Director Paulison Speaks to NATO on the Importance of Civil-Military Cooperation
"By leaning forward and using all available resources, we maximize our efficacy in saving lives."
Release Date: November 16, 2006
Release Number: FNF-06-017
During my last visit to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), I received many questions about the military’s role in Hurricane Katrina from my colleagues in SCEPC (Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committee). Like many other issues during Katrina, the Civil-Military relationship was not as developed as it should have been.
FEMA is responsible for the civil component of this relationship. So I thought it might be helpful to share what the U.S. has done to improve the joint civil-military response to disasters. These lessons may serve NATO and its member states well.
One of the key lessons from Katrina was that lack of early civil-military coordination impeded the response effort. There were many reasons for the delay, but ultimately, it came down to insufficient planning between FEMA and U.S. Department of Defense, known as the DoD. As you know, planning to use military assets in support of domestic operations can create some difficult challenges- at least in the U.S. it can create difficult challenges.
For example, military commanders typically operate under rules of engagement doctrine. In contrast, civil law enforcement agencies operate under use of force doctrine. To bridge this gap, proper planning is critical. The military has assets, capabilities and doctrine that the civilian agencies simply cannot match. And those assets, capabilities and doctrines must be brought to bear as quickly as possible following a disaster. The days and hours that can be saved by proper planning may mean the difference between life and death for disaster victims.
FEMA and DoD have taken this lesson to heart, and have dramatically improved our planning and coordination in support of domestic disaster response. One of our most important planning tools has been pre-scripted mission assignments. We’ve identified the most likely tasks the military would be asked to fulfill, and drafted generic mission assignments for those tasks. These mission assignments leverage the military’s areas of expertise and capabilities where civil agencies typically fall short. To date, we have approved 16 pre-scripted mission assignments with DoD in support of the Nation’s response to disasters. Additionally, we have another 24 mission assignments in place with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
These mission assignments with DoD include Defense Coordinating Officers who provide liaison support and requirements validation. We deem these officers so important that we have placed one full-time officer in each of FEMA’s 10 regional offices. Rotary Wing Lift (Heavy) which supports the movement of personnel and supplies. Rotary Wing Lift (Medium) which provides air support to conduct search and rescue. Tactical transportation provides generic tactical transportation.
Communications Support consists of three types of mission assignments. First Responders communication support provides up to ten 2-person communications teams capable of supporting 4 dedicated users with mobile voice and data communications during initial response. Voice, data, and video communications solutions for 24-hour operations at a fixed location for between 25 and 150 personnel. Emergency Route Clearance can be used to clear key transportation routes, allowing two-way commercial vehicle traffic. Aerial Damage Assessments provide aerial imagery to amplify damage assessments in affected areas. Mobilization and Operational Staging Centers allow FEMA to use military bases to support forward distribution of supplies and equipment to affected area.
Emergency Mass Feeding sites which provide 2 meals per day to affected populations.
Fuel Distribution Points (ground) provides the FEMA the capability to distribute fuel at different locations to first responders and commercial vehicles. In addition to these, we’ve implemented pre-scripted assignments to assist in the evacuation and medical treatment of disaster victims.
Our pre-scripted mission assignments with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to support our recovery efforts include providing bulk water and ice deliveries, debris removal coordination, temporary roofing and temporary housing. For each of these mission assignments, template orders have already been drafted, costs have already been determined, and specific requirements for each mission have already been identified.
In addition to the pre-scripted mission assignments and of utmost importance, we’ve brought together all federal partners, including the military, to further discuss, clarify and agree upon roles and responsibilities. Liaison Officers from DoD have supported our planning efforts with the Joint Department of Military Support (JDOMS), U.S. Northern and Southern Commands, and the National Guard.
DoD planners lend their expertise to FEMA in logistics, transportation, medical, and communications activities, and supporting the Gulf Coast Recovery Office in logistics, transportation, medical, communications, operations, and aviation through this hurricane season.
Operational planning is a critical competency not typically held by civilian response agencies. At the same time, there are many areas of expertise such as urban planning in recovery that the military does not specialize in.
Now, we still have a lot of work to do, but we are in a far better position to respond to disasters today than prior to Hurricane Katrina. Make it clear – disaster response is a civilian responsibility and civilians are in charge. The lessons of civil-military cooperation we learned following Hurricane Katrina have a strong application at NATO.
I come to NATO and the SCEPC as an emergency manager, not as a diplomat or a military advisor. I certainly do not claim to understand all of the intricacies of international politics and policy.
However, with more than 35 years of experience responding to disasters, I do understand emergency management and I understand that my mission as an emergency manager is to protect and save lives. We should judge our success in how we are able to save lives.
In NATO, I see an extraordinarily valuable emergency management capability that is being underutilized. I believe that this is due to the lack of civil-military cooperation, coordination and planning at NATO.
We need to plan together. We need to train together. We need to exercise together. So that we can respond together.
The reality is that NATO is already responding to civilian disasters with military assets. We need look no further than Hurricane Katrina and the Pakistan earthquakes. In combining NATO’s military and civilian capabilities in responding to disasters, we mitigate risk for response units, and optimize our ability to save lives.
In emergency management, a good defense requires a good offense. By leaning forward and using all available resources, we maximize our efficacy in saving lives. The question we should be asking ourselves isn’t “how we can work together more effectively?” Hurricane Katrina revealed the answer to this question.
What we must ask is: “why is it taking so long for effective civil and military cooperation to take place?” I offer these questions and comments as a reminder of what is at stake –innocent lives. We must get this right – and we must start getting it right now. Thank you for your time.
Last Modified: Thursday, 23-Nov-2006 21:03:11