Foreign Military and Mission-Owned Assets

The work with foreign and national military forces supporting humanitarian action follows principles and guidelines. Although each guiding document was developed at a different time and for different purposes, most of the principles overlap.

Traditionally, the humanitarian community used Military and Civil Defence Assets (MCDA). With the evolution of humanitarian civil-military coordination and the ever-changing operational environment, the latest guidance refers to Foreign Military Assets (FMA).

Recommended Practices for Effective Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination of Foreign Military Assets (FMA) in Natural and Man-Made Disasters recall most cross-cutting principles. The document delineates the phases and integral components of military support to humanitarian action and guides the integration of FMA to support humanitarian relief operations.

The focus areas are preparedness, deployment, employment, transition, and monitoring and evaluation. In each focus area, the Practices consider the various levels of potential humanitarian civil-military interaction, i.e. international, national, sub-national, and local levels. They include the intended outcomes resulting from the practical application of relevant practices.

As a general rule, humanitarian actors, affected States and assisting States should invest in increased civilian capacity instead of relying on ad hoc use of FMA.

Recommended Practices for Effective Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination of Foreign Military Assets (FMA) in Natural and Man-Made Disasters.

The Practices are comprised of five areas. They delineate the phases and integral components of military support to humanitarian action and guide the integration of FMA to support humanitarian relief operations. The Practices take into account the various levels of potential humanitarian civil-military interaction, i.e. international, national, sub-national, and local levels, and include the intended outcomes resulting from the effective application of relevant practices

Definition of Military and Civil Defence Assets (MCDS) (Foreign or UN)

“ ... relief personnel, equipment, supplies and services provided by foreign military and civil defence organizations for international humanitarian assistance.

Further, for the purpose of this project, civil defence organization means any organization that, under the control of a Government, performs the functions enumerated in article 61 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. ”

Key Concepts of the Use of MCDA

Last Resort

To be a last resort, the situation must call for a specific capability or asset requirement that cannot be met with available civilian assets. Foreign and civil defence assets can help meet the requirement and provide unique advantages in terms of:

Capability
Availability
Timeliness
Complement civilian capability

Request from the RC/HC based on humanitarian criteria
Humanitarian Agencies should employ MCDA as a last resort
A humanitarian operation using military assets must retain its civilian nature and character.
Humanitarian work should be performed by humanitarian organizations - if military, no direct assistance.
Any use of MCDA should be, at its onset, clearly limited in time and scale and present an exit strategy.
Countries providing military should ensure that they respect the UN Codes of Conduct.