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Civilian-Military Relations on the Humanitarian Battlefield

Always an uncertain relationship…

Keep in mind success cannot be achieved

Without well-defined and meaningful

Civil-military understanding

Walter ClarkeSenior Advisor

CDMHACollege of Public Health

Tampa, Florida

© 2003 Walter Clarke

The international intervention community

UN Agencies

HOSTNATION

InternationalOrganizations

DonorStates

MilitaryPeacekeeping

Forces

RegionalStates andInstitutions

UNGeneral

Assembly

OPS CTRSECRETARIAT

OCHA; DPA; DPKOICRC

IOM

IFRC

UN OperationalAgencies

UNHCR, WFPUNICEF

Non-GovernmentalOrganizations

(NGOs)

InternationalCorporations

The Press& Media

Non-Governmental Organizations

• Background

• What are they for?

• Why do we need them?

Four Major Areas of NGO Action

• Relief and Development

• Advocacy

• Citizen Diplomacy

• Academic and Religious Institutions

Humanitarian Relief and Development NGOs

• Emergency relief

• Rehabilitation

• Examples are CARE, MSF, OXFAM

Human Rights and Advocacy NGOs

• Influence public opinion

• Investigation of unpublicized crises

• Examples are Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group

Citizen Diplomacy NGOs

• Early warning of crises

• Conflict Prevention and Mitigation

• Examples are the African Center for Conflict Resolution and Development (ACCORD), the Carter Center, the Swedish International Peace and Reconciliation Inst. (SIPRI)

Religious and Academic Institutions

• Work through local religious or academic partners

• Academic partners bring special expertise

• Prominent religious examples are ADRA, Caritas

• Academic partners are Pearson Center, CDMHA, Tuft’s Feinstein Intl Famine Center

Many Professional Distinctions

NGO Independent Decentralized Limited Resources C3A

- Cooperation- Coordination- Consensus- Assessment

On-the-job training Few field manuals Long-term

commitment Field experience

Military Highly disciplined Hierarchical order Huge resources C3I

- Command- Control- Communications- Intelligence

Extensive training Doctrinal publications “End State” approach Combat experience

Products of Different Cultures

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

• Must maintain impartiality andneutrality in field operations• Highly independent • Support infrastructure weak• Resources are donor-dependent• Long-term perspective• Little advance training• Idealistic, strong sense of mission• Deeply suspicious of military

Products of Different CulturesProducts of Different Cultures

The Military Component

• Foreign troop presence always affects the political environment

• Highly disciplined and task driven

• Large footprint, resource-rich

• Short-term, mission driven• Highly disciplined, well-trained

• Practical, strong sense of mission

• Some disdain for civilian world

Some useful rules for managing the military side of the NGO-

military relationship

• Plan comprehensively (know yourallies on the humanitarian battlefield)• The more you can facilitate the work of your civilian allies on the Humanitarian battlefield, the more efficient your own efforts will be• Build your mission strategy to complement the civilian goals• Do not let your own timetable distortthe combined effort (do no harm)• You are in charge of your own assets(and very little anything else)

Information-Sharing

What kinds of information are vital for humanitarian workers?

• Damage estimates and human casualty data

• Weather, secure routes and physical security information

• Basic info on the military problem-solving process

Other Issues of Importance

• Remember that the military “tooth to tail” ratio is just the reverse for the humanitarian community

• The usually don’t have time for a lot of meetings

• Go to their meetings, if invited

• If the CMOC/CIMIC is “inside the wire,” most NGOs won’t get past security in this post 9/11 world

What are the enemies on the battlefield from the perspective of

your humanitarian partners?

• Water-borne diseases• Lack of shelter• Lack of food• Fear• Impunity of warlords andother criminals

If you these issues don’t fallwithin your own planning, then“harmonization” will not happen!

Relations between NGOs and International Humanitarian Agencies

• Each IO/NGO has a separate chain of command, sources of funds and mission goals• Competition within the NGO community for resources and publicity is the norm• Close relations, sometimes contractual, exist as UN agencies hire NGO expertise • An SRSG will have great influence with NGOs but no real control• Most NGOs would rather invest their “meeting time” at the UN HOC

NGO bashing

• They must fight for resources to carry out their professions

• Life style issues arise

• Accused of stifling local initiative

• Are they agents of globalization?

• Does their independence diminish national sovereignty?

Some of the “Buzz Words” that complicate the relationship

• “Synchronization”

• “Unity of Effort”

• “Harmonization”

A Touch of Military Doctrine

“…NGOs and IOs do not operate within either the military or the Governmental hierarchy … Therefore, the relationship between armed forces and the NGOs/IOs is neither supported nor supporting but rather as an associate or partnership relationship…”

JP 3-08, Chapter II, para 18

Many Challenges

• The international humanitarian communityhas learned a great deal in the post-Cold War era. We should now know how to work

in full cooperation to permit all sides to use

their resources in the most effective fashion• Both mission and transition planning must focus on the most efficient and effective use of scarce resources• We are not competing for the best media images

Is there a practical solution for maintenance of civil-military relations?

• Many shapes and procedures have been attempted

• Parallel planning is inevitable

• Parallel operations are the reality

• Know your partners

• Each side still has a lot to learn to get smarter about the other

What is the optimal shape of civil-military cooperation?

The civilian world of IO/NGO

operators

The military world of skilled

warriors

Humanitarian Operations

Center

HOC

Civil-Military Operations

Center

CMOC/CIMIC

The “smart plug” solution: Military LNOs who know the mission and can facilitate solutions or

provide the reasons why the military cannot

Important things to Remember

For the military component:

• You are not responsible for planning NGO activities

• The only resources you own are the ones you bring with you

• Don’t expect the NGOs to understand your organizational structure or your acronyms

• Be ready to protect the operation and to do some early heavy lifting, but otherwise stay out of the way

Important things to Remember

For the international civilian component:

• Show respect to the military personnel and they will return it

• You are only one moving part out of many

• Demonstrate discipline in your request priorities

• Be ready to articulate your vision of cooperation

Questions?