INTRODUCTION
In our last edition of the SOLLIMS Sampler (Sep 2015), the focus of the lesson
report was on the US military’s role in Foreign Disaster Relief. Broadening the
aperture, our December 2015 edition presents a selection of lessons that cover
the “concepts, principles and applications” of Foreign Humanitarian Assistance.
With regard to “concepts and principles,” Joint doctrine states:
Foreign humanitarian assistance (FHA) activities conducted by US
Armed Forces range from steadystate program activities supporting
geographic combatant commanders (GCC) security cooperation and
related programs to conducting limited contingency operations in
support of another USG department or agency.
FHA provided by US forces is limited in scope and duration; designed
to supplement or complement the efforts of the host nation (HN) that
has the primary responsibility for providing that assistance.
FHA operations involve interaction among many local and international
agencies, both governmental and nongovernmental. During FHA
operations unity of command may not be possible, but the requirement
for unity of effort becomes paramount.
FHA activities typically depend on a whole-of-government approach for
success, whether or not DOD is lead federal agent (LFA). Because of
the number of civilian and non-USG actors involved in FHA activities,
command relationships outside DOD command structures may not be
clearly defined, and unity of effort will be achieved with effective, timely
coordination and cooperation.
JP 3-29 Foreign Humanitarian Assistance, JCS, 3 Jan 2014
“Applications” of FHA are generally heavily dependent upon the “context”: the
specific needs assessed, the HN government/capacity, the HN population, the
local and international agencies/their capacities, the security environment, the
infrastructure, etc. Nonetheless, lessons learned from one “context” can often be
found applicable to/for another. Within this Sampler, the “context” ranges from
“addressing educational needs in Kenyan villages in the aftermath of conflict” to
“partnering with Pacific Island nations through health and medical services.”
Across the range of scenarios, core FHA lessons emerge.
In all, this Sampler presents 10 lessons dealing with “concepts, principles and
applications” of FHA. It offers a comprehensive list of references, handbooks,
and websites that should benefit all practitioners – as well as 3 annexes with
civil-military partnering lessons. Finally, recommendations & guidelines for
senior leaders and planners are captured in the Conclusion section.
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