G . The HACC – Facilitating a Collaborative Environment with Non-Government Agencies , Charities , and Private Organizations ( Lesson # 2420 )
Observation
As part of Operation UNIFIED RESPONSE , the Commander , Joint Task Force-Haiti ( JTF-Haiti ) conceived an ad hoc organizational design that could facilitate the coordination and collaboration with the growing international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts . The Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Cell ( HACC ) served as this organization and sought to bring a much needed planning capacity and planning capability to tie the efforts of the U . S . military , the United Nations , and the Non- Governmental Organizations ( NGO ), charities , and Private Organizations ( PVO ) together . The organizational design of the HACC proved to be an exceptional use of Civil Affairs personnel as the eyes , ears , and voice of Joint Task Force-Haiti .
Discussion
On January 12 , 2010 , a magnitude 7.0 earthquake , centered under the capital city of Port au Prince , hit the small Caribbean country of Haiti . By the time that the earthquake was over , the government of Haiti and many organizations already there assisting them were decimated . With 14 of 16 Government ministry buildings and an estimated 97,000 dwellings destroyed , another 180,000 damaged , approximately 230,000 deaths , approximately 196,000 injured , and over 1.2 million people displaced , the people of Haiti were in a state of shock and the need to stabilize the situation was made more difficult and challenging due to the nearly paralyzed government . The U . S . response and that of the international community was swift ; eventually involving over 140 Nations and 1,000 non-governmental organizations ( NGO ), charities , and private organizations .
On January 14 , 2010 , the Commander , U . S . Southern Command ( SOUTHCOM ), obtained approval to stand-up Joint Task Force-Haiti ( JTF-H ) to lead the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief ( HADR ) operations . The Deputy Commander , SOUTHCOM , Lieutenant General ( LTG ) Ken Keen , was quickly appointed as the Commander , JTF-Haiti as he was already in Port au Prince when the earthquake occurred . Given the incredible challenges that LTG Keen faced in terms of trying to stand-up the Joint Task Force headquarters , while also trying to stabilize the situation , he quickly recognized that the importance of communication and information sharing were going to be critical to overall mission success ; especially with the over 1,000 Non-Government Agencies , charities , and private organizations providing humanitarian relief . As part of his efforts to confront this issue and to organize the various boards , centers , cells , and working groups , LTG Keen conceived an ad hoc organization that could best facilitate a collaborative environment and align JTF-Haiti ’ s efforts with the United Nations , the UN Mission for Stabilization in Haiti ( MINUSTAH ) and the various Non-Governmental Agencies . This organization would be called the Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Cell ( HACC ).
On January 22 , 2010 , the HACC was established in Haiti . The organization centered on 30 personnel from the 98 th Civil Affairs ( CA ) Battalion ( ABN ), Fort Bragg , North Carolina and was led by Brigadier General ( BG ) Matern , a Canadian exchange officer assigned to the Headquarters , XVIII Airborne Corps . Although early planning and execution were problematic , the HACC would bring a much needed planning capacity and planning capability to achieve a greater degree of unity of effort through extensive coordination , collaboration , and communication of words that matched deeds . To accomplish this , the HACC ’ s mandate was to coordinate , synchronize , track , and assess humanitarian operations , create and maintain the humanitarian common operational picture ( COP ), integrate with all stakeholders to develop a prioritized lists of support requirements , and serve as the primary JTF interface with the UN , NGOs , and Interagency
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