to improve and does not end with CCCM leader- Governments has direct relationships with NATO systematize the way in which ship, but has extended significantly Notwithstanding the IOM’s already disaster response teams in Italy and the organization supports its in the areas of emergency shelter, existing direct relationships with Turkey, the Euro-Atlantic Disas- member states and partners to protection and health services. IOM their member states, the most impor- ter Response Coordination Centre better respond to the assistance and the International Federation tant and clear partner in the field is (EADRCC), and has played a key and protection needs of crisis- of the Red Cross and Red Crescent with governments. A direct request role in implementing the NATO affected populations.1 Societies (IFRC) have an extensive by the host government must be Partnership for Peace Trust Fund This MCOF lays the ground- relationship, sharing the load of made in each country in which IOM in countries such as Afghanistan, work for programmatic devel- shelter responses in many countries responds. Working together with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and opment and strategic planning throughout the world. In protec- ministries and departments, IOM Montenegro. IOM works with other to address current and foreseen tion, IOM works together with Save implements its activities safeguard- force commands while implementing needs in any given country the Children International (SCI) and ing the sovereignty of the govern- disarmament, demobilization and re- through the “migration lens.” other partners to address the needs of ments while directly supporting the integration (DDR) and security sec- IOM has made every effort to highly vulnerable groups affected by human rights of the beneficiaries. tor reform (SSR) activities around the look inward to find the spe- a disaster. As seen in figures today, As an inter-governmental organiza- world. IOM coordinates its activities cific added value areas during more and more children are fleeing tion, IOM works within and through with defense forces throughout the a migration crisis so it can conflict areas and are being displaced the relevant government entities to world including with Japan during functionally operate and be by disasters; these children are in ensure positive and effective response the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004, able to provide the best guid- need of highly skilled and targeted activities are moved forward. in Haiti during the massive earth- ance to assist its member states assistance that such partnerships Also, since the very inception of quake of 2010, and in Tunisia during and beneficiaries to mitigate provide. Together with partners the organization, an integral part of the Libya Crisis of 2011. against, respond to and recover at AmeriCares, Scuola Superiore IOM’s work has been in coordina- IOM also has direct relationships from potential events. It is now Sant’Anna, Harvard University and tion with military partners. In many with Civil Defense and Protection up to the governments them- International Medical Corps (IMC), cases militaries are first respond- Forces throughout the world. Most selves to begin addressing the IOM health teams assist in a myriad ers at the national level and at the notable is IOM’s work with European root causes of potential migra- of ways during a response to address international level provide key Civil Protection in natural disasters tion crises. By expanding their the psycho-social needs of vulnerable roles in providing timely and effi- and through the development of the approach to encompass rural populations, provide health monitor- cient logistical and security support Civil Protection Corps in Kosovo. to urban migration drivers, ing and testing as well as emergency in times of need. As an example, The organization works very closely migration to areas of risk and medical referral services in a crisis. IOM and the North Atlantic Treaty with the Department of Peacekeeping assisting those already in high- Crucial to formulating and carry- Organization (NATO) have signed a Operations (DPKO) at the United risk areas, national govern- ing out a response is to clearly under- Memorandum of Understanding to: Nations to assist in planning and ments are taking the first step stand the totality of the population 1) exchange information with respect specific operational details related in enhancing the positive and that is displaced. Working together to policies, activities and concepts, as to humanitarian assistance in cer- mitigating the negative aspects with colleagues at the Norwegian appropriate, 2) allow participation of tain contexts such as Timor-Leste, of mobility which will in turn Refugee Council’s Internal Displace- IOM in NATO planning and train- Haiti and the Democratic Republic of allow them to better respond to ment Monitoring Center (IDMC), ing exercises, as well as associated Congo. sudden onset migration move- IOM collects data on internally dis- conferences related to the humanitar- ments when and if they arise. placed populations (IDP) throughout ian relief phases, 3) exchange infor- The Migration Crisis Operational The MCOF approach identi- the world. Organizations dealing mation on lessons learnt, including Framework (MCOF) fies potential crises, their with humanitarian responses utilize training and cultural orientation, To link expertise and partnerships, 1 MC/2355 IOM Migration Crisis Operational this data to plan for response and in support of better planning and IOM has developed the Migra- Framework. International Organization for Figure 1: MCOF with linkages to partners Migration. 101st Council. November 12, disaster risk reduction activities, in implementation of activities that tion Crisis Operational Framework 2012. Geneva, Switzerland.

15 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 16 through programmatic development crisis—the MCOF does. If applied Children’s Fund (UNICEF) may take or partnerships with the govern- correctly, the MCOF will allow gov- a MCOF-style tool and utilize it for ments and entities that may have ernments to view their current devel- planning the effects of natural disas- mandates and the ability to assist. opment issues and potential migration ters on national education systems. By leveraging its internal capacity crisis through the “migration lens,” The World Food Program may use and tying it to key partnership areas, providing a stark view of the realities, a similar tool to plan the effects of the MCOF on a country or ground- but also promote a positive planning slow onset droughts on food security level provides the most all-inclusive approach to addressing the needs in a given country together with its views of potential migration crisis and enhancing the benefits of mobile regular contingency planning. The and measures of mitigation than populations. potential for this all-encompassing any other framework or strategic The existing appeals and develop- planning tool is high and should document today. While the Strate- ment processes are comprehensive for be assessed based on its utility and gic Response Frameworks, the U.N. multi-agency and multi-donor audi- functionality by the U.N. and partner Development Assistance Framework ences with a broad beneficiary basis. NGO agencies. and other country-level planning The MCOF and other iterations that The IOM has taken a bold step to tools address humanitarian and de- take on singular agency planning levels develop a migration crisis prepared- velopment needs, none fully address can be the next step in holistic agency ness tool that includes systems, clus- the needs of migrants and potential response planning. United Nations ters, partners and governments into the planning process in all stages of the disaster management cycle. As a tool, the MCOF strategically maps out the needs, the response and the stabilization efforts needed to address ongoing or perceived threats to normal- ity in the migration context. What makes the Team Rubicon arrives in MCOF effective in the Philippines within days of Typhoon Haiyan, addressing the needs Nov. 12, 2013. of migrants or mobile Photo by Kirk Jackson/Team Rubicon populations caught in crisis is the collabora- tive effort for which it demands. As crises intensify and as part- Taking Team Rubicon Global: ners increase, ensur- ing that everyone is working together will Creating an International Veteran Service Organization for Disaster Response save more lives and reduce risks, allow- By William McNulty, Cofounder and Managing Director, Team Rubicon Global ing populations to e weren’t looking for it, but after the January unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells. We also realized be more resilient and 2010 earthquake, Team Rubicon stumbled that the skills and experiences we acquired in the military return to safety faster into a simple, but powerful model in the were helpful in the chaotic post-disaster environment. than ever before. rubble-strewnW streets of Haiti: as military veterans, we We brought to bear the decisive leadership, teamwork, realized that disaster zones are eerily similar to combat risk mitigation, and emergency medicine capabilities The views expressed in this article zones, and through that similarity we could help in ways learned for war in our efforts to save lives and ease suf- are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the other disaster response groups could not. fering. The final piece of the model fell into place at the International Organization for Working on the streets of Port-au-Prince, we were con- end of our 20-hour working days sitting together over a Migration (IOM). fronted by limited resources, unstable populations, and cobbled-together meal, sipping warm beer. The comfort

17 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 18 of working alongside those who had your back, the odd sion: we are seeing a dramatic increase in the frequency network who chart their own course and plan their own satisfaction of backbreaking labor in service of something and severity of natural disasters around the world, and at disaster response operations, all the while abiding by a larger than ourselves - this was the camaraderie many the same time, dozens of countries around the world are shared mission and operating standards. In addition to of us had missed since leaving the service. This environ- experiencing large numbers of military veterans reinte- launching new Team Rubicons, TRG will manage the re- ment, for all its challenges, was therapeutic. grating into civilian society as nations withdraw from the lationships with governments, multinational institutions, conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Team Rubicon Global and aid agencies that allow the Team Rubicon network to Stumbling Upon a Model (TRG) - a first-of-its-kind international veteran service respond to disasters. A lean organization with a multina- Our discovered model seemed to work like this: vet- organization - offers an innovative and unique opportu- tional board of directors, TRG serves as the global glue erans, it turned out, are good in disasters; and disasters, nity to apply the skills of veterans to humanitarian needs that holds the network together, and enables responders surprisingly, are good for veterans. In helping others, on a global scale. to do good deeds without the hassle of political red tape. we were finding ways to help ourselves: with the chal- Fifty nations contributed personnel to the conflicts in As new Team Rubicon country organizations (TRx lenges of reintegration after our military service; with the Iraq and Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of veterans are for short) stand up, the Team Rubicon Global network demons some of us carried from our combat experiences; returning home to countries around the world. At Team expands. In the first year, we will welcome aboard Team and with the question of what a life of service looked like Rubicon, we have been hearing from those international Rubicon UK, Team Rubicon Norway, and Team Ru- without carrying a weapon. veterans as they arrive as supplemental volunteers on our bicon Australia. In each year that follows, two to three Since its inception, Team Rubicon has pursued that disaster deployments, and they communicate their desire more TRx organizations will join the network. By year dual mission of assisting military veterans as they tran- to form their own autonomous country-specific Team five, we expect to have 12 Team Rubicon organizations sition back into civilian life and improving disaster Rubicons. In 2015, we are responding by forming TRG, a around the world. These new Team Rubicons will focus response. We accomplish this by fielding nimble, well- force multiplier for the international disaster relief com- on the traditional areas of influence of their countries. trained teams composed of veterans and civilian medical munity. For instance, Australia will specialize in Southeast Asia, professionals in the aftermath of natural disasters. The To do this, we sought out a dispassionate but expert Norway in sub-Saharan Africa, and the United Kingdom opportunity to continue to serve others cushions some of partner to help us think about Team Rubicon’s inter- in the Commonwealth countries. Each Team Rubicon the challenges of post-service reintegration for many vet- national growth. We teamed with the world-renowned will become the expert at responding to natural disasters erans. In turn, disaster response employs the skills they design firm IDEO to study the issues and envision TRG. in the area of the world in which they have historically learned in the military to benefit victims in their greatest The IDEO team examined various models of interna- maintained a comparative advantage. time of need. The twin challenges of veteran reintegration tional expansion, studied cultural issues of various target We have learned a lot along the way to reach the point and emergency humanitarian response are combined to markets, and perhaps most importantly, reached out to of taking Team Rubicon global. We have learned that our form a virtuous circle in the Team Rubicon model. foreign veterans to understand their needs and desires. coalition partners - the veterans of Australia, Norway, the Along the way, we were also creating a sea change in These veterans told us that they were not interested in Philippines, Turkey, United Kingdom, and many oth- the business of disaster response. The established lines becoming part of an American franchise, but they were ers - are experiencing similar reintegration challenges starkly dividing the humanitarian relief world from the interested in being part of a global coalition. As an Aus- and have the same desire to continue to serve when they military world didn’t apply to us; or at least we didn’t tralian colleague put it, “the ability for the affiliate organ- take off the uniform. We have learned that over the last acknowledge them. Unintentionally, we were breaking isations to maintain their sovereignty as much as possible 30 years, the frequency and severity of natural disasters down those institutional barriers as we worked to render is crucial to the spirit, motivation and allegiance to that have increased and that these present opportunities to aid. organisation.” Our British colleague added, “As a power- continue to serve. We have learned that the skills veterans Eventually, we named our model and our mission. ful reintegration tool for British veterans, the concept of have gained from their service can help save lives during We called it Team Rubicon. “Team” represented the ‘For UK veterans, By UK veterans’, must prevail to reap disasters. Moreover, we have learned that service through small unit concepts that we learned in the military and maximum reward.” And so all of us, international veter- disasters is both cathartic for the veteran and creates ef- practiced in disaster zones; “Rubicon” acknowledges our ans and the veterans of Team Rubicon USA alike, were ficiencies during the response. All this leads to the natural personal point of no return, a small river that separated motivated to form a coalition of equals. That is reflected evolution of stronger individuals, and a stronger response the Dominican Republic and Haiti on our first mission. in the network structure we have developed. community worldwide. That name, and the idea behind it, resonated with a gen- eration of American Iraq and Afghanistan veterans over What does the TRG model look like? 2.5 million strong. Today, more than 70 missions and The newly minted TRG is a non-profit that launches, 17,000 registered volunteers later, Team Rubicon USA incubates, and advises individual country-specific Team has reimagined the way to respond to natural disasters Rubicon organizations around the world. In these coun- and helped thousands of veterans find new direction after tries, veterans will build their own organization reflecting taking off their uniforms. their own culture and needs. They will operate under the same Team Rubicon mission, brand and guiding prin- Scaling to Serve Our Coalition Partners ciples, while also benefiting from the relationships and Locals wait patiently as tools Team Rubicon USA has developed along the way. members of Team With a worldwide need for disaster response, it be- Rubicon prepare to came time to expand our model and our mission. Two This is not a hierarchical network. These Team Ru- distribute much-needed bicon country organizations are not subsidiaries of the food in the wake of trends are driving Team Rubicon toward global expan- Typhoon Haiyan. American hub. They are independent members of a

19 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 20 an emergency. While most people (IOM) and many multilateral organi- Our Standby Register is comprised of measure their journeys by the num- zations with shared values. In 2013, more than 270 people with expertise ber of flights and the few hundred Julien Temple, manager of Humani- ranging from logistics and engineer- miles travelled, RedR deployees and tarian Partnerships for the United ing, to child protection and nutrition, partners measure their journeys in Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and are able to deploy at a moment’s the hundreds of cultural differences, in Geneva, recognized that RedR, notice. thousands of tasks that come under ‘relief-efforts’ and in the innumerable relationships formed in the commit- ment to rebuild in times of crisis, all to support aid organizations and other humanitarian actors around the world by developing skills and providing expertise. The prevalence of these crises has dramatically risen over the last two decades. In the last five years alone, we have seen the Syrian Civil War, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Ty- phoon Haiyan in the Philippines, conflict and displacement in western and central African nations, and floods in the Pacific. These recent large-scale disasters have caused unprecedented demand for organiza- tions and highly trained personnel to impart response efforts. With global population growth, the trend towards urbanization, the emerging effects of climate change and a plethora of geo-

political tensions around the world, it Katryn Tuton/ CFE-DMHA RedR Australia can be expected that this demand will Louise Robinson (standing center), a senior associate trainer for RedR Australia, discusses the types of only continue to escalate. organizations that participate in the international humanitarian system during the Center for Excel- RedR Australia deployee Ken Collis discusses the urgent need to expand the Doro Refugee Camp in South Sudan with Awat, a senior chief for the Maban RedR Australia is one such actor lence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance’s annual Health Emergencies in Large County community, in the summer of 2012. Populations (H.E.L.P.) course at the Hale Koa Hotel in Honolulu, July 21, 2014. that exists to prepare and provide personnel to respond to humanitari- “provided the second largest con- RedR has been involved in sup- an emergencies. Partnership is essen- tribution of standby support to porting the deployment of personnel tial to our status as the only Standby UNICEF; 23 percent of total support to assist with the establishment of the The Importance of PaRtnerships Partner of the United Nations (U.N.) provided [as of June 2013].” This Azraq and Za’atari refugee camps as in the Southern Hemisphere and highlights the importance of partner- a part of the Syrian refugee response Asia-Pacific. (A Standby Partner is an ships in our mission: “save lives, alle- in Jordan. Andrew Harper, UNHCR in Humanitarian Disaster Response organization or entity that has signed viate suffering, and maintain human Representative to Jordan, states that, an agreement with an U.N. agency dignity during, and where possible “when we’re having a major emer- By Alan Johnson & Hannah Twine, RedR Australia and maintains a roster of emergency before, international emergencies.”2 gency… having the ability to engage surge capacity personnel. These When emergencies occur, it is vital additional staff on short-term ar- he members on RedR Aus- offices, cultural contexts and conti- heard of the week before. A satellite personnel can be deployed upon that organizations, personnel and rangements is critical. RedR Austra- tralia’s register are trained nents on the spur of the moment. phone may be their only way to reach request to enhance U.N. responses relevant stakeholders are prepared to lia was one of the first ones to send and prepared to relocate Completed training courses: check! the outside world as they navigate to humanitarian crises.1) RedR cur- respond quickly and effectively. RedR deployees, which actually helped theirT lives within a matter of days. Medical tests: check! Pack luggage: their way through new positions with rently delivers humanitarian training is a leader in emergency response us to survive the first few months. When a disaster strikes, international check! Visa and pre-departure brief- United Nations agencies and non- and provides surge capacity to seven programs due to its ability to select, Having a standby arrangement with partners in need send job requests, ing: check, check! governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, the Inter- train and deploy experts in a range an organization like RedR is not only and the organization works to fill With a 50-pound suitcase in tow, master appropriate cultural greetings, national Organization for Migration of fields in a short period of time. important, it’s critical for our over- all well-being and to make sure the them with register members when deployees set up a home amongst and learn how to access their bank 1 United Nations Children’s Fund, ‘Standby Arrangements: 2 Australian Agency for International Development/RedR and where it can – meaning different disaster – in places they may not have accounts while being in the midst of guidelines on external staff in emergencies’. Australia Mid-Term Review, 2012. operation is effective.”

21 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 22 Due to the scale and urgency of means that MAF can have some sure- new technologies) may be shared, Large Populations (H.E.L.P.) course, active, ‘real-life’ experiential sce- derscoring a further positive aspect the work in a crisis, the majority of ty that it is fulfilling its duty of care reducing duplication and potentially and provided two instructors for the narios to complement theory in their of partnerships. coordination and training for rapid to ensure that our staff are prepared lowering the net cost required to Center’s summer 2014 course. In courses, which strengthen prepared- International humanitarian disas- deployment must be in place well for the challenges they face in their deliver programs. Ultimately, in the addition, in early 2013, CFE-DMHA ness, resilience and an appreciation ters test the capacity and prepared- before any hint of unrest or crisis. work.” humanitarian sector, the greatest provided a trainer to participate in for the risks and challenges that ness of those responsible for deliver- It is necessary that frameworks be Another challenge of effective di- ‘cost’ is the risk of the loss of human RedR’s Essentials of Humanitar- may be present within the disaster ing responses, and those committed established without the pressures, saster relief is securing local knowl- life; the primary goal of all organiza- ian Practice (EHP) course. These context. They both have the respon- to responding to and rebuilding after exchanges alone have already engen- sibility to ensure the well-being of all humanitarian disasters will never dered the sharing of ideas, knowledge constituents. The two organizations exhaust the channels through which “Having a standby arrangement with an organization like RedR and processes, as well as paving the are also conscious of their obliga- they can contribute. As deployees set way for future benefits. tion to ensure their courses equip up their homes in the midst of emer- is not only important, it’s critical for our overall well-being and RedR and CFE-DMHA’s respec- attendees with a wide-range of ‘fit for gencies, they must work with their tive offices are located in Australia purpose’ skills they may require, and partners as they rebuild the homes of to make sure that the operation is effective.” and Hawaii and are therefore es- strengthen their physical and mental others – and use their training that is ANDREW HARPER, UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES REPRESENTATIVE TO JORDAN sentially positioned on either side of capacity and resilience so they can stronger as a result of organizational the Pacific. This provides the benefit take on challenging roles. alliances. RedR CEO Kirsten Sayers of coverage and response capac- On top of the mutual strengths states that, “through collaboration ity across a region predominantly that have been discussed, RedR and with complementary partners with distractions and panic that come with edge and channels. This is often in tions should be to work together to comprised of developing countries the CFE-DMHA have individual similar values, goals and operating crises. This allows for the immedi- relation to logistics management and minimize, or eliminate preventable that are prone to natural disasters. strengths and assets to bring to the principles, RedR seeks to ensure ate focus following disaster to be the ability to either be self-contained deaths. Furthermore, partnerships between collaboration. The CFE-DMHA is fo- that we are as efficient, effective and directed towards relaying responses, as an agency or to navigate through, In disaster-affected environments organizations originating from and cused on civil-military courses (those prepared as possible when disaster personnel and equipment, guided organize or leverage local actors. there can be high-levels of media and operating within different cultural relating to building the relationship strikes.” by existing structures. Partnership Although most of RedR’s partners public attention present. The media climates allow for a more compre- between civilian and the military or- can facilitate contingency plan- act on the global level, many have can play either a positive or adverse hensive understanding of cross- ganizations), while RedR’s attention Interested in learning ning through identifying strengths, local offices in some regions, such as role. Through partnerships, organi- cultural communications, ethical has traditionally been on capability more about RedR? gaps and overlaps in frameworks. UNICEF, the ICRC, the World Food zations are better equipped to iden- considerations and local and regional development related to water, sanita- One of RedR’s partners, the Mis- Program (WFP) and World Vision. tify gaps or overlaps within the sector dynamics. These factors can be tion and hygiene (WASH) with an Visit redr.org.au to learn sion Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is They can provide RedR with accurate and conduct needs assessments to incorporated into respective courses engineering perspective, logistics in about: a faith-based NGO that provides information and more easily iden- ensure that best practices are in place. to create curriculum that is valuable emergencies, and security and com- •Joining the register vital aviation and associated logistics tify the needs in specific locations. Better coordination between partners to participants from different back- munications in the field. These areas services to developing regions, ensur- Furthermore, due to the range of sec- may also facilitate more confidence grounds, equipping them to work in of knowledge are much needed in •Training with RedR ing that their partners can deliver tors in humanitarian action (water, in proactively engaging media atten- a variety of contexts with a variety of times of rebuilding during humani- •Subscribing to the their programs in the humanitarian, shelter, healthcare, logistics, etc.), it is tion in ways that can complement colleagues and populations. tarian disasters and are therefore newsletter health, education, development and rarely possible for a single organiza- the objectives of projects. Partnering RedR and CFE-DMHA offer inter- complementary in their diversity, un- capacity-building spheres. They have tion to have comprehensive knowl- with other credible and progressive also provided valuable assistance to edge on such issues and therefore organizations can help RedR main- recent disaster relief efforts in the partnerships with organizations that tain its status as a leader in the sector. Philippines, Haiti, Bangladesh, and have diverse skillsets within different Over the last several months, RedR for the Somalian refugee crisis in environments can assist the efforts of and the U.S. Center for Excellence in Kenya. Executive Officer Vaughan all involved. Disaster Management and Humani- Woodward states that, “working with In addition to knowledge shar- tarian Assistance (CFE-DMHA) have RedR in the U.K., Kenya and Aus- ing, partnerships can also provide commenced a program of collabora- tralia, our staff undergo a variety of avenues for cost sharing, saving and tion. The foundation of this collabo- training courses that include Security effectiveness. In the humanitarian ration is a shared focus on offering Management Training, Hazardous sector there are always channels training and education for prepara- Environment Awareness Training for funding to be expended and no tion in disaster response and com- and Personal and Travel Security shortage of causes in need of assis- munity resilience. The partnership Training. Working with a worldwide tance. RedR has the responsibility to entails an agreement around mu- professional organization like RedR be accountable to its donors, partners tual values and roles and has so far enables MAF to have assurance that and affected populations in line with provided for the exchange of trainers our staff training and preparation has their objectives. Through collabora- to attend respective core courses. In Sarah Forbes, special assis- been delivered to a syllabus recog- tion in training programs, existing 2013, a RedR trainer attended CFE- tant to the representative nized and accepted worldwide. It also knowledge and resources (including DMHA’s Health Emergencies in of UNICEF in South Sudan,

poses with students at a Stefan Stefansson/UNICEF UNICEF supported pro- 23 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 gram site. Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 24 LIAISON: What was the situation Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and and USAID were excellent. It really in which you were tasked to go to the Maldives. was a team effort; the U.S. brought Indonesia? extraordinary capability to provide Lt. Gen. Robert Blackman: In the L: How did you coordinated with food water, medical care, but it was Indian Ocean basin on the twenty- the host government to aid their certainly a team effort. sixth of December 2004, there was an response efforts? enormous earthquake – underwater LGB: We did that directly with, for L: In your opinion, what was the earthquake – that created a tsunami example, in Indonesia, the Indone- most significant lesson learned dur- that did horrific damage certainly in, sian Army took the lead at the direc- ing the response? Did past opera- on the eastern side of the basin, in tion of the government of Indonesia. tions like Sea Angel help during your Indonesia, Thailand, as well as India, So, we coordinated directly with response? Sri Lanka. There were actually people the Indonesian army commander LGB: We studied very quickly in that were killed on the beaches in in Indonesia, in Aceh province of the limited time we had for planning. Somalia, so it had an affect across the Northern Sumatra, and then we We did go back and study Sea Angel. Indian Ocean basin. coordinated at the government level I think that the lesson learned is, or through the ambassadors. the couple of lessons learned: one, L: What was the situation like it’s a muddy boots affair. You’ve got when you arrived? Were there other L: What partnerships, or coordina- to be there. The headquarters has got militaries or organizations already tion between organizations, did you to be in the middle of it, it’s a face- present? experience that increased the effi- to-face, arms length requirement LGB: There were a few. We re- ciency of the response? to delivery food, water. Helicopter Interview with sponded very quickly. We actually LGB: The lead U.S. agency for any crews have got to land in villages and provided the first relief operations humanitarian assistance and disaster bring relief. It’s really a muddy boots Retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Robert Blackman, before the end of the year. I arrived relief operation is USAID and their requirement. The other thing is, you at our headquarters in Utapao [Air Office for the Coordination for Hu- have to move quickly at every level. U.S. Combined Support Force commander, Base], Thailand on New Years Eve of manitarian (Affairs), so we certainly The United States has to make fast 2004. The headquarters was largely coordinated with them, they were the decisions to provide relief, the com- up and running. There were militar- lead U.S. government agency, and in batant commander has got to move Indian Ocean Tsunami ies already involved; essentially the essence we were working for them quickly, the designated headquarters closest neighbors – Singapore and to an ex- LIAISON Staff Australia – but a number of other tent. The countries militaries responded very U.N. was “I think that we were successful. Not only in quickly. We were able to provide the certainly bringing food, water, medical care, etcetera, etired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Robert Blackman foundation for probably a third of there in to some people that who had suffered an ab- served as the United States Combined Support those militaries, about 11 countries, force, solutely horrific tragedy, I think collectively Force (CSF-536) commander to the 2004 Indian to work together to deconflict the all the we brought hope to those people, which was OceanR Tsunami, in which nearly 230,000 people were efforts, coordinate the efforts. The key U.N. perhaps the most important thing we did.” killed in 14 countries. Within days of the tragedy, more Republic of Korea sent a ship, and organiza- than 15,000 U.S. service members were in Southeast Asia certainly capability associated with tions - assisting relief and recovery efforts under Operation Uni- that. Japan, the United Kingdom, World Health, World Food Program, has got to move quickly, down to the fied Assistance, the name given the post-tsunami relief Spain, Germany, France, all partici- UNICEF, etcetera - so we closely last lance corporal has got to move efforts focused on Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. pated with us and we were able to coordinated with the U.N., USAID, rapidly, because ultimately you’re In addition, a command center housing liaison officers coordinate the efforts of 11 countries. and host nations. trying to stop the loss of life and as from Australia, Britain, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand We believe there were 33 different quickly as possible mitigate human was set up along with a civil-military coordination cell militaries that were involved, includ- L: You gave a lot of credit to inter- suffering and you’ve got to be mov- which served as a base for United Nations’ Office for the ing those from the host nations. national relief agencies during the re- ing. You can’t be afforded the luxury Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and covery phase, was there civil-military of long planning sessions, you’ve got U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Di- coordination during the response? to plan, deploy and execute concur- saster Assistance Response Team representatives. In all, L: What was your role as the CSF LGB: Well I think, again, you have rently, very quickly. Blackman oversaw the coordination of approximately 11 commander? to give credit to the host nations. countries and delivered or coordinated delivery of more LGB: I was the commander of They are certainly always in the lead L: From a partnership-building than 24 million pounds of U.S. Pacific Command relief the combined support force. Our in their own country. But, I think perspective, what do you think was supplies and equipment into the region by February 14, responsibilities included humanitar- the coordination and the relation- the highlight of the tsunami re- when CSF-536 ceased operations. ian assistance and disaster relief in ships with the U.N. organizations sponse? Anything that surprised you?

25 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 26 LGB: I think the highlight was our ability to work to- gether, to overcome some long- standings misunder- standings about the U.N., about the capa- bilities that they bring. I think the idea that the U.S. mili- tary capa- bilities, as extraordi- nary as they might be, Staff Sgt. Sarayuth Pinthong/ U.S. Air Force are work- (Above) U.S. Marine Corps ing for a Lt. Gen. Robert Blackman, small U.S. government agency commander, Combined Sup- port Force - 536, greets Gen. in USAID [was a surprise to Boonsrang Niumpradith, partner nations], but clearly chief of joint staff Royal Thai Supreme Command, during all the countries that partici- Operation Unified Assistance pated with us in our combined at Utapao Air Base, Thailand on Jan. 12, 2005. More than coordination center – as I said, 15,000 U.S. military person- Singapore, Australia, Korea, nel are providing humanitar- ian assistance in Southwest Japan, European nations – I Asia after a 9.0-magnitude think that the fact that ev- earthquake triggered dev- astating tsunamis that killed eryone came with a similar nearly 250,000 people in mission and we were able to the region on Dec. 26, 2004. (Right) Lt. Gen. Blackman determine what was going speaks with media during a to make them successful in press conference after an of- ficial visit to the USNS Mercy Photographer’s Mate Airman Jordon R. Beesley/ U.S. Navy the eyes of their government, Jan. 31, 2005. their military, and piece that On November 8, 2013, together, I think that was re- tant thing we did. put into place to support future opera- Typhoon Haiyan, known lo- ally the key to any success we tions, and hopefully our after actions might have had; and I think L: What do you think has been reports that have been filed with the Ma- cally as Typhoon Yolanda, that we were successful. Not learned in the 10 years since the tsu- rine Corps and the joint lessons learned was one of the strongest tropi- only in bringing food, water, nami? Have you seen those lessons [center] will be of value to any head- cal cyclones ever recorded. It medical care, etcetera, to some incorporated into disaster response? quarters that has a response mission. TYPHOON devastated portions of South- people that who had suffered LGB: Absolutely. I think the joint ca- east Asia, killing at least 6,300 an absolutely horrific tragedy, pability, resident in the (Joint Planning I think collectively we brought Interview conducted by Lance Cpl. Jasmine Richey, people in the Philippines alone. and Assistance Team), is certainly a les- Marine Corps Base Quantico Combat Camera, July 29, hope to those people, which son that has not only been observed, but 2014. It was the deadliest Philippine was perhaps the most impor- learned. It’s something that has been HAIYAN typhoon recorded in modern history.

27 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Mass Communication Spc. 3rd Class Peter Burghart/ U.S. Navy Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 28 TYPHOON HAIYAN 1,192,091 houses were reported dam- tation of the Typhoon Haiyan re- R&R programs integrated disaster aged, of which 593,785 were reported covery and reconstruction program, risk reduction. The R&R program to have incurred more than a 50 which will involve project manage- implemented in the aftermath of the percent loss.2 ment, financial management, quality Gujarat, India earthquake of 2001 Typhoon Haiyan affected nine out assurance and control, and coordina- integrated risk reduction features as of the country’s 17 administrative tion with national-level agencies and one of the objectives was to “build, regions, covering 12,122 barangays development partners. The national retrofit, repair and strengthen houses Beyond Build Back Better in 44 provinces, 591 municipalities government and development part- for the people, and public buildings and 57 cities. The affected areas were ners will be providing technical assis- affected by the earthquake through some of the poorest provinces of the tance to LGUs to support the imple- application of earthquake-resistant Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) Recovery in the Philippines country. As per 2012 data, the aver- mentation of programs and projects. technology.”5 The Indonesia R&R age household income in the severely It offers a window of opportunity implemented in the aftermath of By Sudhir Kumar, Disaster Risk Reduction Specialist, affected provinces was only 75 per- to build capacity of the LGUs and the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 United Nations Development Programme cent of the national average.3 strengthen governance for delivery of embraced the ‘build back better’ basic services. The enhanced capac- principle. The ‘build back better’ he Philippines government, ity and expertise of the LGUs will be principle, in terms of physical facili- along with development useful in post-Haiyan developmental ties, aims to achieve a result that was he Philippines is highly pine area of responsibility, and on category 5 typhoon named partners, undertook a massiveT response and relief ex- vulnerable to disasters due to average, four disasters hit the country Haiyan (known as Yolanda a number of factors that in- per year. The National Disaster Risk in the Philippines) hit the ercise and currently long-term cludeT location, geographic landscape, Reduction and Management Coun- PhilippinesA on November 8, 2013, recovery and reconstruction skewed development and increases in cil of the Philippines has recorded and led to a swath of destruction (R&R) is underway. This on- population in hazard-exposed areas. 36,019 deaths caused by natural across the central part of the country going recovery and reconstruc- The country is composed of 7,107 disasters from 1980 to 2006. These (Figure 1). It is one of the stron- tion offers an unprecedented islands, making it one of the largest disasters strain the national budget gest typhoons ever recorded with opportunity to go beyond ‘build archipelagos winds reach- back better’ by considering the in the world, ing upwards of following: and is located 315 kilometers along the Pa- per hour and Strengthening local-level cific Ocean’s massive storm governance Ring of Fire, surges up to six In the Philippines, basic making it meters high in services including health, social welfare, agriculture and envi- vulnerable to coastal areas; Figure 2: Administrative divisions in the Philippines earthquakes, rain fell at rates ronmental sectors have been tsunamis and of up to 30 devolved to local government units interventions and day-to-day func- superior in quantity and quality than volcanic haz- millimeters per (LGUs) after the enactment of the tions of the LGUs. what existed before the disaster. For ards – of its hour. Local Government Code in 1991. example, it equipped the housing 220 volcanoes, The storm However, most of the LGUs are Climate smart recovery and estates with sanitation facilities and 22 are classi- affected 6.1 still largely dependent on financial reconstruction established guidelines for disaster- 6 fied as active. million people, transfers from the Internal Revenue Several reports and studies have resilient housing. It lies along displaced 4.1 Allotment (IRA). The clarification of indicated that the intensity and For recovery and reconstruction, the Western million, and led roles and responsibilities across tiers frequency of hydro-meteorological the Government of Philippines Pacific Basin, to the deaths of of government has not progressed disasters is likely to increase in the also adopted the ‘build back better’ a generator of at least 6,155 much, which leads to vague and inef- future. The impact of Typhoon Hai- mindset. The R&R also offers an op- climatic con- people and left ficient assignments (Figure 2). The yan highlighted the issue of climate portunity to consider climate change ditions such 1,785 people vague assignments lead to unfunded change and disaster linkages at vari- adaptation and mitigation measures, as monsoons, Figure 1. Map of 100km Storm Track of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) missing. The mandates, and non-delivery or dupli- ous forums. though this issue is at an early stage. thunderstorms, islands of Leyte cation of service delivery by several The recovery and reconstruction The Government of the Philippines 4 inter-tropical convergence zones, and it is estimated that on average, and Samar were hardest hit and 90 levels of administration. (R&R) offers a window of opportu- has identified climate change in typhoons and El Niño making it vul- typhoons contribute to an annual percent of the infrastructure of Ta- The LGUs will lead the implemen- nity to integrate disaster risk reduc- Haiyan recovery and reconstruction 2 NEDA (2013), Reconstruction Assistance on Yolanda, tion features into sectoral recovery 5 GSDMA (2001), Gujarat State Disaster Management Author- nerable to sea level rise from climatic 0.5 percent decline in gross domestic cloban City, the largest urban center National Economic and Development Authority, pp 1-4. ity, Gujarat Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation 1 3 NEDA (2013). including housing, infrastructure and Policy. conditions. Every year, an average of product. of Leyte, was destroyed. A total of 4 ADB (2011), Public Sector Management Subsector Assess- 6 BRR (2009), the Executing Agency for Rehabilitation and 1 NEDA (2008), Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction in the Philippines, National Economic and Development Authority, ment (Summary): Decentralization and Local Governance, livelihoods. In the past, some of the Reconstruction of Aceh-Nias, Ten Management Lessons for 20 tropical cyclones cross the Philip- Subnational Development and Land Use/ Physical Planning in UNDP and ECHO, pp 19-20. Asian Development Bank. Host Governments Coordinating Post-disaster Reconstruction.

29 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 30 strategy and mentioned that the re- tion.7 partment, Government of Tamil director. At provincial, city, and mu- of people and assets to hazards has n conclusion, it can be said that built communities should withstand The cluster approach by the gov- Nadu – to implement the recovery nicipal levels, it has Provincial, City, been attempted in the past but it is the Typhoon Haiyan recovery the ‘new normal.’ It is important to ernment to manage recovery is an in- program. In Sri Lanka, the govern- and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduc- a challenging issue as reduction in and reconstruction is challeng- implement these strategies, which teresting approach for coordination ment formed a new agency named tion and Management Councils exposure can call for relocation of ingI and expected to offer a number of is challenging but has manifold and transition. In the past, most of the Reconstruction and Development (DRRMC) respectively. The regional large portions of the population. For lessons upon its completion, ranging benefits in the end. Upon comple- the R&R programs have been imple- Agency (RADA) with the vision to director of the OCD is chairperson example, in Sri Lanka, the govern- from the institutional arrangement to tion, this climate smart recovery and mented by either the R&R agency create a single government agency to of the DRRMC at the regional level. ment announced in the immediate the approach, and from the reduc- reconstruction will offer a number of created or designated for recovery or focus on reconstruction and devel- The functions of the OCD includes aftermath of the tsunami of 2004 that tion of exposure to the governance. lessons for future recovery. existing line agencies. The cluster ap- opment issues across all sectors and recovery and reconstruction: “de- it would enforce a no-build coastal Strengthening of local governance proach along with OPARR is a new stakeholders in affected areas. In velop and ensure the implementation buffer zone of 200 meters in the using recovery and reconstruction is Transition from response/relief model as cluster approach creates Indonesia, BRR (agency of rehabilita- of national standards in carrying north and east coasts of the country an important dimension and future to early recovery/recovery and opportunity for improved coordina- tion and reconstruction for Aceh and out disaster risk reduction programs and 100 meters elsewhere. Later, the recovery can integrate elements of reconstruction tion, which is vital in recovery and Nias) was established for four years including preparedness, mitigation, government decreased the buffer governance, if required. The insti- In order to respond to Typhoon reconstruction. Since OPARR acts as to complete the recovery, and closed prevention, response and rehabilita- zone to 35 meters.11 The objective of tutional arrangements set up for Haiyan humanitarian needs, the focal point for recovery and recon- again once recovery was considered tion works, from data collection and reducing exposure through a buf- recovery and reconstruction in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee struction, liaison between organiza- complete.8 analysis, planning, implementation, fer zone approach in recovery and past broadly falls under two catego- (IASC) system-wide Level 3 emer- tions becomes easier. It is expected to The Government of the Philippines monitoring and evaluation.”10 reconstruction is challenging as relo- ries: new agencies for R&R (like the gency response was activated. It is The OPARR have been constituted cation in general has been challeng- Gujarat State Disaster Management important to note that Haiyan was Sr. No. Cluster Lead and tasked with the Haiyan recov- ing. In R&R, it is more challenging, Authority in India after the 2001 the first large-scale natural disaster Department of Public Works and Highway ery and reconstruction, though the as there is pressure to complete the earthquake and BRR in Indonesia to strike since the IASC Transforma- 1 Infrastructure (DPWH) Office of the Civil Defense exists at recovery in limited time. after the 2004 tsunami), or R&R tive Agenda was adopted, and the 2 Livelihood Department of Trade and Industries (DTI) national, as well as regional, levels The Philippines, which has a long through existing agencies (like in with the overall mandate of disas- coastline with high exposure to a Thailand and India in the aftermath first time a Level 3 emergency was Housing and Urban and Development declared. ter risk reduction and management number of hazards, had an opportu- of the 2004 tsunami). The Haiyan The humanitarian response aims 3 Resettlement Coordinating Council (HUDCC) including recovery. nity to reduce risk through reduction R&R is under implementation for provision of emergency services Department of Social Welfare and The Haiyan R&R program will in exposure. In November 2013, soon through a new institutional arrange- and public assistance during or im- 4 Social Services Development (DSWD) provide insights and learning on after the typhoon, President Benigno ment, which has potential to offer a mediately after a disaster in order National Economic and Development the strategic role of new agencies Aquino III enacted a no-build zone new model. The issue of relocation to save lives, reduce health impacts, Authority and Department of Budget and for recovery in a context where a of 40 meters from the shoreline and in R&R has been difficult to manage. ensure public safety and meet the ba- dedicated disaster risk management a number of municipalities passed The risk-based, no-dwell approach 5 Support Management sic subsistence needs of the affected 7 agency exists. It will also provide local government ordinances related along with mass awareness on risk people. When the basic subsistence (OPARR, 2014) valuable lessons on the coordination to it.12 Later, the government down- at the community level is still evolv- needs are met, the humanitarian provide valuable insights on transi- has set up the Office of the Presiden- arrangement among the provincial graded the no-build zone to a no- ing and undergoing change. If the response shifts to long-term recovery tion from humanitarian response to tial Assistant for Rehabilitation and government, newly formed recovery dwell zone, which meant relocation no-dwell concept is implemented in and reconstruction. The R&R directs early recovery, and to recovery and Recovery (OPARR) to manage and agency and existing DRM agency of communities would be the last letter and spirit in the Philippines, the restoration and improvement reconstruction. coordinate the Haiyan recovery.9 The on recovery and reconstruction. For resort if other risk reduction mea- it will provide new lessons. These where appropriate, toward facili- OPARR has opened offices at the example, in Pakistan, the Earthquake sures were not sufficient to reduce lessons will provide guidance to ties, livelihood and living conditions Institutional set up for recovery national and regional levels and is in Recovery and Rehabilitation Agency the risks in no-dwell zones. The future recovery managers and policy- of disaster-affected communities, and reconstruction process of reaching the sub-regional was constituted to manage recovery government called for a higher reso- makers. including efforts to reduce disaster The planning and implementa- level. in the aftermath of 2005 Kashmir lution and scale of risk maps so that risk factors, in accordance with the tion of a recovery and reconstruction It is important to note that the Earthquake and is now a permanent risk reduction measures are taken as principles of ‘build back better.’ program, especially in the aftermath Philippines has a well laid out institution. Pakistan also constituted per local risk. The government and The Government of the Philippines of a large-scale disaster, requires a institutional arrangement for disas- the National Disaster Management UNDP, Philippines are working to focuses on long-term, sustainable dedicated institution, which may be ter risk management from national Authority, which is the nodal agency develop and make available risk maps efforts to reduce vulnerabilities and a new or an existing institution with to local levels. It has the National for DRM including recovery and of a higher scale (1:10,000) to the strengthen capacities to cope with a specific mandate. In the aftermath Disaster Risk Reduction and Man- reconstruction. public domain. This is an important future hazard events. In order to of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, agement Council, an interagency intervention and will go a long-way manage and coordinate the overall India set up a Project Manage- body, chaired by the Secretary of the Reducing exposure in reducing exposure in Typhoon recovery, the Office of the Presiden- ment Unit (PMU) under the exist- Department of National Defense Disasters offer an opportunity to Haiyan-affected recovery and recon- tial Assistant for Rehabilitation and ing government mechanism – the and the Administrator of the Office mitigate risk and the ‘build back struction program areas. Recovery (OPARR) was established, Revenue Administration, Disaster of Civil Defense (OCD) as executive better’ principle plays an impor- Management and Mitigation De- 8 Springer Japan (2014), Institutional arrangements for manag- tant role. A reduction in exposure which constituted the following five ing large-scale recovery: Key lessons from 2004 Tsunami, 11 BRCF (2012), Sri Lanka Tsunami 2004-Lessons Learned, 7 OPARR (2014), Yolanda Rehabilitation and Recovery Efforts, Sudhir Kumar, Rajib Shaw (ed.) Recovery from the Indian Belgian Red Cross Flanders. clusters for recovery and reconstruc- Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Ocean Tsunami: A Ten-Year Journey. 10 RA (2010), Republic of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 12 CwC (2014), Communications with Communities, Report Recovery. 9 NEDA (2013). 10121. Number 13, 24 February-1 April 2014.

31 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 32 Government of Japan dispatched lizing Japanese Official Development a 1,180-strong Japan Self-Defense Assistance (ODA) in collaboration Force (JSDF) team to Cebu and with civilian organizations, includ- Leyte Islands, under the name ing nongovernmental organizations Operation Sankay (meaning (NGOs), by applying the whole-of- “friend” in the Visayan language). government approach, or the “All- For nearly a month, the team had Japan” policy.1 Most recently, Japan’s the task of providing transporta- 2013 National Security Strategy tion for service staff and relief (NSS) also stipulates that Japanese goods, pest control, and medical PKO should implement effective assistance such as vaccinations coordination with ODA projects and and health consultations by with NGOs.2 means of a mobile clinic. While these strategic documents Lacking officers with experi- address Japan’s fundamental direc- ence in coordination within tion towards civil-military coop- the international humanitarian eration, few, if any, provide tactical community, the JSDF’s medical guidelines on practicing the strategies assistance operation received as- in actual missions, i.e. how the JSDF sistance from the Embassy of Ja- and potential civilian collaborators pan in coordinating with civilian should implement such civil-military actors on the ground, including cooperation. Thus, the interpreta- international organizations, and tions on implementation of civil-mil- national and local authorities. itary cooperation can vary between The Japanese experience in the the capital and field level, raising the Philippines has demonstrated risk of making the interpretation that Japan’s current approach highly case- and person-dependent. to civil-military cooperation in The Japanese cases in the Philip- disaster relief lacks institutional- pines present various witnesses sug- ized coordination amongst the gesting inconsistencies and confu- civil and military actors both at sion over the strategies that were the strategic and tactical levels. created in Tokyo on one hand, and This article explains such chal- interpreted by the foreign offices and lenges from the perspectives of a the JSDF officers at the tactical level conceptual mismatch between the in the Philippines on the other. It is strategic and tactical levels, pre- particularly noteworthy that all the operational information gather- tactical decisions – over whether and Japan Air Self-Defense Force ing, and human resources. with whom civil-military cooperation and U.S. Marine Corps personnel should be carried out, on what areas load high-energy biscuits into a Japanese C-130H Super Hercules, 1) Conceptual mismatch the cooperation should cover, and Nov. 22, 2013 at Villamor Air Base between the strategic and tac- what sort of coordination should be during Operation Damayan. tical levels on civil-military managed in the field – were left to a Staff Sgt. Joseph DiGirolamo/ U.S. Marine Corps cooperation handful of field staff working in the The Japanese strategy towards disaster area. This demonstrates a s one of the world’s stron- civil-military cooperation in grave structural deficiency in strategy gest storms ever, Typhoon peace support operations and interpretation at the tactical level, Institutionalizing interagency By Atsushi Yasutomi, Haiyan caused tremendous disaster relief activities has been rendering the strategy futile and Reseacher, Research Institute damageA in various parts of the Philip- expressed in documents released making the tactics arbitrary. for Peace and Security, pines in November 2013, and led since 2002. The latest documents An officer from the Central Readi- coordination for disaster relief the Government of Japan to provide include the Advisory Group ness Force (CRF) of the JSDF in & Saya Kiba, the nation with US$56 million in Medium-term Report on future charge of civil-military coopera- Research Associate, Peacekeeping Operations (PKO), 1 Advisory Group Medium-term report on future PKO (PKO no financial assistance and a medical arikata ni kansuru kondankai Chuukan Torimatome). Retrieved Lessons from the JSDF’s civil-military Kobe University suggesting the JSDF should pur- on 1 November 2013, from http://www.pko.go.jp/PKO_J/info/ support team from the Japan Inter- pdf/20110704.pdf. sue civil assistance activities in 2 Cabinet Office of Japan, National Security Strategy, 17 cooperation in the Philippines national Cooperation Agency (JICA). December 2013. http://japan.kantei.go.jp/96_abe/docu- In addition to the JICA team, the peacekeeping operations by uti- ments/2013/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2013/12/17/NSS.pdf.

33 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 34 tion in Operation Sankay explains present clear objectives for utilizing requesting him and his colleagues to reach Filipino and other media. This post-operation study that the mayors should be stationed at all times in the that there is a shared understanding ODA for future civil-military coop- provide official support to the JSDF important linkage was not formu- of the local authorities, and members Japanese embassies in disaster-prone within the JSDF that the All-Japan eration. According to the expert, the engaged in Tacloban. He particularly lated by the authorities in Tokyo but of state agencies (particularly the countries so that they can instantly approach is essential for their disaster MoD and JSDF may typically assume emphasizes that there was a serious came about purely on an ad-hoc and Ministry of Social Welfare and De- relay emergency demands as ana- relief and international peace support that an ideal combination between lack of cohesion between the MoFA personal initiative basis. velopment), and international agen- lyzed from the JSDF’s perspective in operations. For this reason, there has the use of ODA and the JSDF’s disas- and MoD over public announce- The above-mentioned JSDF officer cies had been in need of assistance in case major disasters hit their station- been constant psychological pressure ter relief activities could be such that ments on the JSDF’s medical services in charge of civil-military coopera- shelter building and agricultural re- ing countries. from Tokyo on the JSDF staff operat- the JSDF would enter into a difficult to be implemented in Tacloban. The tion stresses the urgent need for a construction. In addition, the expec- ing in the field to seek out and realize area where the security situation is JSDF was periodically giving press re- system that allows coordination tation from the Armed Forces of the 3) Capability of human resourc- any civil-military cooperation proj- so unstable so that civilian agencies leases to the Japanese press, but more amongst the MoD, the MoFA, and Philippines (AFP) was high that the es in interagency coordination ects possible, and thus, they actively have no access; after the JSDF has importantly, were not giving them to JICA to share their field experiences JSDF would play a major role in the for civil-military cooperation searched for such opportunities. withdrawn, civilian agencies like the media in the Philippines. It was and lessons learnt from the missions mass transportation of relief goods The aforementioned JSDF CIMIC Simultaneously, this civil-military co- JICA would continue with develop- essential for the JSDF to publicize in South Sudan and the Philippines. that remained undistinguished, officer reveals that ordinary JSDF of- operation officer confirms that real- ment and reconstruction activities its pest control activities (aerosol While the Civil-Military Cooperation while forklift and other heavy vehicle ficers are usually not able to assume a izing the All-Japan approach should using ODA. Such sequencing could application) and mobile clinic (see (CIMIC) section of the CRF does operators could clear away rubble. coordination function, as it requires not take priority over responding to be possible at least in theory, he adds. subsequent section) both to give have a knowledge pool, being a small The second is that the JSDF had first expert knowledge and experience of the local emergency relief needs. In- For him, civil-military cooperation advance notice allowing access to the part of such a large MoD system, commenced operations in the north development assistance and disaster deed, there were more pressing needs cannot be realized without detailed medical services to as many com- it faces difficulties in maintaining of Cebu Island, and only later did it relief. For officers without such attri- on which to coordinate with the local discussions as to what constitutes munity members as possible, and exchanges and discussions with other redirect itself to Leyte Island where butes, coordination with U.N. agents authorities and the U.N. agencies in benefits for both the civilian actors to keep track of such activities for civilian institutions including the the damage was much worse. and local and national authorities Tacloban than seeking opportunities and the JSDF in such a difficult real- future medical reference. Despite MoFA and JICA outside of the field The diplomat at the Provisional is far beyond their capabilities. For for cooperation with other Japanese life circumstance. this, there was no unified policy as operations. Worse still, there is no Office explains that these tactical example, they are not familiar with actors.3 A diplomat at the Japanese Em- to how the two ministries in Tokyo equivalent CIMIC section within the challenges could have been avoided U.N. cluster systems and the “Oslo An expert in JICA’s Economic bassy’s Provisional Office in Taclo- should divide their roles vis-à-vis MoD proper to discuss civil-military if the MoFA had arrived in the Guidelines”, nor are they aware that Infrastructure Department, who has ban (see the subsequent section) public announcement. At the tacti- cooperation directly with these civil- damaged areas at an earlier stage to the military’s approach and mind-set field experience in Mindanao in the reveals that, except for the protection cal-level, the Provisional Office first ian institutions. allow them to conduct more detailed are not always compatible with those Philippines, states that the Ministry of Japanese nationals in the disaster sent the advance announcement to studies of local needs, so that such of the civilian actors. Their capa- of Defense (MoD) and JSDF need to areas, there were no explicit task the embassy in Manila, which is bet- 2) Capability for pre-operation information could be delivered to the bilities can be strengthened through 3 The witnesses described in this article are based on the orders received from the Ministry ter connected to the local networks, information gathering JSDF more promptly and accurately. peacetime capacity-building of JSDF authors’ interview conducted in March 2014. The authors are grateful for their generous contributions. of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in Tokyo so that the announcement could then The efforts by the Embassy’s A JSDF officer seconded to the officers in the above-mentioned Provisional Office in Tacloban were Southeast Asia Division, MoFA, areas. Those who are sent on disaster Japan Ground Self-Defense Force the sine qua non determining factors similarly opines that the JSDF and relief and peacekeeping operations soldiers wait to board a U.S. Ma- rine Corps MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor in realizing tasks such as bridging MoD should build up a system in need at least a basic understanding of aircraft at Tacloban Air Base, between the local authorities, liaising which information-gathering capa- Japanese foreign assistance and in- Philippines, Nov. 14, 2013, during Operation Damayan. with the JSDF in cluster meetings at bilities are constantly strengthened ternational cooperation, this CIMIC the On-site Operations Coordination though peacetime exercises. The Act officer continues. According to this Centre (OSOCC – a coordinating Concerning the Dispatch of Japan CIMIC officer, the embassies are not body in Tacloban for civilian human- Disaster Relief Team requires per- always in a position to provide the itarian agencies), conducting local mission from the Foreign Minister JSDF with support. The JSDF officers studies on local medical demands, before a JSDF foreign disaster relief on disaster missions must not and and providing the JSDF with com- team can be dispatched. However, cannot entirely depend on the em- munity information and language it is technically possible to create at bassy’s assistance. For this reason, the support. least a provisional legal framework to JSDF needs to empower troops with The diplomat at the Embassy’s allow JSDF and MoD staff to travel established knowledge and experi- Provisional Office mentioned above to disaster areas to study whether or ence in international scenarios. raises two points for improvement not a JSDF dispatch is truly neces- Col. Makoto Kasamatsu, an on the JSDF’s coordination with the sary before sending Japanese troops. expert officer in charge of interna- civilian actors back in Tokyo as well If their study concludes that the tional security cooperation at the as in the field. The first is that the disaster damage was not such that MoD, points out in his article that JSDF was unable to send an engi- JSDF should be sent, then such an past participations in the Multi- neering unit with heavy equipment advance reconnaissance trip would national Cooperation Program in despite the fact that JSDF had clear not be a waste. Rather, more JSDF the Asia-Pacific (MCAP) played a advance information of a need for staff (and defense attachés) capable of significant role in promoting mul- such equipment. He learnt from his such post-disaster needs evaluation tinational cooperation amongst

35 LIAISON Volume VII Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 36 | Cpl. Codey Underwood/ U.S. Marine Corps civilian and military actors TECHNOLOGY in the Philippines.4 MCAP is a multinational military tabletop exercise program hosted by the Government of Japan, and participated in by militaries of Asia-Pacific countries. Recent MCAP exercises have focused on disaster relief. When mili- tary officers from the United States, the United King- dom, and Canada, who had participated in MCAP, met each other again in the mil- itary-to-military Multina- tional Coordination Centre (MNCC) in the Philippines, their communication there went smoothly and effec- tively, utilizing the network Japan International Cooperation Agency and personal trust built dur- ing the MCAP exercises.5 The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) dispatched a Japan disaster relief medical team to the heavily af- This example can be one fected city of Tacloban, on the island of Leyte, Nov. 15, 2013, after Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines. of such peacetime training a “strategic deficit” – strategic plans operation. It is crucial to go back to opportunities where the JSDF can designed in the capital often being these studies anew and review what elevate its knowledge and expertise too vague and abstract to be trans- the observers in the recent histories on disaster relief and international lated to a tactical level, and too few have learnt and shared in order to coordination. concrete directions being given for improve interagency coordination creating effective mechanisms for for future disaster relief operations. Some key lessons have become 6 civil-military cooperation. Olson While the whole-of-government Palantir is a mobile information management solution that provides a framework for responders to understand their environment and establish a shared common apparent through various instances and Gregorian, who studied inter- strategy has become one of Japan’s operating picture, all in real-time. of civil-military cooperation between agency and civil-military coordina- major approaches to civil-military eam Rubicon is an American nongovernment the JSDF and civilian agencies in Ja- tion in the peace support operations cooperation in disaster relief ac- organization whose mission is to unite the pan. The examples raised above point in Afghanistan and Liberia, are tivities, the JSDF’s experience in skills and experiences of military veterans with to the lack of an institutionalized firstT responders to rapidly deploy emergency disaster similarly alarmed at the existence of the Philippines demonstrates that commitment to interagency coordi- such a strategy-theatre gap from the concrete measures are still needed to response teams around the world. nation for disaster relief. While there civil-military cooperation perspec- translate such strategy to the tactical In early November 2012, Jake Wood, co-founder and is a solid strategy for civil-military tive. They emphasize the need for level. Practical steps are necessary to THE President of Team Rubicon (TR), was immersed in the cooperation for disaster relief and a common implementation frame- realize institutionalized interagency massive response effort surrounding Hurricane San- peace support missions, the interpre- work for all the relevant civilian and coordination to prevent the risk dy’s landfall in New York and New Jersey. TR’s group tation framework is not yet in place military actors to identify, inter alia, of a mission becoming stalled and of military veteran and first responder volunteers faced to allow such strategy to be realized their areas of responsibility, short- perhaps even harming, rather than the largest and most complex incident in the organi- in the field in concrete form. term and long-term objectives, and assisting, the intended beneficiaries. SEEING zation’s history. The challenge of understanding the It is noteworthy that such lessons timeframe of their interventions.7 disaster’s impact, defining local needs, and assigning are indeed not all new but have been The JSDF’s experience in the Philip- resources to fulfill them was daunting. It required a repeatedly highlighted in theoretical pines can be another classic example small leadership team to juggle collection and manage- studies of interagency coordination for tho+se making theoretical studies ment of hundreds, if not thousands, of damage assess- for disaster relief and peace support STONE ments, work orders, and aid requests. of interagency and civil-military co- Understanding Disasters and operations. For instance, Nilsson, This article does not intend to represent the views of their In the midst of helping manage the response, Jake, a 6 Claes Nilsson, Cecilia Hull, Markus Derblom, and Robert organizations. The part of this research was sponsored by Hull, Derblom and Egnell warn of Egnell, Contextualising the Comprehensive Approach: the ele- the Nippon Foundation’s Asian Public Intellectuals (API) Coordinating Relief Using Palantir former Marine and scout-sniper, received a call from ments of a Comprehensive Intervention, FOI, Swedish Defence Collaborative Grant “Comparative Analysis on Military-NGO 4 The Asagumo Shimbun, 2 January 2014. [original in Japanese] Research Agency, 2008, p. 53. Brian Fishman, head of Palantir Technology’s Philan- 5 Makoto Kasamatsu, “Operation Tomodachi has evolved into 7 Lara Olson and Hrach Gregorian, “Interagency and civil- Cooperation Policies in Asia” and the JSPS KAKENHI Grant a multinational framework,” Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign military coordination: lessons from a survey of Afghanistan and Number 26380209. By Evan Koepke, Operations Planning thropy Department. The two had met a month earlier Affairs of Japan, Vol. 24, March 2014, p. 73. [original in Liberia” Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, Vol. 10, No. Japanese] 1, 2007 Associate, Team Rubicon during a speaking engagement in San Diego. Jake’s

37 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 38 explanation of Team Rubicon’s mis- response sion and methods captured Brian’s operations. imagination. During subsequent They addition- discussions filled with technical ex- ally custom- planations, Team Rubicon’s leaders ized tools and found it difficult to fully comprehend trained users what Palantir had to offer. Over the to meet the Palantir’s software can quickly be phone, in the midst of the Hurricane demanding downloaded onto hand-held devices, Sandy response, Brian reiterated workload. and used to send critical information back to operational managers. his bottom line: “We can help solve The result- All photos courtesy of Team Rubicon your problems… trust me.” In a ing solution leap of faith, Jake agreed to deploy significantly Brian so he could finally demon- decreased and few of the prospects for future at a user’s disposal. The software systems). This hardware is more in- visual files, geospatial data, tabular strate what that solution meant. Less administrative work, increased ac- development. then facilitates in-depth data explora- tuitive to the average user than most spreadsheets, whole documents, and than 24-hours later, Fishman landed countability, and accelerated relief tion and analysis through integrated proprietary solutions – making the even live social media data. These in New York with a small team of efforts. The system allowed Team alantir is significantly differ- map, graph and table-based tools. overall system more accessible. materials can be rapidly processed Palantir engineers. Jake received a Rubicon to establish a common oper- ent from traditional informa- The result is a powerful and versatile Palantir serves as a rapidly de- and tagged for identification, orga- call from the New York team leader, ating picture of disaster damage and tion management solutions approach that enables unprecedented ployable web-based data integra- nization, and synthesis within the a hardened combat veteran: “Who recovery that rivaled any in the disas- foundP in disaster relief. Products access to knowledge. tion solution that ties disparate data Palantir system. The ease with which are these geeks?” ter space. Lastly, it leveraged highly frequently attempt to provide total Team Rubicon utilizes several sources together rather than uproot- this occurs allows the analyst/user to “Trust me – they know what sophisticated technology in a manner solutions for data storage, process- variants of Palantir software for its ing existing infrastructure. All that focus on the problem and finding the they’re doing,” was Jake’s reply. that was accessible and understand- ing, and use. The result is an inflex- operations. For overall information is necessary is access to the Palantir right questions with which to lever- In the weeks following that conver- able to the average technology user. ible and proprietary information management and analytics, Palantir server and quick software download. age the data. sation, Palantir proved its system and These achievements made the Hur- architecture with rigid relationships, Gotham is the base platform. This Users can subsequently upload and All this data can be accessed and people to be as rugged and mission- ricane Sandy response a poignant formats, sources and functionalities. software works on most commercial link existing internal and external examined through Palantir’s power- ready as the Team Rubicon members success for both organizations. Such inflexibility can be crippling in Windows or Apple computers. For databases to the server without mak- ful search and discovery function. with which they collaborated. Palan- To this day, Team Rubicon and an environment where change is the mobile data collection and work ing significant modifications to data The tagging that occurs during tir’s software engineers lived, worked, Palantir Technologies continue to norm, adaptability is key and needs management, Palantir Mobile and structure or format. The result can processing not only makes individual and lost sleep beside TR’s veterans develop and refine Palantir’s use in vary significantly between users. In Palantir Mimosa platforms are used. essentially place the world at one’s objects searchable, but also allows and first responders. In a tremendous disaster response and relief. This contrast, Palantir approaches the These provide streamlined versions fingertips. Palantir accepts a wide comparison of related attributes up effort, Palantir’s engineers rewrote article will describe in detail how problem by acting as an information of Palantir that work on commercial variety of structured and unstruc- to four degrees of separation. These whole components of source-code Palantir works, how Team Rubicon fusion hub that dynamically inte- smart phones, tablets, and specific tured data from both proprietary and enhanced searches make it possible to meet the demands of disaster applies the system to disaster relief, grates and connects all data sources satellite-based devices (such as GPS open-source origins including audio- for previously unknown connections

39 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 40 flag it for investiga- tion. The analyst could the system supports development Rapid and thorough damage assess- Technologies, Team Rubicon, and then set up a persistent of briefings by exporting efforts and ment provides the understanding of Direct Relief partnered during their search to monitor the results into standard formats such as situation and need that underpins joint Typhoon Haiyan response to situation and highlight PowerPoint. This capability can also the application of critical, and often provide an innovative, integrated, so- when similar requests be leveraged to auto-populate forms. expensive, resources. Generating lution. First, Palantir set up a remote appear in real-time. This this form of situational awareness secure server close to the operational active synthesis of data n late April 2014, Team Rubi- is Team Rubicon’s flagship applica- area. This provided rapid data access delivers near real-time con deployed a reconnaissance tion of Palantir and core services it and decreased loading and process- information/intelligence team to Louisville, Mississippi provides. In the time since Hurricane ing times. Second, the three organi- toI assess tornado damage, ascertain Sandy, TR’s method has evolved into zations collaborated to deploy VSAT in support of operations that can be acted upon in response and recovery needs, and a two-stage process that fuses aerial and BGAN communications systems short order. build relationships with local emer- imagery analysis by remote support to field bases to provide remote con- This kind of knowl- gency management. Though the personnel (when available) with an nectivity. Palantir augmented these edge, and the data used team’s members were not from Lou- on-site assessment by TR volunteers. with a series of computers loaded to create it, is a highly isville, they had a better understand- Pre- and post-impact imagery is ana- with a remote, Palantir Gotham valuable commodity ing of the situation than most outsid- lyzed to establish a rough estimate of based, software package known as that must be managed ers. In the days and hours preceding the disaster’s physical effects. Field Palantir Forward. This software al- and protected. Palantir arrival, Team Rubicon staff and personnel follow up with door-to- lowed users to save critical data onto classifies, timestamps, volunteers were leveraging Palantir door assessments collected with their hard drives from the server attributes, and tracks to chart the disaster space. They in- Palantir enabled mobile phones or when connectivity existed, conduct developments so that tegrated census data, tornado tracks, GPS devices. The results are up- data integration and analysis without users can easily discover facilities, road closures, and more, loaded in real-time to the Palantir connectivity, and then upload the information, identify seamlessly into the Palantir system. architecture to improve the common results to the server when connec- potential collaborators, These personnel mapped the network operating picture. A recent example tion was regained. These computers and monitor develop- of agencies, organizations, and key of this occurred after a massive allowed field leaders to utilize the full ments. At the same time, personnel who were responding to tornado cut through the midwestern power of Palantir while operating re- information and data are the emergency. This contextual map town of Washington, Illinois. Within motely, and rapidly share the results secured through dy- of the disaster zone’s physical and so- a day of the tornado strike, Team Ru- upon returning to base. The last piece namic access control and cial landmarks empowered the team bicon’s analysts constructed an aerial came in the form of Palantir Mimosa sophisticated security to work more efficiently in their op- assessment map of a rough, but com- driven DeLorme InReach devices. protocols that have suc- erating environment. As a result, the plete, picture of the town’s situation. These devices allowed assessment cessfully met military and team knew exactly where to go, who The map became the focal point for teams to collect geocoded impact and law enforcement require- to talk to, and the information gaps coordination of initial relief by local need assessments. This data could ments. to fill. Better yet, as the team began emergency management. Over the either be uploaded directly to the Though this rapid to interact with the local community following weeks, Team Rubicon con- server via satellite or be manually creation of information and establish relationships, they were ducted a thorough assessment of the uploaded to a Palantir Forward com- from data is powerful, able to communicate discoveries and impacted area and defined the level puter. This comprehensive solution it means nothing if the developments quickly and efficiently of damage to each structure, whether allowed Team Rubicon and Direct resulting knowledge to the support team. These injects or not the owner wanted help, and Relief to use the full power of Palan- cannot be shared. Inter- were uploaded to maintain a real- the kind of support they needed. This tir in an environment that lacked nally, Palantir facilitates time rendering of TR’s situational data was shared with local emergency fully functional communications communication and awareness and understanding. The managers on a recurring basis and infrastructure. collaboration between refinement of this mosaic became an was easily integrated into their geo- Team Rubicon’s method for disas- users within the system organic component of the response graphic information systems. Provi- ter mapping and damage assessment through internal mes- when trained specialists and Palantir- sion of these services helped local is transforming to integrate risk and Using the same mobile devices that collect assessment data, responders create geo-tagged work orders with supporting equipped computers arrived on-site. emergency managers bridge the gap resilience analysis as well as impact images and video. saging and the ability to rapidly upload work. Ver- Team Rubicon’s ability to quickly between initial response and recovery assessment. By systematically inte- to become prominent. Persistent the names share the same contact sion control allows administrators to build and refine an image of ground while coordinating successful multi- grating targeted analytical processes searches can be set to alert the user information and link to additional undo mistakes and allows analysts truth through Palantir added speed, agency operations. and leveraging specialized environ- when defined patterns occur. For names and requests. Examination of to review the development of knowl- transparency, and efficiency to the Executing these impact assess- mental, historical, and demographic example, searching an address may these requests may reveal a timing or edge. Externally, work can be export- entire organization’s response efforts. ments and sharing the results in data, TR can project who will be most produce three separate aid requests geographic pattern. Such enhanced ed in open-source formats that are Understanding ground truth is more remote environments can be affected, highlight at-risk popula- from three separate names. How- searches help the analyst understand easily digestible for external systems notably critical during the assess- a daunting challenge to technology- tions, and prioritize resource alloca- ever, Palantir may highlight that the potentially fraudulent event and (ex: .xml, .jpg, .kml). Additionally, ment phase of any disaster response. based assessment solutions. Palantir tion accordingly. On the other hand,

41 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 42 this capability also allows Team Rubicon to apply critical accessible formats. Reports are generated using preset he final form of Palantir’s insight to the application of its resources. An EF-2 torna- templates, allowing TR leaders to thoroughly brief offi- application in disaster relief do strike on the outskirts of a small Midwestern town in cials and partners with the most up-to-date information. remains a work-in-progress. May 2014 seemed to be a promising response until land- Such deliverables also serve as executive summaries for However,T it has been clearly demon- use data indicated that the impacted structures consisted the large datasets that are handed over to partners and of- strated that the system proficiently of high-value, insured, seasonal vacation homes. An on- ficials during service transition and demobilization. This supports a wide variety of day-to-day site recon by local Team Rubicon members confirmed the aids recovery by ensuring continuity of operations. They and response functions. As an infor- discovery. As a result, Team Rubicon was able to focus its can also help affected localities by capturing, organizing, mation management tool, the system energy and resources on three continuing responses that and displaying information required to apply for higher provides a framework for responders would otherwise have been detracted from. As can be governmental assistance, reimbursement, or grants. to understand their environment, seen, these capabilities help Team Rubicon ensure that its Within Team Rubicon, the documentation ultimately communicate that understanding, limited resources are applied to people and places where supports after-action reviews and external communica- and establish a shared common they will make the greatest impact. tions. These help Team Rubicon improve its methods and operating picture. The dynamic and illustrate its successes. real-time nature of the system also al- nalysis may be the more traditional use of As cooperation between Team Rubicon and Palantir lows it to serve as a coordination tool Palantir in the civilian world, but Team Rubicon deepens, exploration of the platform’s mission coordi- for field operations. These combined has taken its application a step further by using nation applications expands. In the realm of incident features can help organizations more it Ato coordinate disaster response operations. management, there is an ongoing effort to effectively effectively provide targeted, timely, Palantir is the primary system TR uses to collect, orga- integrate Incident Command System (ICS) documen- and cost-effective relief services. nize, assign, execute, and evaluate individual assistance tation. This effort is linked with a parallel concept for As time goes on, Team Rubicon requests and work orders. Using the same mobile devices housing all incident management data collection, display, and Palantir Technologies will pio- that collect assessment data, responders create geo-tagged and documentation within the platform. In another vein, neer new applications of the platform work orders with supporting images and video. Incident ideas for leveraging Palantir for persistent tasks such as to support operational readiness and management personnel analyze these reports, prioritize supply chain management, inventory monitoring, and programmatic support. This includes the work orders, and organize teams to fulfill them. Strike operational situational awareness are being evaluated. It integrating new information sources, teams equipped with Palantir mobile devices are assigned is expected that more innovative applications will emerge such as unmanned aerial vehicles and tasks before they deploy and receive updates remotely as Team Rubicon deploys and trains with the platform in social media, as well as providing in- through Palantir. When work is complete, or ends for different contexts. novative problem solutions, such as the day, team leaders submit reports to describe the work visualizing membership growth and completed, provide supporting imagery, and note ad- eam Rubicon regularly contends with the dif- analyzing the accessibility of men- ditional needs. These work records are connected to the ficulties inherent to maintaining a consistent tal health services. Both are feeling damage assessments and work orders through common and accurate awareness of response activities the effects of such innovations. The attributes such as address, homeowner name, and so throughoutT the organization. Palantir aids in this effort demand for Palantir is expanding forth. Geographic and temporal visualization of these by tying together data sources and succinctly displaying among disaster relief organizations reports helps incident managers assess the effectiveness of information. However, until recently, the ability to direct- and the requests for and acceptance tactics and the completion of objectives. On several occa- ly handle knowledge generated in Palantir was limited to of Team Rubicon’s services is in- sions this capability has allowed Team Rubicon to serve individuals permitted access to the program, with appro- creasing. as the hub for work order collection, distribution, and priate authorizations, and wielding a fair amount of spe- Team Rubicon will always have a tracking for a jurisdiction. cialized training. The problem was solved during Team pencil and paper handy for when the For the coordination of operations, Palantir equipped Rubicon’s November 2013 response to Typhoon Haiyan power goes out. It will always need a cell phones and satellite devices provide live tracking in the Philippines. Palantir Technologies expedited their bag of tricks made of duct tape and of personnel, and communications between field and release of a new web-based platform called Raven. This bailing wire for overcoming the chal- incident management personnel. This has been effectively portal allows authorized users to remotely access their lenges disasters generate. However, implemented both domestically and internationally to organization’s available data layers and imagery, conduct it is hard to imagine a Team Rubicon ensure safety, continual accountability and situational rudimentary analysis, and communicate with other us- deployment without the support of awareness of field elements. During TR’s response to ers. Palantir topped this achievement by connecting the Palantir’s capabilities. This is be- Typhoon Haiyan, TR-Headquarters in Los Angeles effec- databases and outputs of multiple cooperating agencies. cause, by reducing the ‘fog of relief,’ tively maintained 24/7 tracking of Palantir equipped units The result was a shared common operating picture that facilitating good decision-making, throughout the Philippines. Domestic responses have streamlined interagency communication, refined the and reducing administrative work- merged this capability with the real-time tasking function collective’s situational awareness, and expanded each or- loads, Palantir helps Team Rubicon’s to efficiently and effectively utilize specialized units and ganizations analytical resources. Inter-organizational col- leaders focus on supporting their equipment. laboration of such scale and ease in disaster relief is rare followers and the communities they Lastly, Palantir helps Team Rubicon to produce thor- and the implications are immense. Raven will be a critical serve. ough field reports and transfer operational data in easily component of Team Rubicon’s future Palantir use.

43 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 44 tion in 2010. For example, Humanity Humanity Road, and CFE-DMHA, achieving is transformational,” said Road volunteers injected hundreds all contributed. A WFP information Graham. “[This exercise] recog- of need signals and reports into the technology officer leads the meeting nizes the value in whole-community exercise scenario to direct respond- just as they would in a real-world engagement for disaster response ers to areas most in need, just as they disaster, yet the civil-military envi- and planning; and their core focus is experienced after Typhoon Haiyan ronment enables military personnel communications interoperability.” devastated the Philippines in 2013. to learn about the ETC, ask questions The information collected and “This exercise gave us the op- and discuss roles, responsibilities and analyzed by Humanity Road during portunity to explore spontaneous processes. the exercise was received and used by collaborations,” said Graham. “Estab- Clarity and understanding of the the U.S. military [via the All Partners lishing common operational datasets process can be invaluable in a real- Access Network (APAN) portal], for transportability of key disaster world disaster environment. While UNOCHA, AmeriCares and other information is important to speed up military resources can provide hospi- traditional relief organizations to as- recovery and mitigate loss. This ex- tal ships, airlifts, medicine and clean sist in rapid assessments for disaster ercise will help improve processes for drinking water to communities in response activities. sharing data among many response post-disaster areas, coordination of “Nothing has come close to fa- organizations.” efforts between the suppliers of relief cilitating transparency across the All civilian stakeholders participat- aid, the personnel moving the aid, military and aid response organiza- Civil-Military Communications ing in the exercise, from Liaison Staff NGOs to industry, to academics, used the op- portunity to exchange their organizational roles and responsibilities dur- ing a disaster with the militaries from the region. The dialog between the civilian and military par- ticipants increases mutual understanding, trust, and n the valley of Kathmandu, Nepal, a simulated nity for civilian disaster response stakeholders to come strengthens relationships emergency telecommunications cluster meeting together with regional military communicators to prac- that can lead to increased takes place in a conference room in the Hotel Yak tice interoperability and work through interconnectivity collaboration in real- andI Yeti. Mount Everest looms in the background as a issues now rather than in the midst of a disaster.” world calamities. reminder that the region is prone to dramatic tectonic One of the civilian disaster response stakeholders is “The U.S. military of changes and earthquakes. Humanity Road, a nongovernmental organization that today has a better under- The cluster meeting is a part of Exercise Pacific En- provides disaster preparedness and response informa- standing of where and deavor (PE), an annual Multinational Communications tion to the global mobile public before, during, and after how they fit into foreign Interoperability Program event hosted by U.S. Pacific a disaster. Humanity Road hits the ground running with disaster response, par- Department of Defense Command and the Nepalese Army. According to the a core mission of closing the disaster communications ticularly as a support to Cat Graham, vice president of Humanity Road, discusses disaster risk reduction steps being taken in Nepal and the chal- exercise’s executive report, PE 2014 brought together gap through process improvement, collaboration, and the host government and lenges of delivering aid with Santosh Gyawali, an AID development program specialist for USAID Nepal, during Pacific more than 250 military and civilian attendees from 21 partnerships. It simulates a broad social media response humanitarian community,” Endeavor 2014 in Kathmandu. Asia-Pacific nations to advance “communications and from the disaster-affected populace, who, according to said Blanchard. “This in part can be and those in need can quickly end tions like this exercise,” said Graham. cyber interoperability by strengthening partnerships, ad- the scenario, has just suffered a massive earthquake that contributed to multinational civil- in chaos when communications are “And, it afforded a view into areas of vancing joint operations, modernizing skills and capabili- caused a large number of casualties and crippled the military exercises occurring through- impacted. Humanity Road strives to coverage and areas needing addition- ties, sharing information, and establishing new areas of country’s infrastructure. out the region.” bridge such communication gaps by al relief effort.” cooperation.” “Humanity Road volunteers bring our experience into The mock emergency telecommu- utilizing social media and other open “Hundreds of responders from the Asia-Pacific come the exercise to create realistic and challenging simulated nications cluster (ETC) meeting was source environments to mitigate the together to practice in a time of calm in order to better content for the training,” said Cat Graham, vice president a good example of increased under- breaks in clarity, and on occasion, respond in time of crisis,” said Joyce Blanchard, a disaster of Humanity Road. “We inject real-world examples and standing and collaboration among the information overload. This helps management and humanitarian assistance advisor from challenges to provide a more robust training opportunity participants: representatives from the direct military planners and other the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and and share lessons learned.” Philippine Army, Nepal Army, U.S. response efforts to assess disaster Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DMHA). “Civil-military The organization’s disaster response missions around Pacific Command, UNOCHA, World response activities. exercises such as Pacific Endeavor provide an opportu- the globe have developed lessons learned since its incep- Food Program (WFP), CISCO, “What (Pacific Endeavor) is

45 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 46 Go Social: Email is Old School! its partner nations, and other agen- the website, customer engagement, Email and phone communication cies. These online communities are knowledge management guidance limits sharing to pairs of individuals controlled, customized, and managed and consultation, in addition to a 24- or small groups. Results are difficult by the requestor, or owner. Users hour help desk. to track, document and distribute. join communities by invitation, or Numerous tools can be installed Tracking communication in one users can request access themselves. easily by the community owner such location is easy on APAN. Con- Any person worldwide with an email as blogs, forums, wikis, media galler- versations can take place between account and Internet access can get ies, calendars, lists, maps, conference individuals and groups regardless of an APAN account. Community rooms, chat rooms, email alerts, and geography. Results of those conver- owners serve as gatekeepers for their language translation tools. APAN sations can be categorized and saved own community and vet the users. Customer Engagement Specialists for future reference. APAN provides technical security for provide best practices for designing A question on an An APAN knowledge manager supports the Rim of the Pacific Exercise in 2012, the world’s largest maritime warfare exercise. Knowledge managers travel to disaster response events and exercises worldwide to provide in-person support. APAN forum can be answered once; other users can see it im- mediately or refer to it later. During Opera- tion Unified Response in Haiti, a user posted a request for a brain scan machine to be sent to a location in Haiti. Several other users saw that post and responded with offers to provide re- sources. This APAN group allowed people to coordinate pro- apan: How the curement of the ma- chine and transporta- tion from Florida to Haiti with ease. The DOD gets social ability for multiple in- dividuals to commu- By Lara Coutinho, APAN Engagement Specialist nicate across the globe allows for effective he All Partners Access Network (APAN) pro- retain traditional restrictive information sharing practices and efficient mission vides the U.S. military, partner nations, other with the caveat “need-to-know.” During a humanitarian success stories. agencies, and nongovernmental organizations crisis event, lives are saved when information is shared a flexible,T easy to use online platform for responding to freely with speed. APAN provides responders with online disasters, executing multinational exercises, and organiz- collaborative tools to efficiently distribute unclassified How it’s done… ing conferences using a “non-dot-mil” web service. When information across international boundaries. There are three the U.S. military responds to a natural disaster involving “APAN is actively used to support major humanitar- players in online com- multiple organizations and nations, the success of the ian crisis response efforts and has had great success with munities: community mission depends on the free-flow of information around past relief missions,” said Jerry Giles, APAN technical owners, community a network of responders. APAN, the baseline platform for director. “In 2010, Southern Command coordinated users and APAN. By the Department of Defense (DOD), is used worldwide to government and NGO efforts responding to the earth- request, APAN cre- share unclassified information without traditional mili- quake in Haiti; in 2011, U.S. Forces Japan used APAN to ates the online com- tary restrictions. coordinate U.S. and Japanese humanitarian efforts after munity for any group The U.S. DOD increasingly understands that the need the earthquake and tsunami; in 2013, APAN was used to of people needing to to quickly share information with multinational partners assist responders and foster information sharing when share information and NGOs during a crisis greatly outweighs the need to Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines. The list goes on.” with the U.S. DOD, All Partners Access Network

47 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 48 communities and determining what ing typhoons Haiyan and Hagupit. collaboration tools helped hospital RESEARCH & SCIENCE tools may assist the overall objective “The APAN portal provides an ef- staff alert responders that 160 beds of the group. fective collaborative space for mili- were empty resulting in coordinated APAN is managed by the Defense tary and civilian disaster response or- transportation efforts. A few days Information Systems Agency (DISA) ganizations,” said Cat Graham, who after posting on APAN, the hospital Multinational Information Sharing spearheads operations for Humanity was filled with patients. After the (MNIS) Unclassified Information Road. “We use this platform to com- Japanese earthquake and resulting Sharing Service (UISS) Project. The municate with multinational part- tsunami in 2011, military families APAN Applications Service Provider ners. It’s a single coordination space discovered that their normal paths (ASP) is headquartered in Pearl that helps us quickly coordinate and for getting information about return- Harbor, Hawaii, and additional staff communicate with multinational ing back to the U.S. were swamped. is located on the East Coast of the response teams in a digitally secure U.S. Forces, Japan used APAN to United States. environment. This is something we disseminate information quickly to never had before. It’s a fast and effec- families regarding transportation and Disaster Response Information tive sharing portal.” options. The United Nations also worked APAN empowers partner nations Sharing: Lessons Learned side-by-side with APAN during to engage in group discussions. Dur- APAN has extensive experience in RIMPAC 2014 using an RSS feed to ing Typhoon Haiyan, the Armed information sharing and has collect- post information from UNOCHA’s Forces of the Philippines developed ed lessons learned from training and Virtual On-Site Operations Coordi- many military-to-military partner- real-world humanitarian assistance nation Center (VOSOCC) website ships with assisting countries using and disaster response (HADR) oper- APAN as collaboration space. While to APAN. Partnerships started at Justin Ide/ Harvard University ations for more than 15 years. These RIMPAC continue to work on shared supporting the Ebola response efforts lessons were valuable when Typhoon procedures for future use. in Africa, APAN has enabled eight Harvard Humanitarian Initiative faculty, fellows, and students serve as partners to many humanitarian agencies, international institutions, and educational organizations. Hagupit approached the Philippines The annual Africa Endeavor exer- separate NGOs and the governments in December 2014. The U.S. Pacific cise has used APAN since 2011. Ap- of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone Command’s (USPACOM) knowl- proximately 40 countries and three to create partnerships for informa- edge management office worked economic organizations participate tion sharing. The connections made with APAN to create a community in bilingual crisis response exercises here and maintained on APAN will for the possible Hagupit humanitar- using English and French. Nearly enable more than 700 users of the Humanitarian Partnerships ian crisis response operation. Based 1,000 members of the community Ebola Response Network community on lessons learned from Typhoon share pictures and files. Extensive to maintain future communication. By Vincenzo Bollettino, Executive Director, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative Haiyan, APAN assisted USPACOM tagging enables quick searches by In all, new methods of sharing in- in drafting a knowledge management keyword or language. APAN’s web formation online can help save lives, here has never been a more apt time to seri- international humanitarian actors alone. Partnerships plan for disaster support that proved page and file translation functions reduce risk, build trust and increase ously examine the opportunities humanitarian between humanitarian organizations and other actors USPACOM was ready for interna- supplement the interpreters on staff efficiency. APAN enables all this as partnerships hold for addressing today’s most are the key to successfully meeting the needs of disaster- tional collaboration. severeT crises, whether related to conflict, natural disas- affected populations, now and for years to come. Devel- and expand participants’ ability to well as helps users overcome lan- overcome language barriers. guage barriers, use online maps, chat ter, or complex emergencies. Presently, the international oping networks with the private sector (particularly with Before a crisis hits – Exercise and conference worldwide, and cus- humanitarian system is ill equipped to cope with the respect to leadership and management training); with Can APAN make a difference? tomize their communication tools at breadth, scope, severity, and duration of today’s major international militaries (around high-tempo, heavy-lift HADR Response Procedures crises, whether they are in Syria, Sudan, Central African logistics, and distribution of immediate lifesaving food, APAN has best practices for de- no cost to them. APAN allows us to Over 200 communities on APAN Republic, Iraq or West Africa, to name only some of the shelter, and water for difficult to reach populations); with signing communities for different do more with less and will continue support international training ex- most severe. With more than 50 million refugees world- the informal sector including voluntary groups (around purposes. Quick setup, easy custom- to improve global communications ercises, and APAN team members wide, we can reasonably expect even greater numbers of information technology, communications, social media); ization and APAN team support for years to come. often travel to locations worldwide to refugees in the near future as a result of protracted crises and with academia (for population-based research, capac- enables community owners to make assist. Large training events like Rim that threaten to devastate societies for decades to come, ity building, program evaluation, and data collection a difference with the least amount of the Pacific (RIMPAC) and Pacific and population growth in areas vulnerable to natural di- and analysis), will all be essential to meeting expanding of effort. During Typhoon Haiyan, Endeavor (PE) involve NGOs and saster during a period of shifting global climate patterns. humanitarian needs with limited resources. APAN averaged 3,000 collaborat- approximately 20 partner nations. To meet the needs of today’s disaster-affected popula- All of these types of partnerships and the informal net- ing users daily. APAN’s multiple For the past three years, Humanity tions, the international community must find new and works among individuals within these different organiza- forums were used to respond to re- Road, a digital response organization better ways of accessing at-risk populations, mitigat- tions will be the source of innovation and learning that quests for information or assistance. that helps with rapid assessments, has ing the continued risks they face, and helping them to are needed to meet new humanitarian needs. A multi- Keyword tags were used to help track used APAN to share information in recover following conflicts and natural disasters. This disciplinary, multi-sector response that is the product conversations. During the Haiti both disaster exercises like RIMPAC cannot be expected to happen in a vacuum among of collaboration and partnership is needed to meet the and PE and real-world events includ- earthquake response, these social

49 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 50 manage responses adequately. Closer in need, to evaluating the impact of ness of humanitarian programs and partnerships between humanitar- international humanitarian pro- are equally vital to providing critical ian organizations and academia can grams, to training humanitarian aid information about population needs improve the capacity of humanitar- workers. and community-based perceptions. ian aid agencies by providing essen- Humanitarian partnerships are Paper-based systems for collecting tial core technical and research skills more important now than at any data and manual coding post-col- needed to better assess population time since the proliferation of hu- lection made rapid acquisition and needs and evaluate the impact of manitarian action following the end analysis of data ill-suited to meeting humanitarian programming; creating of the Cold War. Beyond the sheer the needs of humanitarian organiza- data collection and analysis tools that number of large-scale emergencies, tions. New technologies now enable improve efficiency and accuracy of humanitarian agencies are facing faster data collection in digital form, assessments; providing multi-disci- an increasingly complex political reducing not only the time needed to plinary fora to convene humanitarian environment (in which they are collect and code data, but also reduc- and other actors to resolve common constrained in a number of ways that ing error and increasing the reliabil- humanitarian challenges; and build- challenge their core principles – es- ity of the data. These technologies ing a professional cadre of highly pecially in cases where there is great provide further benefits in reducing trained, skilled humanitarians of the pressure to adhere to donor states the cost of data collection and (when future. political and security agendas) and combined with appropriate training Protracted crises globally pose challenges posed by a proliferation in research methods), bolstering the challenges for humanitarian agen- of non-state actors actively engaged research and evaluation capacity of cies as many societies go in and out in hostilities. These actors not only humanitarian organizations. In short, of crisis, frequently undermining pose a direct threat by targeting hu- we have arrived at the point where development gains and requiring manitarian aid workers,1 but in many data and evidence-driven policies outside assistance to regain a foot- contexts (e.g. Somalia, Syria, Iraq) are a real option. In today’s environ- ing. In many parts of the world, the they make it difficult, and sometimes ment, there is little excuse for not increased frequency and intensity impossible, to access people in need. employing rigorous research and of natural disasters, coupled with One possibility to address these evaluation methods in the humani- population flows into risk-prone challenges lies in academic partner- tarian sector. environments, means that we will ships. Academic institutions are Despite some of the clear benefits Harvard Humanitarian Initiative likely continue to see large numbers increasingly important partners for to be realized by close collaboration After the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative continued a long history of engagement with Japanese col- of people impacted by disasters in the humanitarian agencies. Their re- among humanitarian agencies and leagues in the areas of emergency health and disaster systems development. In addition to sending a relief team to the disaster site, HHI’s ongoing Program on Humanitarian Effectiveness works to develop emergency medical education and leadership and hospital-based disaster response. years to come, particularly in South- search capacity, research methods, academic institutions (e.g. develop- east Asia. and expertise with different training ment of curriculum and training challenges to delivering humanitar- humanitarian organizations remain thousands of national NGOs, com- To successfully meet these and and educational pedagogies make geared toward professionalizing the ian assistance in an era of ascendant a very small part of overall disaster prises the heart of the traditional future challenges, the international them ideally suited to evaluating humanitarian field, common test- non-state actors and complex natural assistance following emergencies. humanitarian system. These agencies humanitarian system will need to the effectiveness of humanitarian bed for new ideas and tools, field- and technical disasters. This article Disaster-affected states themselves run their own programs (in both be flexible and dynamic enough to enterprise broadly and of humanitar- informed and operationally relevant focuses on the anticipated benefits are ultimately responsible for, and emergency and non-emergency set- operate in a new world, all without ian programs more specifically. In research, and the enhancement of re- of partnership among humanitarian drivers of, relief and recovery ef- tings) and coordinate their activities abandoning the core humanitarian addition, academic institutions are search methods and assessment tools organizations and academia, high- forts. There are times though when through what is known as the cluster principles – humanity, neutrality, proficient at developing curriculum – to name a few) significant obstacles lighting some of the barriers to closer states acting alone lack the means system. impartiality and independence – and training programs designed to create disincentives to realizing the collaboration and offering some to address the needs of their own Even when acting in concert, and that are the defining ethos of what improve the capacity of humanitar- full potential of closer collaboration. thoughts about how to overcome disaster-affected populations. The even under the best of circumstances it means to be a humanitarian. This ian agencies, and develop the skillsets Among the most important these challenges. A brief review of international humanitarian aid sys- (i.e. where humanitarian access is is a tall order and not one met by humanitarian actors of the future obstacles include a predisposition the contemporary international aid tem provides an essential role in the viable, and those in need can be increasing resources alone. will need in order to address today’s on behalf of humanitarian agencies system and the international politi- delivery of humanitarian aid in con- reached safely), the international Humanitarian agencies, whether disasters, characterized as they are by to view academics as consultants cal system in which humanitarian texts where states are either unwill- humanitarian community does not international NGOs or U.N. agencies, increasingly complex operations and (universities do not do work for organizations operate will provide ing or unable to meet the immediate have the capacity to meet the needs have a long tradition of collaborat- politics. hire), misconceptions about core context for why broader partnerships humanitarian needs of their citizens of today’s disaster-impacted popula- ing with a variety of actors, including Many of the research methods tenets of the academic freedom to are needed. following a disaster. The internation- tions. This is due in part to limited universities, private corporations, and tools employed by academ- publish results, and misunderstand- al humanitarian system, consisting numbers of adequately trained and legions of individual consultants, ics in their research enable strong ings about the administrative costs espite their key role in the of U.N. operational agencies, a large skilled staff, limited funds for inter- and militaries. These partners serve empirical analysis of the effective- of doing business with universities. different functions, ranging from Others have already covered many delivery of aid in major number of international nongov- national relief efforts, and too few 1 Stoddard, Abby, Adele Harmer, and Kathleen Ryou, “Aid Ddisasters, international ernmental organizations, along with people stretched too far to be able to indirectly providing aid to people Worker Security Report 2014,” Humanitarian Outcomes. of these issues, but they continue to 51 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 52 persist and create barriers to effective spective evaluator in the unenviable technical and management skills, and collaboration. position of having to make do with an enhanced understanding of the Universities can be strong partners what data are available post-hoc in operational, political, economic, and for humanitarian agencies, especially the absence of data that were sys- cultural contexts in which humani- when both sides come to the table tematically collected (as the result tarian actors deliver aid. We owe it to with a longer-term plan in mind, of a thoughtful research design) at disaster-affected populations, as well clear research questions that require key points in the delivery of the aid as to the people that have devoted solid research design, data collection, program. their lives to serving them, to pro- and appropriate analytic methods vide the very best education, train- to clarify how inferences made from here are clear benefits to be ing, tools, and resources to advance data are related to the impact of realized by advancing exist- humanitarian practice. humanitarian programs on the com- ing partnerships between munities being served. University academicT and humanitarian aid or- partners are too often sought as a ganizations and developing new rela- means of providing a badge of legiti- tionships between academic, private, macy on a donor-driven requirement international and national militaries, for a program evaluation component, and voluntary groups. The challenges which more often than not, is tacked posed by today’s disasters require a on after the fact rather than designed multi-sector, multi-disciplinary ap- as an integral program component proach that draws on the expertise from the start. This leaves the pro- of professionals with a myriad of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees relief items are unloaded onto the tarmac at Tacloban. HHI Executive Director Vincenzo Bollettino visited Tacloban, Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan to assess civil-military coordination in response to the disaster.

LIAISON Volume VII Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 54 53 | Vincenzo Bollettino/ HHI Understanding resilience resilient because of potential communities, or organizations, The past decade has seen a shift vulnerabilities, they may be resilient exposed to disasters and crises away from a focus on risks and as part of a supportive and capable and underlying vulnerabilities to: vulnerabilities towards recognition family unit, social or community • anticipate, of the capacity in people and context, or as a result of broader • reduce the impact of, communities and the potential political and economic influences. • cope with, Disaster preparedness: Bronfenbrenner’s socioecological • adapt to, to reduce risks by building on strengths. This is influencing model of resilience demonstrates • and recover from these micro, meso and macro the effects of adversity without emergency preparedness, Partnerships to promote resilience influences on individual resilience compromising their long-term recovery and humanitarian action 10,11 13 internationally and was brought to over time. prospects. By Greg Ireton, prominence through the “Hyogo Resilient individuals and Ability, as used in this definition, Disaster Recovery Consultant and former State Framework for Action 2005-2015: communities should not be seen, in includes both capacity and Government Principal Advisor, Building the Resilience of Nations any way, as immune to the distress capability based on different human, Emergency Management Associate Professor Lisa Gibbs, and Communities to Disasters”.1 and impacts of a disaster. Instead psychological, social, financial, Deputy Director, Jack Brockhoff Child Health & However, despite the widespread resilience refers to the capacity of physical, natural or political assets. Well-being Program, uptake of the concept of resilience, individuals and communities to Each of the described actions, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, it is a contested term with divergent adapt to and reduce the distress and i.e. anticipate, cope, adapt and University of Melbourne, views on definition and application dysfunction caused by the impact. recover, draw on different sets & John Richardson, across research, government and The concept of capacity and ability of competencies, knowledge and National Coordinator-Emergency Preparedness, agencies.2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 as key components is used by most relationships. authors within the definition and The approach to resilience outlined Emergency Services, Resilience essentially refers to 12 Australian Red Cross the capacity to adapt to major approach to resilience. here acknowledges that there is disruption. It has been varyingly While there are varying always a capacity amongst people described in simplistic terms such as representations of resilience as and communities. This capacity ‘bouncing back’ to the status quo pre- either a process or an outcome, it is should be strengthened at both disruption, or ‘bouncing forward’ generally recognized that resilience is individual and community level esilience is clearly the ‘buzz’ word in not a static state of being, but instead as well as addressing underlying to a new way of operating, to more 14 disaster preparedness and recovery. But multi-dimensional definitions that a result of an individual’s adaptive vulnerabilities. what does it really mean? Do we need encompass a number of elements capacities, that is, their capacity to Experience has shown that groups toR do anything about it? If so, how? This article adapt to different circumstances. that are sometimes prominent on such as capacity to access and utilize explores the term ‘resilience’ in the context resources. Resilience operates The individual’s resilience is twofold: lists of the ‘vulnerable’ can be great of disasters, cautions against the simplistic at different levels including the do they possess capacity (e.g. well- sources of strength and resilience notion that individuals and communities are individual, the household or family being, community connections), within communities. Older adults either resilient or vulnerable, and advocates for unit, neighborhood, organization, and what is the dynamic state of may have experienced many partnership approaches to promote resilience and the community-level or within these capacities, e.g., a person who disasters or adversity in the past, that capitalize on multiple fields of expertise community groupings. Whilst an might be considered to have good migrants may bring a range of and experience. Disaster and public health individual may not be considered financial capacity may lose their job. experiences from both developed researchers have a unique contribution to make The term ‘‘adaptive capacities’’ is and developing countries, and in supporting government-agency-community- 1 International Strategy for Disaster Reduction: Hyogo Frame- used to capture this combination. indigenous populations (such as the work for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations academic partnerships in the co-generation and Communities to Disasters. In. www.unisdr.org/wcdr; 2005. Recognizing resilience as a dynamic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 2 Davis R, Cook, D., & Cohen, L.: A community resilience ap- of knowledge and action to support disaster proach to reducing ethnic and racial disparities in health. Ameri- process is critical as circumstances people in Australia) may have a can Journal of Public Health 2005, 95(12):2168-2173. resilience. 3 Norris F, Stevens S: Community resilience and the principles change. good traditional understanding of mass trauma intervention. Psychiatry-Interpersonal and Biological Processes 2007, 70(4):320-328. For the purposes of this article, the of weather and hazards. It is a 4 Price-Robertson R, Knight K: Natural Disasters and Commu- nity Resilience CFCA Paper no. 3. Australian Institute of Family definition of resilience used by the regular occurrence at community Studies 2012. 5 Cox RS, Perry KME: Like a Fish Out of Water: Reconsidering Red Cross’ emergencies program will meetings post-disaster for one or Disaster Recovery and the Role of Place and Social Capital in Community Disaster Resilience. American Journal of Commu- be used: two individuals, often the elderly nity Psychology 2011, 48(3-4):395-411. 6 Bonanno GA: Loss, trauma, and human resilience - Have we The ability of individuals, members of the community, to be underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American Psychologist 2004, 59:20-28. 10 Bronfenbrenner U: The Ecology of Human Development: able to detail what this community 7 Norris FH, Stevens SP, Pfefferbaum B, Wyche KF, Pfefferbaum Experiments by Nature and Design. United States of America: RL: Community resilience as a metaphor, theory, set of capaci- Harvard University Press; 1979. did to recover from the impact ties, and strategy for disaster readiness. American journal of com- 11 Bronfenbrenner U: Making Human beings human: Bioeco- Wildfires munity psychology 2008, 41(1-2):127-150. logical perspectives on human development.: Thousand Oaks: of a previous disaster in the years 8 Steiner A, Markantoni M: Unpacking community resilience Sage Publications; 2005. ravage the through Capacity for Change. Community Development Journal 12 Mayunga J: Understanding and Applying the Concept of Australian 2013, Advance Access. Community Disaster Resilience: A capacity-based approach. . 13 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent: The outback in 9 Zautra A, Hall J, Murray K: Community Development and In: A draft working paper prepared for the summer academy for Road to resilience: IFRC discussion paper on resilience. In.; Community Resilience: An Integrative Approach. Community social vulnerability and resilience building, 22 - 28 July 2007. 2012. 2012. Development Journal 2008, 39(3):130-147. Munich, Germany; 2007. 14 Ibid.

55 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Paul Williams/ Flickr Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 56 before many other locals were born. upon community by government, 2011 Christchurch Earthquake in Other stakeholders such as service community, government, emergency, a variety of mechanisms including This demonstrates that simplistic nongovernmental organizations, New Zealand. providers and government are often and service agencies.24 This study partner meetings, regular community notions of resilience are not helpful. and volunteers, as well as the typical Similar challenges were evident engaged as partners in the research is exploring the interplay between visits, email communication, social Instead, it is important to recognize plethora of well-meaning donations. following the 2009 bushfires in as well. This approach can be usefully individual and community-level media, information networks, phone that people and communities will This approach can reinforce feelings Australia in terms of gaining support applied in the promotion of resilience recovery from the impacts of the calls and seminars. be resilient with respect to some of dependency amongst the disaster for a partnership approach and in disaster preparedness and Victorian 2009 bushfires on mental circumstances and potentially affected and destroy opportunities ensuring that appropriate skills were recovery. Involving researchers in health, social connectedness and uilding resilience as part of vulnerable with respect to others, to fully utilize inherent resilience. present both amongst those assisting the process provides the opportunity well-being (www.beyondbushfires. disaster preparedness is a and that this will shift over time and Therefore, it is important to communities to recover as well as for decision-making to be guided by org.au). In doing so it is identifying critical means of promot- context. A strengths-based approach establish partnership approaches within communities themselves.20 the existing evidence base and also a wide-range of risk and protective ingB positive outcomes in response to resilience adopts a positive within community, agencies, and The need to invest time initially in for the partners to co-generate new factors that impact on resilience and and recovery. While the definition starting point that recognizes and government, but Olshanshky and developing a shared understanding knowledge about local issues. recovery. Community participatory of the term resilience is contested, utilizes existing strengths and seeks colleagues, in their report on lessons of community participation was The CBPR Conceptual Model (see research methods have provided the there is no debate that it provides a to build these further, while also from the Los Angeles 1994 and identified by both community leaders below) developed by Wallerstein and opportunity for community, service strengths-based approach to disaster identifying potential vulnerabilities Kobe 1995 earthquakes,17 warn: “It and agencies.21,22 It was also noted colleagues provides a useful tool for providers and government to shape preparedness that recognizes the ca- and providing necessary supports.15 is difficult to invent participatory that there needed to be allowance for developing a partnership approach the study, be part of the learning pacity of individuals and communi- Norris and colleagues suggest five processes in the intensity of a post- the respective roles of community to resilience as part of disaster process, contribute to interpretation ties, and the potential to reduce risks actions to enhance community disaster situation.” and agencies to change over time at preparedness activities. They suggest of findings, and ensure the findings by building on strengths and creating resilience in reference to a disaster Equally, adopting a resilience or different stages of recovery. that there are four linked domains of can inform key questions about supportive environments. This is response: 1) addressing social shared responsibility approach to The other challenge of truly CBPR: Contexts; Group Dynamics community, policy and service best achieved through a community- inequities and vulnerabilities and disaster management does not mean engaging with community can be and Equitable Partnerships; provision. Participation in research based partnership approach that buffering economic resources; 2) a divestment of responsibility by how to define ‘community’. It can be Intervention and Research; and decision-making is achieved through draws on existing knowledge and

the participation of the community government and agencies, because defined by geography, a community Outcomes. They provide suggested 24 Gibbs L, Waters E, Bryant R, Pattison P, Lusher D, Harms L, expertise through the contributions Richardson J, MacDougall C, Block K, Snowdon E et al: Beyond in the assessment and generation individuals or communities are of interest, or a community as items to record in each of these Bushfires: Community, Resilience and Recovery - A longitudi- of community, government, agencies 18 nal mixed method study of the medium to long term impacts of of problem lists and solutions; 3) perceived to be resilient. The shift defined by the impact of the disaster, domains as a stimulus for discussion bushfires on mental health and social connectedness. BMC Pub- and researchers to generate new local the capacity of the extant support in agency activity should be away and often these communities will among partners about the unique lic Health 2013, 13:1036. knowledge and action. services to respond with efficacy to a from direct intervention towards have ill-defined boundaries and features crisis; 4) the establishment of buffers facilitation and capacity building competing interest groups within of a given for existing social supports, in part to in individuals and local agencies them. This also makes it difficult partnership. facilitate and enhance information that is aimed at unlocking latent to determine who represents the This agreed exchange following a crisis; and 5) resilience. Maintaining the centrality community, requiring transparent record then the establishment of trusted and of community in a disaster resilience processes to invite participation and becomes flexible communication networks approach requires the development share information. the basis of to enhance community response to of capacity and strategies at all levels the shared future unknown insults.16 to achieve meaningful engagement The role of research in resilience approach, and collaboration between the means of government, agencies, community approaches monitoring Building resilience Community-based participatory It is vital that approaches to representatives and community progress, members. research (CBPR) is a well-established and a way of developing resilience are included approach in which the community is as part of disaster preparedness, Vallance warns that much of the representing research highlighting the benefits recognized for having expertise about final status. and are robust enough to function the community context. Community effectively during the response and of community engagement assumes Beyond both a willingness and capability of representatives are active partners Bushfires recovery. This preparation provides in the research, contributing to the opportunity to build trusting both authorities and communities is a five- to engage effectively.19 Vallance goes decision-making and knowledge year study relationships between and amongst exchange at all stages in the process.23 community members, agencies and on to state that her research indicates led by the that this willingness and capability University of government. 20 Anon: Lessons Learned by Communities Recovery Commit- can take time. Resistance was clear tees of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires - Advice for Government. Melbourne Disaster response and recovery In. http://www.strathewen.vic.au/strathewen-community-groups/ at both levels following the February strathewen-community-renewal-association/reports-to-mem- in commonly involves a convergence bers/ Accessed 1 Oct 2014; May 2011. 17 McLennan BJ, Handmer J: Reframing responsibility-sharing 21 Israel B, Schulz A, Parker E, Becker A: Review of partnership for bushfire risk management in Australia after Black Saturday. Community-Based Research: Assessing Partnership Approaches 15 Richardson JF: Beyond Vulnerability: Developing Disaster Environmental Hazards 2012, 11(1):1-15. to Improve Public Health. Annual Review of Public Health with a Resilience Capacities to target preparedness activities. In: Aus- 18 Vallance S: Early Disaster Recovery: A guide for communi- 1998, 19:173-202. tralian and New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management ties. Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies 2011, 22 Ibid. range of Conference. Gold Coast, 5-7 May 2014; 2014. 2011-2:19-25. 23 Israel B, Schulz A, Parker E, Becker A: Review of Com- 16 Olshansky R, Johnson L, Topping K: Rebuilding communities 19 Webber R, Jones K: Implementing ‘community development’ munity-Based Research: Assessing Partnership Approaches to stakeholders following disaster: Lessons from Kobe and Los Angeles. Built in a post-disaster situation. Community Development Journal Improve Public Health. Annual Review of Public Health 1998, Environment 2006, 32(4):354-375. 2013, 48(2):248-263. 19:173-202. including

57 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 58 Center for Exce llence in Disaster Management & Hum anitarian Assistance celebrates years Liaison Staff 59 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 20 Li- aison Staff CFE-DMHA Burkle straddled the two worlds – 30- traditional sense – the Center does n 1989, the U.S. military was plus years in the military, and even not deliver water or food to disaster an impressive sight to behold – more time in academia teaching and victims, it does not help rebuild after more than two million service responding to humanitarian crises a typhoon destroys a city; CFE- members,I armed with the latest and around the world. It was through DMHA isn’t a headline stealer, or a greatest advances in modern warfare, that dual life experience that Burkle star maker – instead, the employees stood ready to defend the nation saw a need for better communication work behind the scenes, before the against any foe. President Ronald between the two response groups. disaster strikes, to preemptively help Reagan had infused the military Burkle proposed the idea to start responding organizations be more ef- with enough funds to dominate the a civil-military coordination center fective through best practices, lessons landscape, and America’s largest ad- to Hawaii Senator Daniel K. Inouye. learned and educational programs. versary, the Soviet Union, struggled Sen. Inouye, a military veteran and “The only proper way to respond Medal of Honor recipient, spent to a disaster is to be prepared for to maintain a comparable level of Katryn Tuton/ CFE-DMHA decades in the House of Representa- one,” said Col. Joseph Martin, direc- Angela Kershner/ USAPAC weaponry, doctrine and training. (Left) Mara Langevin, a disaster management and humanitarian assistance advisor for CFE-DMHA, gives a lecture on U.S. military education and training in humanitar- And then, without warning, “The tives and Senate working to build tor of CFE-DMHA since May 2014. ian assistance and disaster response (HADR) during the U.S. Army Pacific’s annual Disaster Management Exchange (DME) with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army a stronger, more prepared Hawaii “That’s why this organization is so (PLA) in China Jan. 13. Langevin joined a team of U.S. military and civilian HADR experts coordinating with their PLA counterparts to promote best practices in disaster Wall” came down, and the adversary response. (Right) Col. Joseph Martin, director of CFE-DMHA, welcomes Ambassador-Designate to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat, currently the deputy assistant secretary quickly crumbled. and Pacific community. Through his unique: we help coordinate exer- of the Bureau of Human Resources at the U.S. Department of State, to CFE-DMHA’s headquarters building on Ford Island, Hawaii Jan. 21. In the years following the end of dedication to a more comprehensive cises and educational programs that the Cold War, many government or- disaster preparedness and response build capacities and capabilities in the acknowledged ‘humanitarian gap’ Education & Training Emergencies in Large Populations environment, legislation to create our partner nations before a disaster ganizations were searching for a new between the disaster needs that the Equally important to the Center’s (H.E.L.P.) course in collaboration CFE-DMHA was drafted by his office strikes.” purpose. The United States military, relief community is being asked to aim to improve civil-military coor- with the International Committee and advocated for tirelessly in Con- On the forefront of CFE-DMHA’s having spent decades looking toward satisfy and the resources available to dination during disaster response of the Red Cross and in partnership gress until it passed in 1994. efforts to build capabilities in Asia- the Iron Curtain, was no exception. meet them.” lies its efforts to better prepare for with the University of Hawaii. The Center found a home at Tri- Pacific nations, stands an effort to As debate over the objective of a non- However, the military represents a disasters through education, both Brought to the Center in 1998 by pler Army Medical Center on Oahu improve civil-military coordination combat military took place, a new cornucopia of assets: transportation for civilian humanitarians and U.S. Dr. Burkle, the H.E.L.P. course pro- where it began the work of partner- during disaster response. mission emerged on its own. (land, air and sea); fuel; communica- military personnel. CFE-DMHA in- vides international participants with ing with the United Nations, univer- CFE-DMHA addresses issues that In the early 1990s, natural disasters tions; medical personnel and sup- structs approximately eight Humani- a two-week, comprehensive under- sities, the Center for Disease Control, no single agency or organization can and humanitarian crises in Iraq, Bos- plies; commodities including food, tarian Assistance Response Train- standing of the major public health and a variety of civilian nongov- address on its own, and builds the nia, Herzegovina, Somalia and Ban- building supplies and materials; tools ing (HART) courses a year for U.S. issues to be addressed among popu- ernmental organizations to realize groundwork of cooperation between gladesh gave the military a renewed and equipment; manpower; techni- military service members around lations affected by natural disasters, a more connected civil-military the civilian (where many issues are sense of purpose, yet coordination cal assistance (especially logistics and the Asia-Pacific. The HART course complex emergencies and internal DMHA community. addressed) and the military (who are between the military and civilian- communications) and facilities. focuses on civil-military relations, displacement. requested to assist), said Martin. sector humanitarian relief remained “Learning how to cooperate for including interacting with agencies “My agenda at that time was to get ow, for twenty years “The intent is to get the military unorganized and disjointed. This [humanitarian assistance and disaster of the affected state and humanitar- the U.S., not just the government, but CFE-DMHA has reached in and out as quickly as possible,” he gap was uncovered and in 1994 the response] is… the future of the secu- ian organizations during response the military, knowing more about… beyond the borders of its said. “And let the nongovernmental United States Congress established rity environment in the Asia-Pacific,” operations. international humanitarian law, the Hawaii-basedN location into the far organizations and the humanitarian said Adm. Samuel Locklear, com- Geneva conventions, and how we the Center for Excellence in Disas- Additionally, for personnel un- corners of the disaster management, community do what they do best – ter Management and Humanitarian mander of U.S. Pacific Command. able to attend a course in person, work in the core competencies when preparedness and humanitarian com- help people and communities rebuild Assistance (CFE-DMHA) as a way to This means that the moment an the HART course has been made you’re out there with the NGOS and munities to better prepare and in- – but, to smoothly coordinate that build partnerships and collaborations affected state’s government requests available through the Department of the other players,” said Burkle. form those most at risk. As written in transition, there has to be communi- between the military and civilian international assistance, military Defense’s Joint Knowledge Online The H.E.L.P. course utilizes its congressional mandate, the Center cation and interoperability.” DMHA organizations. forces from around the world rush to (JKO) training portal. instructors from NGOs such as focuses on education, research, and Though the military is often the “It was really Operation Provide help. Humanitarian groups already “The Center holds a comparative RedR – Australia and subject matter training “in civil-military operations, first to arrive post-disaster, according Comfort in ’92 that put in my mind: operating in the host nation tradi- advantage in disaster management experts from academic institutions, particularly operations that require to the “Oslo Guidelines”, an inter- ‘we really need to set up a center tionally have warehouses of supplies education over other education and governmental organizations such international disaster management nationally respected report by the where all these strange bedfellows – pre-stationed to distribute to those in training environments in the De- as the World Health Organization, and humanitarian assistance and United Nations Office for the Coor- the U.N., NGOS, the military – have need. The Center helps prepare the partment of Defense,” said Martin. and military commands to provide operations that require coordination dination of Humanitarian Affairs, the a place to really focus on policy, ad- two sides for coordination to get the “The return on investment for the perspectives from the different actors between the Department of Defense military is a means of “last resort,” vocacy, how we were going to work aid where it needs to go. HART, and HART Online, make it supporting humanitarian response and other agencies.” only acting as “a tool complement- together,’” says Dr. Frederick “Skip” That preparation is done in many an invaluable tool in educating those and allow participants to build rela- Functioning as the coordinating ing existing relief mechanisms in Burkle, the Center’s first director ways: most likely involved an a disaster tionships prior to a devastating event. authority for U.S. Pacific Command, order to provide specific support to (1994 – 2000). response.” “Along with John Hopkins [Uni- the Center is not operational in the specific requirements, in response to A U.S. Navy Reserve captain, The Center also facilitates a Health versity], we were the first to have the

61 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 62 H.E.L.P. course in the United States and are the only DOD organization to teach it,” said Burkle. Twenty Years: Plans & Analysis A Timeline The CFE-DMHA planners work in concert with service components and U.S. Pacific Command staff to incor- porate DMHA initiatives into their 100s of courses, 1000s 1994 1996 two to five year operations planning. of engagements. Through the guidance The Combined Humanitarian As- “We provide inputs to key strategic and dedication of Senator sistance Response Training (CHART) planning groups to ensure DMHA Continuing down the Daniel K. Inouye and Dr. course is created to provide disaster is considered in every aspect of the road to excellence in Frederick “Skip” Burkle, Jr., response personnel with instruction overall PACOM mission,” said Mike disaster management. CFE-DMHA was written into U.S. on civilian-military relations in Sashin, Plans and Analysis Branch Code Title 10 and opened in disaster environments, including chief. Liaison Staff October 1994 at Tripler Army interacting with agencies of the Additionally, the staff coordinates Medical Center. affected state and humanitarian agencies. with personnel from the Office of Defense Cooperation, State Depart- ment country teams and U.S. Agency Bob Goodwin/ APCSS for International Development in order to ensure civil-military coop- Mike Sashin, CFE-DMHA Plans and Analysis Branch chief, gives a lecture at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. Humanitarians eration within partner nations in the June are introduced to projects and proposals to expand re- 1999 Meals Ready to 1998 Asia-Pacific. Information Sharing & Research Eat (MREs). Once the planners stage an event, For decades, research papers, search from the classroom to the field After years of coordination, CFE- the engagements branch takes over. reports and after action analysis and provide comprehensive analysis First issue DMHA director Dr. Skip Burkle is of Liaison have been performed by response on civil-military coordination in authorized by the International Magazine Committee of the Red Cross to organizations around the world, but disaster environments. Engagements In 2013, the Center partnered is released. facilitate the Health Emergencies Through a team of DMHA advi- no repository existed to compile the in Large Populations (H.E.L.P.) information in one location. Enter with Harvard Humanitarian Initia- sors, CFE-DMHA participates and tive during the response of Typhoon course. The Center remains facilitates exercises, workshops and the Center’s Virtual Information Re- the only U.S. Department source Center (VIRC) built to house Haiyan’s destructive path through of Defense organization seminars around the Asia-Pacific. the Philippines, and the Center con- From Pacific Partnership, which disaster response lessons learned and authorized to instruct the best practices from throughout the tinues to work with the University of course. brings together up to 12 nation’s Hawaii at Manoa, Columbia Uni- navies, to Exercise Cobra Gold in community. The research team also builds versity, and countless organizations Thailand, the Center’s advisors such as the Pacific Disaster Center provide subject matter expertise to Disaster Management Reference Handbooks that provide a baseline and National Disaster Preparedness build partner capacity and coordinate Training Center. civilian and NGO participation in the of information regarding countries 1999 Late 2000 most prone to disasters. Maintain- 1999 events. verall, a lot has changed The organization also helps test ing an operational perspective, the in twenty years, and a lot CFE-DMHA helps facilitate The first handbook, The Center, in coordination with partner nation’s disaster manage- handbooks provide a general under- security workshop with the United Nations Department of standing of a nation’s disaster man- has stayed the same for the known as the ‘CFE ment plans. In 2011, advisors organization.O The mission of CFE- international NGO World Primer on East Timor’, Peacekeeping Operations, led a agement capability and vulnerability Vision and U.S. Marine Forces series of peacekeeping work- travelled to Fiji with experts from the DMHA remains, “to better equip… is given to President Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to for use for response groups traveling Pacific, the first collaborative Bill Clinton on the shops, which contributed to the to relief sites for a clearer picture of ”and as we move out of a period of training effort between World creation of the Department of test the National Disaster Manage- severe disaster recovery with joint tarmac at Hickam Air ment Office’s tsunami response plan. where they are going (geography, Vision and the U.S. military. Force Base. State Global Peace Operations history, climate, etc.) and whom they efforts to recuperate from disasters Initiative in 2005. Using simulated computer models worldwide, the Center is poised to of what a tsunami in Fiji would look will be helping when they get there (community). continue its work to aid Asia-Pacific like, the country was able to incorpo- DMHA partnerships and planning rate lessons from the simulation to Additionally, the researchers part- ner with academic institutions and for a future that is more connected make their preparation for a tsunami and better prepared. stronger. partner organizations on research

63 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 64 2001 2002 2004-5 2005 2006 2007 CFE-DMHA becomes a direct report- The Center is tasked Director Gerard “Pete” CFE-DMHA staff Staff provides support The first Disaster Manage- ing unit to U.S. Pacific Command to help develop and ex- Bradford III served as the seconded as Civil- to USPACOM response ment Response Handbooks (USPACOM), streamlining efforts for ecute USPACOM’s HIV/ Joint Interagency Coordina- Military personnel after Leyte are released – Vietnam increased civil-military coordination AIDS initiative through tion Group commander Coordination mudslide in the and Thailand. in the Asia-Pacific, while continuing to presidential funding during USPACOM’s disaster (CMCOORD) officer Philippines. receive program direction and policy for AIDS research. response operations after in response to South guidance from the Assistant Secretary the devastating Indian Asia earthquake in of Defense for Special Operations/ Ocean Tsunami. Addition- Pakistan. Low-Intensity Conflict (ASD/SOLIC). ally, staff played a sig- nificant supporting role to USPACOM in the planning and execution of Operation Unified Assistance.

August June March October 2013 2013 2013 2011 2010 2009 2007 The Center entered into letters Established the Virtual Information Resource After nearly 19 years at Tripler Army Medical Center Jim Welsh, Dr. Amy The CHART course CFE-DMHA helps facilitate Inaugural Pandemic of understanding with Columbia Center (VIRC) aimed at carefully collecting, on Fort Shafter, CFE-DMHA finds a new home in Stormer and Tom transitions to the security workshop with the Influenza workshops University’s National Center organizing and sharing disaster manage- historic building 76 on Ford Island in the heart of Dolan travel to HART course, which international NGO World Vi- and symposiums for Disaster Preparedness, the ment literature and operationally useful Pearl Harbor. Japan in support of continues to provide sion and U.S. Marine Forces launched in col- Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, documents, reports and reference material Operation Tomoda- U.S. military service Pacific, the first collabora- laboration with the Asia-Pacific Center for Security including best practices, lessons observed, chi following the members with civil- tive training effort between U.S. Centers for Studies, Pacific Disaster Center, disaster management handbooks, after action Great East Japan military coordination World Vision and the U.S. Disease Control and and the University of Hawaii. reports and capacity assessments with the Earthquake and training worldwide. military. the United Nations global disaster management and humanitar- Tsunami. World Health Organi- ian response community. zation (WHO). John Miller, lead HART instructor, facilitates approximately eight classes annually.

November March May January 2013 2014 2014 2015 2015 Staff members fly to The Center launched its new website: www.cfe-dmha.org Col. Joseph Martin takes The Center’s Disaster The road to excellence the Philippines after over as director of CFE- Management Primer, Typhoon Haiyan DMHA. Martin joins the DMHA 101, launches continues... ravishes the country team from USPACOM where online. to support civil- he most recently served military coordination as director for Pacific during international Outreach Directorate. disaster response efforts.

65 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 66 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

1 United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction March 14 – 18, 2015 Sendai, Japan 6 2 United Nations Office for the Coordination 1 of Humanitarian Affairs 4 Civil-Military Coordination Course March 22 – 27 Kula Lumpur, Malaysia 8 3 7 5 2 3 Asian Disaster Preparedness Center Second International Training Course on Managing Risk in the Face of Climate Change March 23 – April 3 Bangkok, Thailand

4 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance Humanitarian Assistance Response Training (HART) Course April 7 - 10 San Diego, California, USA

5 Association of Southeast Asian Nations 7 Asian Disaster Preparedness Center ASEAN Regional Forum Disaster Relief Exercise 24th Regional Training Course on Community (ARF DiREX) 2015 Based Disaster Risk Reduction in a Changing May 24 – 28 Climate Kedah, Malaysia July 13 – 24 Bangkok, Thailand

6 ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustain- 8 International Federation of the Red Cross ability & World Mayors Council on Climate and Red Crescent Societies & CFE-DMHA Change Secretariat Health Emergencies in Large Populations Resilient cities 2015: Sixth global forum on ur- (H.E.L.P.) Course ban resilience and adaptation Summer June 8 – 10 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, USA Germany

67 LIAISON Volume VII | Spring 2015 Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance 68 C E N T E R F O X C L N I D S A T E R M A N G T & H U M A N I TA R I A N S TA N C E 4 5 6 H O R N E T A V E N U • J B P H , I 9 6 8 0 - 3 5 C F . D M A T @ P A C O M . I L ( 8 0 ) 4 7 2 - 5 1 • 3 [ D S N ] F W W W . C F E - D M H A O R G A X ]

CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT & HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE 456 HORNET AVENUE•JBPHH, HI 96860-3530•[email protected] (808) 472-0518•(315) 472-0518 [ DSN] •(808) 472-0382 [ FAX] WWW.CFE-DMHA.ORG