U.S. Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute
U.S. Army War College
22 Ashburn Drive, Upton Hall
Carlisle Barracks, PA 17013
23 Sep 2015
SUBJECT: Foreign Humanitarian Assistance
1. GENERAL
Foreign Humanitarian Assistance operations typically involve a wide array of
participants – US Government civilian and military organizations, multinational
partners, nongovernmental organizations, intergovernmental actors, and host
nation government authorities. Their various contributions can be vital for saving
lives and relieving/reducing human suffering within an affected host nation.
This report includes observations, insights, and lessons from several recent FHA
operations – the US Government response to the Ebola epidemic of West Africa
in 2014-2015, disaster relief for the Philippines in the aftermath of the November
2013 super typhoon, assistance to Japan following the 2011 earthquake and
tsunami, disaster relief for Pakistan after the July 2010 floods, disaster relief for
Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake, and assistance to Georgia in 2008
in the wake of the Russia-Georgia conflict. Recommendations and guidelines
are drawn from these experiences – in the areas of Planning, Command and
Control, Information Management & Sharing, Logistics, and Public Affairs –
delineated for the reader on pages 45-48.
2. LESSONS
a. TOPIC. Logistics Support for Operation United Assistance ( 2316 )
Observation.
Setting the Theater, operational contract support, and communication were key
components of successful logistics support during Operation United Assistance
(OUA) – the U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) response to the Ebola
epidemic in West Africa, in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) (Sep 2014 - Mar 2015).
Discussion.
Setting the Theater. The USAFRICOM logistics staff (J4) coordinated early on
with elements of the Joint Logistics Enterprise (JLE) early on to "set the theater."
JLE partners included U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), the Joint
Contingency Acquisition Support Office (JCASO), Army Materiel Command
(AMC), and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). Key assets that were
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