CIVIL MILITARY COORDINATION IN HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES

Abstract

Military co-ordination in recent decades faces a number of complex and often
interconnected challenges, including increased international interventions in fragile
and conflict-affected states, the rise in frequency and scale of natural disasters, and
the rapid proliferation of "humanitarian" actors, including non-governmental organizations,
non-profit organizations and the private sector. Debates on civil-military
coordination tend to focus on conceptual issues, with lack of analysis as to how the
relationship works at a practical level and more importantly how this relationship
affects the humanitarian outcome for the population in need of humanitarian aid and
protection. In the research of civil-military coordination, the author is guided by the
following questions: How can humanitarian and military actors engage more effectively
and strategically with one another? What can they really expect from each
other? Are the existing frameworks for civil-military coordination (at the political,
strategic and operational level) sufficient and appropriate for the goal? Answers of
these questions would be an important step in securing a more constructive and effective
civil-military relationship at strategic, operational and tactical levels.