Civil-Military Synergies in Disaster Relief
By Bozhidara Kiryakova, Siyana Pavlova and Nina Tatarska
In the context of a climate-disturbed environment and a related increase in the intensity and magnitude of disaster events, the urgent need for enhancing and transforming disaster management comes to the fore as a critical task at different levels and across various organisations. The present article investigates the importance of disaster relief while focusing on collaboration and exchange between civilian and military stakeholders. Effective civil-military cooperation requires not only a comprehensive understanding of the phases that make up disaster management but also the distribution of responsibilities among various stakeholders. In order to ensure complementarity of resources and to avoid duplication of efforts, this article highlights the EU’s integrated approach and NATO’s comprehensive approach as conducive to stimulating and fostering civil-military synergies for disaster relief activities.
Recovery and reconstruction
The latest Report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that the frequency of natural disasters is constantly increasing due to the impacts of climate change.[i] To tackle this growing threat, the international community has developed cooperative disaster relief strategies.[ii] Disaster relief is a short-term activity that involves providing immediate support in the form of humanitarian aid[iii] in the aftermath of a disaster event.[iv]
Humanitarian assistance, based on the principles of independence, neutrality, impartiality, and humanity, aims to save human lives and prevent suffering.[v] The effectiveness of humanitarian assistance depends on sound coordination between different stakeholders at the local, national, regional, and international levels. Developing an effective mechanism for requesting and providing that type of assistance needs to have various features.[vi] For example, the type of support needed and the coordination, surveillance, and correspondence procedures should be determined and observed by the recipient country, whereas donor countries should avoid delays, ineffective contributions, and duplications.
A critical factor for the success of disaster relief operations is timely resource mobilisation, logistical readiness, and effective inter-sectoral and inter-agency collaboration at different levels—from the local to the international. Importantly, disaster relief depends on the level of preparedness of civil organisations and ensuring that the role of the military[vii] is complementary to civil defence assets.
The Oslo Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets in Disaster Relief, for example, establish a framework to “improve the effectiveness and efficiency of foreign military, civil defence teams and expertise in international disaster relief operations,”[viii] contributing to better civil-military collaboration in case of disaster relief operations.
Disaster management – NATO and the EU
The EU has developed policies that emphasise prevention and disaster risk reduction that seek to increase “the resilience of infrastructure, ecosystems, society, and the economy of the EU.”[ix] In that regard, the Global Strategy for the European Union’s foreign and security policy published in 2016 further expands the notion of a “comprehensive approach” and introduces the integrated approach with the aim of improving means for peace and security in the long term.[x] The integrated approach to conflicts and crises is listed among the main priorities of the European External Action Service, as it is considered of great importance for the overall success of the EU’s efforts to foster the security of its population and to actively engage in peacebuilding activities. The 2016 Global Strategy further describes the integrated approach as “multi-dimensional”, “multi-phased”, “multi-level”, and “multi-lateral”.[xi] The concept of an integrated approach reaffirms the importance of implementing the whole range of available resources and instruments during all stages of a conflict or crisis and places additional emphasis on the different levels of governance. Moreover, it highlights the EU’s ambition to expand its network of collaboration and international partnerships further as these represent another key aspect of the basis for achieving sustainable peace. In this regard, it is important to highlight the importance of Civil-Military Coordination (CMCoord), which aims to establish and foster a symbiotic and productive relationship between civilian and military actors in humanitarian emergencies and disaster situations.[xii] This is another example that demonstrates that multidimensional contemporary challenges call for enhanced collaboration and well-coordinated efforts.
The EU’s strong commitment to engage actively in disaster management was clearly demonstrated through the establishment of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in 2001. The main objective of the Mechanism is to enhance cooperation on civil protection between the 27 EU Member States and six Participating States (Iceland, Norway, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Turkey).[xiii] Joint efforts under the Mechanism include continuous global monitoring of events by the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC). The Centre also acts as a “coordination hub between all EU Member States, the 6 additional Participating States, the affected country, and civil protection and humanitarian experts”.[xiv] The ERCC provides up-to-date disaster-related information and ensures the effective coordination of disaster relief efforts as well as the quick and timely exchange of information related to civil protection and humanitarian aid. This places it at the core of the Mechanism.
Furthermore, the EU’s Copernicus programme collects a vast amount of data obtained from satellites and non-space monitoring networks that could serve policymakers and public authorities in the decision-making process in times of crises and disasters as well as support different preparedness and disaster prevention activities.[xv] What is more, the Early Warning and Monitoring component of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMS) provides accurate and highly valuable information on floods, droughts, and forest fires, which could be directly implemented in disaster management, as it facilitates the processes of conducting thorough risk assessments and forecasting possible future disasters, resulting both from natural and human-induced hazards.[xvi]
Additionally, four EU macro-regional strategies “act as a bridge between EU and local policymaking” in support of tackling shared challenges.[xvii] This demonstrates the EU’s dedicated efforts to take account of regional and local specifics and needs, while also providing opportunities for joint intergovernmental and inter-organisational responses to diverse, but shared, challenges.
The European Commission Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre (DRMKC), focused on the concepts of partnership, innovation, and knowledge, is a hub of expertise and a venue for close collaboration and information exchange, as well as for the development of “innovative methods, tools and technological solutions” for disaster mitigation.[xviii] The collection and thorough analysis of data and the active coordination of efforts serve as prerequisites for the effectiveness and success of disaster management and disaster relief activities.
By taking into account the significant role that scientific research plays in raising awareness of common challenges and areas of importance to the shared security environment, NATO’s Science and Technology Organization (STO) plays a major role in conducting such research and in promoting its outcomes. More than 6,000 scientists in different scientific areas are actively engaged in the STO, and the organisation’s network “draws upon the expertise of more than 200,000 people in Allied and partner nations”.[xix] The results of this research not only provide critical insights to decision-makers with regard to emerging challenges and opportunities, but also stimulate the development and implementation of advanced knowledge and technologies in the field of security and defence.
NATO also plays a major role in addressing environmental security issues, as these have been identified as causes of tensions and violence potentially resulting in humanitarian crises. Climate change is considered a threat multiplier with significant implications for the contemporary security environment. In March 2021 NATO Foreign Ministers endorsed NATO’s Climate Change and Security Agenda.[xx] This agenda serves to increase the awareness of this alarming threat to security, to introduce “clear adaptation and mitigation measures”, and to strengthen NATO’s collaboration with “international and regional organizations that are active on climate change and security issues, including the EU, the UN, and others, where appropriate”.[xxi]
Similar to the EU’s integrated approach, NATO also places emphasis on the significance of shared complex challenges to security in a comprehensive manner, by actively engaging relevant political, military, and civilian stakeholders. Collaboration and the importance of mutual trust are considered to be of great importance in the context of such a comprehensive approach.[xxii] This becomes evident through the active cooperation between NATO’s principal response mechanism—the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EARDCC)—and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).[xxiii] The strong collaboration between NATO and the UN serves to demonstrate the need for active engagement of both civilian and military actors in managing disasters.
NATO–EU cooperation is another example of fruitful exchange and coordination. At the Brussels Summit in June 2021, Allied leaders highlighted the “unprecedented levels of NATO–EU strategic cooperation” related to, inter alia, resilience and climate change.[xxiv] It has become clear that such overarching global issues require a well-coordinated approach that actively involves both the civilian and the military domain.
What the EU’s integrated approach and NATO’s comprehensive approach serve to highlight is the need for continuous adaptation to the new requirements of the security environment, for a proactive approach to disaster preparedness and prevention, for readiness to respond effectively and efficiently to emergencies, and to recover sustainably while drawing valuable lessons from previous experience. Disaster management, and in particular disaster relief, encompasses multiple stakeholders and activities. Therefore, it is critical that actors’ roles, responsibilities, and specific tasks be clearly distributed as this predicates the success of collective efforts.
Civil protection and humanitarian assistance – EU’s CSDP and NATO’s EADRCC
The term ‘civil protection’ is synonymous with ‘emergency preparedness’[xxv] as it refers to efforts at preserving the civilian population in case of a crisis or disaster. In 2001, the European Union established the Civil Protection Mechanism[xxvi] with the aim to enhance the cooperation between EU member states in case of emergencies as well as fostering collaboration.
The EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)[xxvii] is part of its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Under the CSDP, both civilian and military experts mobilise efforts to contribute to security, peacekeeping, and conflict prevention. An essential aspect of the EU CSDP is the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) that allows for defence cooperation among EU member states. The CSDP structure[xxviii] includes the main EU institutions. For example, the European Commission and the European Council are closely cooperating with support bodies and standing executive committees. The whole structure is headed by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs.[xxix]
To date, more than 5,000 military and civilian staff have been deployed to EU CSDP missions.[xxx] These missions could be military, civilian, or a collaboration on external operations.[xxxi] The EU CSDP’s first military mission, Concordia, was deployed to North Macedonia in 2003.[xxxii] Subsequent missions have been deployed in Somalia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Afghanistan, to name a few.[xxxiii] Each mission's operational and strategic features are debated within the European Commission. An operational command corresponds with a military commander in the country where the mission is located, and the political and security committee debates the mission's status on a regular basis. In fact, those missions can have great importance in disaster relief. In order to provide humanitarian assistance, the EU can arrange the deployment of a CSDP mission.
NATO's main civil emergency response system is the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC).[xxxiv] It includes all NATO Allies and Partner Countries. The Centre serves as a clearinghouse for (humanitarian) assistance in environmental and human-induced disasters as well as in catastrophes and Article 5 collective defence emergencies. The EADRCC requires the collaboration of proposals for assistance and calls for cooperation within NATO member states and partner countries.
EADRCC’s[xxxv] work is performed in close partnership with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA),[xxxvi] which is the leading actor in global disaster relief management. In humanitarian catastrophes, the United Nations Civil-Military Coordination (UN-CMCoord) is the key to effective communication and collaboration among civilians and the military as it enables mutual understanding and facilitates coordination. It contributes to the expansion of specific directions on internationally accepted principles, the development of collaborative humanitarian civil-military frameworks, and the accreditations of UN-CMCoord Officers to guarantee that the collaboration works. The EADRCC operations performed in collaboration with UN OCHA help to ensure and provide the most effective communication among all units participating in disaster relief operations. The civil-military humanitarian framework expands the UN’s ability to manage disaster relief operations in the most essential way.
The EU-NATO partnership[xxxvii] is underpinned by shared values and seeks to foster a productive cooperation, including in the field of disaster relief. Although having different mechanisms and structures, the two organisations share a common vision for enhancing resilience in general and in relation to disaster relief in particular.[xxxviii]
Conclusion
Disaster relief is a short-term activity that is contingent upon effective civil-military cooperation as it aims to provide timely and adequate humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of a disaster event. The EU’s integrated approach enables the active engagement of all relevant stakeholders in disaster relief activities by avoiding the duplication of efforts and stimulating coordination between civilian and military actors. By including both military and civilian experts, the dedicated efforts of different CSDP units like the Defence Industry Directorate-General of the European Commission, the EEAS, and the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) demonstrate the readiness of the EU to address the challenges related to international security. NATO’s main civil emergency response system, EARDCC, operates in close partnership with the UN, NATO Allies, and partner countries, to help resolve natural and human-induced disasters and collective defence emergencies. The importance of cooperation between civilian and military actors should not be limited to disaster relief. Further research on the disaster management cycle would add additional layers of understanding for people concerned in that matter.
About the Authors
Bozhidara Kiryakova, Siyana Pavlova, and Nina Tatarska are interns at the Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE).
*The opinions expressed in this work are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of any organization(s) affiliated with them.
Notes
[i] IPCC — Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, accessed 3 June 2022, https://www.ipcc.ch/.
[ii] European External Action Service, “EU Concept on Effective CIV-MIL Coordination in Support of Humanitarian Assistance”, Brussels, 2019, accessed May 2022, https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-5536-2019-INIT/en/pdf
[iii] Humanitarian aid responds to basic human needs such as security, food, water, shelter, sanitation, clothes, and health. For a more detailed account, see B.W. Girigiri, “Organizational Effectiveness in Disaster Management: A Critical Review of Disaster Management,” International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research (March 2019): 142–169.
[iv] WHO/EHA Panafrican Emergency Training Centre, “Disasters & Emergencies, Definitions”,
Addis Ababa, updated March 2002, accessed May 2022 https://apps.who.int/disasters/repo/7656.pdf.
[v] Global Humanitarian Assistance, “Defining humanitarian assistance”, accessed May 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20171102215158/http://www.globalhumanitarianassistance.org/data-guides/defining-humanitarian-aid.
[vi] Pan American Health Organization, “Humanitarian assistance in disaster situations”, Washington, D.C., 1999.
[vii] UN OCHA, “Disaster Preparedness for Effective Response Guidance and Indicator Package for Implementing Priority Five of the Hyogo Framework”, Chapter 2 - Key Components in Preparedness Planning, 2.2 Capacity Analysis and Capacity-Building, 2008, p.23, https://reliefweb.int/report/world/disaster-preparedness-effective-response-guidance-and-indicator-package-implementing.
[viii] UN OCHA, “Disaster Preparedness for Effective Response Guidance and Indicator Package for Implementing Priority Five of the Hyogo Framework”, Chapter 1 - Holistic Approaches, Strategies, and Institutional Frameworks, 1.2 National Institutional and Legislative Frameworks, 2008, p.12, https://reliefweb.int/report/world/disaster-preparedness-effective-response-guidance-and-indicator-package-implementing.
[ix] European Commission, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, “European Disaster Risk Management Factsheet”, 15 December 2021, accessed May 2022, https://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/civil-protection/european-disaster-risk-management_en.
[x] It aims to make the EU external action “more consistent, more effective and more strategic (…) by drawing on the full range of its instruments and resources”. This approach “covers all stages of the cycle of conflict or other external crises” and depends on the “shared responsibility of EU-level actors and Member States”. European Commission, High Representative of the Union, EUR-Lex, “JOINT COMMUNICATION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL: The EU's comprehensive approach to external conflicts and crises”, December 2013, accessed May 2022, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX:52013JC0030.
[xi] European External Action Service, Publications Office, “Shared vision, common action. A stronger Europe: a global strategy for the European Union’s foreign and security policy”, 2017, accessed May 2022, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2871/9875.
[xii] European Commission, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, “Civil-Military Cooperation in Emergencies”, accessed May 2022, https://ec.europa.eu/echo/partnerships/relations/civil-military-cooperation-emergencies_en.
[xiii] European Commission, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, “EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Factsheet”, March 2022, accessed May 2022, https://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/civil-protection/eu-civil-protection-mechanism_en.
[xiv] European Commission, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, “Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC)”, January 2022, accessed May 2022, https://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/civil-protection/emergency-response-coordination-centre-ercc_en.
[xv] European Commission, “Copernicus: Europe's eyes on Earth - General Factsheet”, February 2022, accessed May 2022, https://ec.europa.eu/defence-industry-space/system/files/2022-03/Copernicus%20General%20EN.pdf.
[xvi] European Union, The Copernicus Emergency Management Service, “The Copernicus Emergency Management Service” (flyer), 2020, accessed May 2022, https://emergency.copernicus.eu/downloads/CEMS_Flyer_General_2020.pdf.
[xvii] European Commission, Regional Policy, “What is an EU Macro-regional Strategy?”, 2017, accessed May 2022, https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/cooperate/macro_region_strategy/pdf/mrs_factsheet_en.pdf.
[xviii] European Union, Joint Research Centre, “Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre – DRMKC”, 2019, accessed May 2022, https://drmkc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/portals/0/Overview/About3/Hand-out_April_Final%20(1).pdf.
[xix] NATO, “NATO Science and Technology Organization”, 16 May 2022, accessed June 2022, https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_88745.htm.
[xx] NATO, “NATO Climate Change and Security Action Plan”, 14 June 2021, accessed June 2022, https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_185174.htm.
[xxi] Ibid.
[xxii] Civil-Military Cooperation Centre of Excellence, “CIMIC Handbook”, I. Introduction. 1.1. NATO and a comprehensive approach, February 2020, accessed June 2022, https://www.handbook.cimic-coe.org/1.introduction/1.1nato-and-a-comprehensive-approach/.
[xxiii] NATO, “Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre”, 20 September 2021, accessed June 2022, https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_52057.htm.
[xxiv] NATO, “Relations with the European Union”, last updated 8 June 2022, accessed June 2022,
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49217.htm.
[xxv] OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, “Emergency Preparedness and Response,” United States Department of Labor, accessed 2 June 2022, https://www.osha.gov/emergency-preparedness.
[xxvi] European Commission, “EU Civil Protection Mechanism”, updated March 2022, accessed May 2022, https://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/civil-protection/eu-civil-protection-mechanism_en#related-information.
[xxvii] EUR-LEX, “Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)”, (n.d.), accessed May 2022 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/common-security-and-defence-policy-csdp.html.
[xxviii] European External Action Service, “About Us: High Representative / Vice President,” 24 August 2021, accessed May 2022 https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/high-representative-vice-president_en.
[xxix] European External Action Service, “NATO and EU: Strength in Complementarity,” 1 July 2021, accessed 2 June 2022, https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/nato-and-eu-strength-complementarity_en.
[xxx] European External Action Service, “EU CSDP missions and operations”, 28 March 2022, accessed May 2022 https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eu-missions-and-operations_en.
[xxxi] B2EU Consulting, “EU Missions and Operations: EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP),” 14 December 2020, accessed May 2022 https://www.b2eu-consulting.eu/news-detail/eu-missions-and-operations-eu-common-security-and-defence-policy-csdp.
[xxxii] European Union External action, “Mission description”, Military operation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYROM/CONCORDIA), 2003, accessed May 2022, https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/csdp/missions-and-operations/concordia/mission-description/index_en.htm.
[xxxiii] EU Finland's Presidency of the Council of the EU, “EU Military and Civilian Crisis Management,” 2019, accessed May 2022 https://eu2019.fi/en/backgrounders/eu-military-and-civilian-crisis-management.
[xxxiv] NATO, “Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre”, 21 September 2021, accessed May 2022 https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_52057.html.
[xxxv] OSHA, “Emergency Preparedness and Response | Occupational Safety and Health Administration”, (n.d.), accessed May 2022 https://www.osha.gov/emergency-preparedness.
[xxxvi] UN OCHA, “Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination”, (n.d.), accessed May 2022, https://www.unocha.org/themes/humanitarian-civil-military-coordination#:~:text=UN%2DCMCoord%20is%20the%20essential,when%20appropriate%2C%20pursue%20common%20goals.
[xxxvii] The NATO-EU partnership was a notable point of discussion at the 2010 Summit in Lisbon, the 2016 Warsaw Summit, and the 2018 Summit in Brussels.
[xxxviii] NATO, “Relations with the European Union,” 4 March 2022, accessed May 2022 https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49217.html.