U.S. Department of DefenseU.S. Department of Defense

Humanitarian Assistance:Humanitarian Assistance:

Programs and ActivitiesPrograms and Activities

David A. Tarantino, MDDavid A. Tarantino, MD

Civil-Military Policy AdvisorCivil-Military Policy Advisor

ASD SO/LIC Stability OperationsASD SO/LIC Stability Operations

703-697-3309 | dtaranti@mail.policy.osd.mil703-697-3309 | dtaranti@mail.policy.osd.mil

Office of the Secretary of Defense(OSD)

D irec to r(H A /A P L )H A P o licy

D A S DS tab ility O p era tion s

A S D(S O /L IC )

A S D(IS A )

U S D(P O L IC Y )

U S D(A & T)

U S D(C om p tro lle r)

U S D(P & R )

S E C D E F

Areas of ResponsibilityHumanitarian Affairs Office

•International Humanitarian Assistance

•Foreign Disaster Relief

•Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic Aid Funds

•Humanitarian Demining

•Landmine Policy

•Migrant Operations

•International HIV/AIDS (foreign militaries)

Mission

Pursue humanitarian-related efforts as a form of defense by other means:

•Address US security interests globally by supporting CINC cooperation objectives regionally

•Contribute to peace and stability in at-risk countries

•Positively impact dire humanitarian situations

DoD Role in Humanitarian Affairs

• Complementary and in support of other USG agencies

-- Department of State

-- US Agency for International Development

• Brings unique capabilities to crisis situations

-- Logistics

-- Forward presence

-- Transportation

• Must protect against excessive or inappropriate demands on DoD assets

Humanitarian Assistanceand

Humanitarian/Civic Assistance

Overview of DoD Humanitarian Assistance

• Involvement of DoD in humanitarian assistance operations is one aspect of the US military role in non-traditional military missions.

• Humanitarian assistance to areas in need provides access, builds relations, and reflects positively on the US military.

• Helping to reduce significant suffering and enhance stability in a particular country or region lowers the likelihood US forces will be needed later to salvage a deteriorating internal situation, evacuate US citizens, or protect international organizations.

Humanitarian Assistance-A CINC Security Cooperation Tool

•OSD provides overall guidance for DoD Humanitarian Assistance while the CINCs design and implement programs tailored to each region for purposes of :

-- Shaping regional security environments

-- Establishing constructive relations in the region

-- Preparing for and responding to crises

-- Strengthening bilateral military-to-military and military-to-civilian relations

Legislative Authorities(Title 10, U.S.Code)

• Sec 2561. Humanitarian assistance (“other humanitarian purposes worldwide”)

• Sec 2557. Non-lethal excess property: humanitarian relief

• Sec 402. Transportation of humanitarian relief supplies to foreign countries

• Sec 401. Humanitarian and civic assistance provided in conjunction with military operations

• Country Teams nominate projects to the CINC

• CINCs prepare project proposals and submit to OSD

• OSD staffs proposals within DoD and the interagency

• Appropriate projects are approved

• CINCs task units to execute the projects

• Projects are evaluated

Process for HA Engagement Projects

Humanitarian Assistance Activities

• Capacity Building Programs (disaster preparednessfocus)

• Rudimentary Construction

• Funded Transportation of Donated Relief Supplies: (using US military or commercial assets)

• Donation of DoD Non-lethal Excess Property

• Humanitarian Daily Rations

Capacity Building Programs

•Disaster Preparedness/Response

-- Disaster preparedness assessments

-- Training host nation disaster organizations

-- Establishment of regional disaster stockpiles

• Medical Activities

-- Disease and Vector Control

-- Medical Deployments

Rudimentary Construction

• Authorized under DoD legal authorities, complies with statute’s definition of “other humanitarian purposes worldwide”

• Refurbishment or construction of hospitals, clinics, sanitation facilities, water system and schools

Funded Transportationof Relief Supplies

• Conducted under Section 2561 of OHDACA

-- Originated in 1980s to provide HA to Afghan resistance

-- Expanded to allow transport of cargo for NGOs, IOs, and DoD non-lethal excess property

• Transportation by most economical means

-- Airlift generally used only for items with short shelf-life

(pharmaceuticals) or emergency requirement

-- Airlifted shipments usually carried out by commercially contracted carriers

Non-Lethal Excess Property

• Non-lethal DoD EP for humanitarian purposes authorized under Section 2557

•Property no longer needed by DoD donated to support security/foreign policy goals

U.S. Embassy responsible for distributing EP to host government or NGO/IO

• Defense Logistics Agency provides logistics services, technical support, repair services and parts, assembly/disassembly, and maintenance before transporting EP to ports of embarkation

Non-Lethal Excess Property

• Medical Equipment and Supplies

• Vehicles

• Tents

• Generators

• Clothing

Humanitarian Daily Rations

• Funded by DoD Humanitarian Appropriation (OHDACA)

• Short-term needs of refugees, displaced persons, and other needy segments of the population

• Based on Meal Ready-to-Eat (MRE) concept • No animal products, alcohol; requires no cooking or

water• Single package provides full day’s nutrition (2000

calories)• Less costly than MREs (eliminated need to drawdown MREs in

emergencies)• DoD provides air transport for emergency response

• HA activities in conjunction with military exercises/ operations

• Funding - Services

• Pays for consumables, incremental costs

• Primary purpose is training for US forces:

• Medical (MEDCAP, MEDFLAG)• Dental• Veterinary• Engineering (roads, wells,

rudimentary buildings)

Humanitarian and Civic Assistance

• Examples:MEDFLAG – Medical cooperation exercises in African nations: Mass casualty exercises/medical training combined with joint treatment of underserved civilians

NEW HORIZONS – Exercises in Latin America – promotes mil-mil interaction, combinedwith joint engineering projects -- construct schools/clinics/wells

Humanitarian and Civic Assistance

DOD HCA Review FY00

• Countries with HCA projects - FY00Antigua Bangladesh Belize BoliviaCameroon Colombia Costa Rica Dom. Rep.East Timor Ecuador El Salvador EstoniaFYROM Gabon Georgia GhanaGrenada Guatemala Guyana HaitiHonduras Indonesia Jamaica JordanKazakhstan Kenya Laos LithuaniaMadagascar Malawi Malaysia Marshall Is.Mauritania Moldova Mongolia NicaraguaPalau Peru Philippines RomaniaSeychelles Tanzania Thailand Trinidad/Tob.Tunisia

Disaster Relief

Foreign Disaster ReliefOverview

• US military is not an instrument of first resort in responding to humanitarian crises

-- DoD supports civilian relief agencies

• However, US military may be involved when:

-- Disaster exceeds the response capabilities of civilian relief agencies

-- There is urgent need for immediate relief

-- US military has unique assets to contribute

• When the US military does become involved:

-- The military mission should be clearly defined-- The risks should be minimal

-- The involvement should aim at jump-starting civilian relief efforts

-- The exit conditions should be clear

Trends in Disaster Relief

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

FY1997 FY1998 FY1999 FY2000

OFDA DeclaredDisasters# DoD Participation

Amount DoD Expended*FY 1997 $0FY 1998 $8,780,000FY 1999 $203,563,430FY 2000 $64,010,000

*Includes OHDACA, Drawdown, & CINC Funds

# O

F D

ISA

ST

ER

S

24

DoD Disaster Relief and the Interagency

DEPT OF STATE (PRM, POL-MIL IO, REGIONAL)

DEPT OF DEFENSE(OSD, JOINT STAFF, CINC)

DEPT OF COMMERCE (NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC & ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION)

DEPT OF AGRICULTURE (FOREST SERVICE)

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES(CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL)

DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION (US COAST GUARD)

DEPT OF JUSTICE(IMMIGRATION &NATURALIZATION SERVICE)

NATIONAL SECURITYCOUNCIL (DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS &HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS)

US AGENCY FOR INT’L DEVELOPMENT

(OFFICE OF FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE)

Request/Decision Process for DoD Supported Disaster Relief

DisasterRequest from HN via

US Embassy (Country Team)

State/AID

AID/OFDA* assesses needs/requirements

OSD Policy

Formal request to DoD via ExecSec

The Joint Staff

Policy channels directive to plan/execute the mission via DSCA or ExecSec, as appropriate

CINC

1.

3.

5.6.

2.

SOLIC staffs recommendation with OSD regional offices, DSCA, GC, Comptroller, JS, others as appropriate

4.

Supports response; commits DoS resources; develops request for DoD assistance

* may include HAST team.* may include HAST team.

Phases of a Disaster

Preparedness & Mitigation

Disaster

Immediate Response

Rapid Assessment

Rehabilitation Efforts

Reconstruction

Continuous Assessment

Early Warning

• Airlift of Relief Supplies • Damage Assessments • Search and Rescue Ops• Evacuations• Care for Displaced Civilians • Acute Medical Care• HDRs for Emergency Needs • Specialized Equipment(e.g., water purification units)

Disaster Relief Activities

US Military Response

• US military support flows from US commitments agreed to by the host nation and the US Government

• US military support is short-term stop-gap

• Focus on immediate relief and emergency operations

Emergency Relief Operations• Objective is to save lives and stabilize the

situation

• Operations are driven by damage assessments and critical needs

• Heavy reliance on specialized troops and aviation, both rotary and fixed wing

Rehabilitation Operations

• Focus is on restoring critical infrastructure necessary for transporting relief supplies and restoring medical care

• Not intended to reconstruct society

• Heavy reliance on damage assessments

Recent DOD Disaster Assistance• Vietnam flooding -- airlift of relief supplies• Belize (Hurricane Keith) -- helo support• El Salvador earthquakes -- helo support, humanitarian

excess property, other humanitarian assistance projects

• India earthquake -- humanitarian excess property, airlift, DOD disaster assessment team (PSAT)

• Nigeria – assistance with UXO clearance• Afghanistan -- humanitarian daily rations, ongoing

military civil affairs work• Hurricane season on the horizon

DoD andDisaster Preparedness

• Major focus of DoD Humanitarian Assistance Program

• Promote/assist disaster preparedness, enhancing host nation capacity to respond

• Promote regional cooperation in disaster preparedness/response

• Decreases likelihood for DoD response

DoD Approachto Disaster Preparedness

• Regional – Support regional disaster preparedness/response networks (Caribbean, Central America)

• Bilateral – Country-specific programs

Disaster Preparedness/Regional

• DoD, with OFDA, plays a lead role in promoting regional disaster organizations

--Caribbean (CDERA) --Central America (CEPREDENAC) El Salvador earthquake example• DoD provides: impetus, training, conferences,

seminars, warehouses• Advice/assistance from Federal Emergency

Management Administration

Disaster Preparedness/Bilateral

• Important part of DoD Humanitarian Assistance program

• Assistance tailored to specific country

Disaster Preparedness/Bilateral

• Disaster Preparedness Assessments,• Training (medical first responder, search

and rescue, etc…) • Construct/equip national warehouses• Construct/train emergency operation

centers• Conferences/seminars, exercises/simulations • Disease outbreak surveillance capabilities

United StatesDepartment of Defense

Humanitarian Assistance and Foreign Disaster Response

David A. Tarantino, MD Civil-Military Policy Advisor OSD SO/LIC Stability Operations703-697-3309dtaranti@mail.policy.osd.mil