scholarly journals Saving lives with fewer discussions - coordination between military and non-military organisations during disaster relief operations

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Johan Stevens ◽  
Janjaap Semeijn ◽  
Cees Johannes Gelderman
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Relief ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Military Organization ◽  
Coordination Problems ◽  
Military Organizations ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
The Military ◽  
Relief Organizations

Purpose: This study focusses on the coordination required between military and non-military organisations during humanitarian disasters. Design / Research methods: An in-depth case study was conducted of the disaster relief operation after hurricane Matthew on Haiti in October 2016. We investigated the support of the Dutch military organization and its coordination with the non-military relief organizations. We examined coordination issues at operational, tactical, and strategic levels. Findings: The study shows that no coordination problems occurred at operational level. At the tactical level, cultural differences between military and non-military organizations resulted in coordination problems and deviant perspectives on urgency. At the strategic level, there was a disagreement between the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Ministry of Defence regarding the Oslo Guidelines. A minority agreed that the guidelines actually apply to military organizations during disaster relief operations. Practical implications: The coordination between the military organization and the non-military relief organization during disaster relief operations can be improved by promoting common and mutual respect and defining a clear tasks and role fulfilments. A first step to improve the coordination is to get familiarity and clarity on the Oslo Guidelines. Another step for improvement is for the military organization to accept that it has no leading but an assistance role during disaster relief operations. Research limitations/implications: A single case study limits the external validity of the results, although useful insights were gained. Future research could address the role of the Oslo Guidelines during disaster relief operations. Are these guidelines still valid, should they be updated, and are the sufficiently known by all relief organizations, including the military? Originality/value of the article: The world is faced with an increasing occurrence of disasters affecting human lives. More lives could be saved when military and non-military organizations would work together more effectively. This is one of the first studies to explore the terms of engagement at the start of relief operations.

Lessons from the humanitarian disaster logistics management

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 1455-1473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Asif Salam ◽  
Sami A. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Relief ◽  
Humanitarian Logistics ◽  
Logistics Management ◽  
Military Establishment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
Disaster Logistics ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
The Military

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to draw lessons for logistics management in humanitarian disasters, using the earthquake in Haiti as a case study. In Haiti, there were problems with the logistical response. This study investigates the humanitarian logistics challenges faced by various stakeholders in Haiti during the disaster-relief operations.Design/methodology/approachIn this exploratory case study, the central methodology used was data triangulation. Data triangulation involved interviews with respondents grouped into three categories, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the military establishment and the governmental agencies. Prominence is given to the common themes expressed by each group. These common themes are then compared to the themes of other groups to identify opportunities and problems for future disaster relief operations.FindingsThe study indicates that there is a clear gap in terms of how the humanitarian efforts were coordinated between different actors. Lack of civil–military cooperation and coordination was one of the findings from the interviews, and many of the resources and initiatives were overlapping or redundant. Timeliness and efficiency need to be at the forefront of all planning and would result in more saved lives and reduced human suffering. The key goal of humanitarian logistics stipulates is to form connections and relationships, which was well illustrated through the informants' interviews. It was found that organizing different stakeholders/actors to work together by sharing processes and distribution channels demands a vision that goes beyond logistics management. Government agencies, the military establishment, NGOs, locals and victims need to collaborate to create a synergy in generating solutions that are tailored to the shock of the disaster in the first place.Research limitations/implicationsThe current study relies on a single case study approach as disaster scenarios are unique in terms of their impact, magnitude, timing and location. Despite these limitations, this study provides a detailed account of the logistical challenges in dealing with the disaster that took place in Haiti. The logistics-related lessons learned from this case study should be carefully applied in other settings, taken into consideration contextual differences.Practical implicationsOne important aspect of measuring efficiency for any commercial logistics system is key performance indicators (KPIs) that indicate how well the firm is doing in managing its inbound and outbound operations. From a practical standpoint, the Haiti case raised a challenging concern with regard to how to measure the performance of humanitarian disaster logistics. This is a starting point to understand the dynamics of disaster system efficiency and logistics interplay and offers a few lessons to improve the resource availability in the case of future emergencies.Originality/valueThis study lays the groundwork for future researchers to explore and debrief on the topic once disaster relief draws to a close and time has allowed logisticians and relief workers to analyze the response mechanisms used in disasters.

Operation RUMAN: Role 2 Afloat delivering Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief operations in the Caribbean

2018 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-164
Author(s):  
J J Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Relief ◽  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
Affected Area ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
The Military ◽  
Maritime Environment ◽  
Extensive Damage

AbstractIn the autumn of 2017, two Category 5 hurricanes caused extensive damage in the Caribbean. This resulted in the activation of two Role 2 Afloat (R2A) teams in support of Operation RUMAN, the military response to provide Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) to the affected area. This paper documents the deployment of the R2A capability during Op RUMAN and outlines the main lessons identified in the delivery of HADR in the maritime environment.

scholarly journals Assessing the Intensity of the Population Affected by a Complex Natural Disaster Using Social Media Data

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changxiu Cheng ◽  
Ting Zhang ◽  
Kai Su ◽  
Peichao Gao ◽  
Shi Shen
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Disaster Relief ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Social Media Data ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
Media Data

Complex natural disasters often cause people to suffer hardships, and they can cause a large number of casualties. A population that has been affected by a natural disaster is at high risk and desperately in need of help. Even with the timely assessment and knowledge of the degree that natural disasters affect populations, challenges arise during emergency response in the aftermath of a natural disaster. This paper proposes an approach to assessing the near-real-time intensity of the affected population using social media data. Because of its fatal impact on the Philippines, Typhoon Haiyan was selected as a case study. The results show that the normalized affected population index (NAPI) has a significant ability to indicate the affected population intensity. With the geographic information of disasters, more accurate and relevant disaster relief information can be extracted from social media data. The method proposed in this paper will benefit disaster relief operations and decision-making, which can be executed in a timely manner.

scholarly journals Synchronized Humanitarian, Military and Commercial Logistics: An Evolving Synergistic Partnership

Safety ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Yuste ◽  
Campbell ◽  
Canyon ◽  
Childers ◽  
Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Relief ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
Logistics Systems ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
Supply Chain Management System ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
The Military

The increasing complexity and often transboundary scope of complex emergencies are exceeding the capacity of humanitarian logistics systems. The military plays a growing role in supplementing and even leading humanitarian assistance and disaster relief logistics. However, issues relating to military involvement such as sovereignty and cost have refocused the conversation onto capabilities and capacities of commercial logistics providers, who have not been fully engaged and integrated into disaster preparedness, response, and recovery activities. The commercial sector is part of the larger supply chain management system that includes contracting, procurement, storage, and transportation of food, water, medicine, and other supplies, as well as human resources, and necessary machinery and equipment. Military and commercial logistics share many of these elements and tasks daily. The most effective and efficient response combines key elements from humanitarian, military, and commercial logistics systems. Such trilateral cooperation represents the next step in an evolving partnership paradigm that is truly synergistic. We present a Synchronized Disaster Relief Model, as well as multiple examples of how military, commercial, and humanitarian supply chains each bring unique capabilities to disaster relief operations, and how these three supply chains can complement each other in a synergistic manner, through synchronized action.

scholarly journals USING AND IMPROVING MAPATHON DATA THROUGH HACKATHONS

2019 ◽  
Vol XLII-2/W13 ◽  
pp. 1525-1529 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Coetzee ◽  
V. Rautenbach ◽  
C. Green ◽  
K. Gama ◽  
N. Fourie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Disaster Relief ◽  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Geospatial Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
Data Gaps ◽  
Blue Economy ◽  
Relief Operations

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Geospatial data is essential for the development of the blue economy: for sustainable coastal management of coastal areas and to unlock economic potential from marine and ocean resources. In developing countries, such as South Africa, there are often gaps in the data with significant implications for the blue economy. We conducted a project aimed at addressing these data gaps by experimenting with a circular process where geospatial data for selected areas on the South African coastline were collected through mapathons and used in applications that were developed during hackathons. We validated this circular approach with two iterations of mapathons and hackathons, and found that 1) the size and location of the map area need to be carefully chosen; 2) those creating the apps needed a huge amount of help in dealing with the geospatial data; and 3) any geospatial data is useful for the blue economy, not only data with a very specific purpose in the blue economy context, such as coastal access points. Overall, the geospatial data usability improved from one iteration to another and would certainly improve if more iterations were added. Similar to the deployment of mapathons for disaster relief, future research could focus on hosting hackathons for the rapid development of apps to assist with disaster relief operations. Generally, the hosting of mapathons and hackathons in lockstep is a novel way of exposing students to interdisciplinary collaboration in international teams with a common goal.</p>

Information Security Management

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 32-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Martins ◽  
Henrique dos Santos ◽  
António Rosinha ◽  
Agostinho Valente
Keyword(s):  
Information Security ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Military Organization ◽  
Military Organizations ◽  
Security Controls ◽  
Iec 27001 ◽  
The Military ◽  
Flow Of Information ◽  
Security Incidents

The authors present a Case Study conducted in a Portuguese military organization, to answer the following research questions: (1) what are the most relevant dimensions and categories of information security controls applied in military organizations? (2) What are the main scenarios of information security incidents that are expected to occur? (3) What is the decision process used for planning and selection information security controls? This study reveals that: (1) information security within the military organization is built on the basis of physical and human attack vectors, and targeting the infrastructure that supports the flow of information in the organization; (2) the information security controls applied in the military organization are included in ISO/IEC 27001; (3) planning and selection of applied information security controls are made by decision makers and information security specialists. It appears that specialists impose their planning options essentially seeking to select and retrieve past successful information security cases.

Bioethics in humanitarian disaster relief operations: a military perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2021-001927
Author(s):  
James Davies ◽  
A Brockie ◽  
J Breeze
Keyword(s):  
Military Personnel ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Disaster Relief ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Military Health ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
Military Perspective ◽  
The Military

The ethical dilemmas faced every day by military personnel working within the NHS will potentially be very different to ones that will be faced in the wake of a humanitarian disaster. Allied to this the potentially differing objectives from military personnel when compared with other healthcare workers in these scenarios and a conflict of ethics could arise.Within this paper, the fundamentals of this conflict will be explored and how working within the military framework can affect clinical decisions. This is a paper commissioned as a part of the humanitarian and disaster relief operations special issue of BMJ Military Health.

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