partners all the while providing a direct link to the JTF Commander . To accomplish this mandate , HACC personnel were assigned to the U . S . Embassy , United Nations , U . N . Mission for Stabilization in Haiti ( MINUSTAH ), U . S . Agency for International Development ( USAID ), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance ( OCHA ), Joint Operations and Tasking Center ( JOTC ), and across various U . N . and International Donor clusters , sectors , and programs . This infusion of military planning capability in several areas significantly contributed to the overall unity of effort across a broad range of organizations by reducing duplicated efforts and maximizing strengths and capabilities . In the end , the HACC was an effective organizational design in that it greatly improved the sharing of information , as well as , the coordination and collaboration within the UN “ cluster system ” in order to help stabilize the situation and ultimately to save lives .
Recommendation .
1 . Codify as “ Best Practice ” the use of the Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Cell ( HACC ) to interface with the Non-Governmental Organizations , Private Organization , and the UN Systems . 2 . Identify the key players and build partnerships : a . Host Nation Government ; b . United Nations ; c . Other Partner Nations ; d . Interagency Partners ; e . Non-Government Agencies ; f . Charities and Foundations ; g . Non-Traditional Partners 3 . Assign HACC personnel early to help establish a trusting relationship , ensure clear communications , and enhance coordination . 4 . Include others in planning and information sharing . 5 . Plan and assign CA personnel in order to prevent having a “ single point-of-failure .” Some of the organizations that had CA personnel assigned to them consisted of only one individual , which could cause problems for HADR operations . For HADR operations that last 30 days or less , this type of assignment works well . However , for HADR operations that last 30 days or longer , this type of assignment does not account for individual illnesses , emergency leaves , or the stress of continuous 24 / 7 operations .
Implications
Foreign Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations are some of the most complicated operations conducted by the U . S . military . Therefore , the JTF must take an early and continuous leadership role in building and refining planning and coordination structures that pull all entities together . The JTF must understand the other key players in terms of who are decision makers , what capabilities do they possess , and what are their strengths and weaknesses in order to get buy in up front and then execute together . A well-formed organization and team , such as the HACC , will recognize this and achieve unity of effort through its ability to coordinate and collaborate with all stakeholders .
Event Description .
This lesson is based on the article “ USSOUTHCOM and Joint Task Force-Haiti … Some Challenges and Considerations in forming a Joint Task Force ,” by COL John Ryan , Mr . Russ Goehring , and Mr . Robert Huslander , and the article “ Imposing Order on Chaos : Establishing JTF Headquarters ,” by Dr . Mark D . Mandeles , published in the Joint Center for Operational Analysis Journal , Volume XII , Issue 2 , Summer 2010 .
Lesson Author : Don Myers , FHA Concepts and Doctrine Advisor , PKSOI
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