Disaster Preparedness—Formalizing a Comparative Advantage for the Department of Defense in U.S. Global Health and Foreign Policy

Abstract

Disaster preparedness is a comparative advantage of the Department of Defense (DoD) in the global health arena. It is in line with the domestic interest of sustaining foreign natural disaster assistance and the foreign policy interest of maintaining national security. The DoD humanitarian assistance policy guidance published in 2009 states Disaster Preparedness should be considered as a key priority in humanitarian assistance engagement. Unfortunately, a whole of government disaster preparedness program framework does not exist to facilitate effective and efficient implementation. Leveraging the United Nations Hyogo Framework for Action agreed upon by 168 nations to take action and reduce disaster risk by 2015, the DoD could synchronize disaster preparedness efforts with other interagency and international partners. Increased civilian-military cooperation in disaster risk reduction supports the whole of government approach to work in a more coherent manner in pursuit of shared foreign policy goals. It also maximizes the ability to deliver critical national capacity in the health sector and beyond. Disaster preparedness is an essential element of U.S. global health and foreign policy, and the DoD must be a critical partner in a whole of government approach.

Catastrophe and Conflict: Disaster Diplomacy and Its Foreign Policy Implications

“…A 'Journal of Health Diplomacy' was founded in 2013 (http://www.journalofhealthdiplomacy.org) and the advent of 'global health' initiatives has led to examinations of global health diplomacy (for instance, Kevany, 2014). Both directions are examined in terms of how foreign policy can influence health (Kickbusch, 2011) and how health interventions can influence foreign policy (Licina, 2011 This section covers the health diplomacy subset of disease diplomacy, examining international efforts to eradicate disease along with vaccination programmes in order to examine any disaster diplomacy outcomes. Both disease eradication (section 5.1) and vaccination programmes (section 5.2) are, in effect, disaster risk reduction since they are about preventing epidemics and pandemics.…”

Enhancing Global Health Security: US Africa Command’s Disaster Preparedness Program

“…These efforts and outcomes of DPP are also in keeping with the highest order of United States Government policy and strategy in foreign investment. 27,28 Namely, the tenets of the National Security Strategy, the National Military Strategy, DOD Policy Directives for GHE, and the Global Health Security Agenda are, in part, met through the long-term application of DPP programming. [29][30][31][32][33] One may argue that few, if any, DOD programs supportive of meaningful capacity building and aligned to the imperative of averting health security threats have shown such sustained engagement and such breadth of impact.…”

Republic of Senegal Disaster Preparedness and Response Exercise: Lessons Learned and Progress Toward Key Goals

“…Further, the benefits of utilizing a "whole of government" approach to disaster preparedness, rather than focusing on individual sectors such as the health sector, has been recently advocated by the United Nations, the World Food Program, and other various international and national governmental organizations in the disaster literature. [26][27][28][29][30] It can also be argued that a single exercise is not a sufficient or sustainable strategy for improving preparedness, particularly in an entire country, given the complexity of garnering participation and cooperation of numerous sectors of the government. Further, disaster experts assert that such exercises should be part of an overall strategic exercise program, which is based upon constantly updated disaster plans and risk assessments.…”

“…This exercise may arguably provide a model for how disaster preparedness and response can be improved in developing countries. Further, the benefits of utilizing a “whole of government” approach to disaster preparedness, rather than focusing on individual sectors such as the health sector, has been recently advocated by the United Nations, the World Food Program, and other various international and national governmental organizations in the disaster literature 26 30 …”