U.S. Military Interaction with Humanitarian Assistance Organizations During Small-Scale Contingencies.

摘要

How effectively does the U.S. military interact with humanitarian assistance organizations and what avenues exist for improving these relationships.During recent military operations other than war (MOOTW), now known as small-scale contingencies (SSC), the U.S. military has worked with numerous humanitarian assistance (HA) organizations such as nongovernmental organizations (NGO), private voluntary organizations (PVO), and international governmental organizations (IGO) like the United Nations. These organizations are often on site and actively working prior to the military s arrival within the region. As a result, there are many ways that HA groups and the military can assist or complement the efforts of each other. Many experts predict that these types of SSC efforts will increase in the foreseeable future. Assuming this is the case, increased and improved interaction between military and HA organizations will become imperative. This paper is the result of a literature review conducted to examine recent U.S. military interaction with HA organizations in regional conflicts such as northern Iraq, Haiti, and Bosnia. The primary sources include periodicals, books, government and private reports, doctrine and online sources in the 1990s. It also draws on the author s personal experience supporting HA efforts in northern Iraq as a member of Operation Provide Comfort.