We all want to achieve something during our deployment, in particular as a domestic or foreign military actor. In this module, we discuss how we can achieve something together for the benefit of an effective humanitarian response. Coordinators must actively identify and connect the comparative advantage of humanitarian and peace & security actors. The discussion help us to overcome some of the constraints attached to the use of our resources.

The gaps in humanitarian response are often in the realm of logistics, medical/health, communication, and information management. The pandemic outbreak early 2020 and the subsequent response demonstrated the added value of each and every actor. For instance, the logistics of a massive vaccination campaign in 2021 will heavily depend on domestic military forces.

Watch two videos on military structure and culture and on classification and declassification

Watch a video on Military Peacekeeping Intelligence (MPKI) in relation to UN-CMCoord Analysis

Reflect on the role of the UN-CMCoord Officer in relation to different types of engagement from the military: Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR), Domestic Military Response, Foreign Military Response.

Take our microlearning on the Science of Persuasion and reflect on the six basic laws of persuasion when it comes to military actors supporting humanitarian action

Complete our microcourse on Last Resort

Reflect on scenarios to decide on the appropriateness of military support to humanitarian assistance.

Here are a few quotes from our graduates.

During this week, two exercises made me think through my context. Learnt a lot from teammates and group discussions especially on direct, indirect and infrastructure assistance in the given case scenario 2 is interesting. The work of “construction” and “reconstruction” is different in terms of getting direct, indirect or infrastructure support. Guides and tools are available to help us to go through the process. My take away for this week are – to establish CMCoord dialogues as early as possible, to understand the sensitivity and classification/declassification of information (who, what and how to share), importance of humanitarian leadership and military leadership with humanitarian knowledge and interest.

I really liked the discussions with the colleagues on this week, as it's especially useful to see how theory can be supported with real examples. We had several very productive conversations and having people representing different sides really helps with the understanding of unique challenges we deal in the field.

This week has had its challenges, which I must say I did enjoy. Both assignments have given me the opportunity to look deeper into different aspects of what CMCoord can be. I believe that one of the most important things that I can take away with me from this week, is the fact that which ever actor we represent, the outlook on a specific context will be different. This can largely be due to the presence, size, and mandate of every actor.

Having said this, I believe one thing which stuck with me from Thursday's session, is when J. said that all actors have needs. That is absolutely true, we all have needs, and when we recognize that, discussions and negotiations with different actors can be less challenging.

I really appreciated the through explanation of the Last Resort principle. It was very useful to gain an understanding of what Last Resort is not. I enjoyed learning First resort and Bi-Lateral Assistance, and truly hope this is now (or think it should be) part of my own military’s CA/CIMIC training.

One small but meaningful point for me was to see the recognition of military quick-impact projects, particularly its utility in counter-insurgency operations. Having been involved in a great number myself, and exposed to many principles of the humanitarian community such as Do No Harm, I have welcomed and now appreciate what I’ve seen as a willingness among non-military participants here to reach out and give advice on those matters when we are involved in such endeavors. As long as CM-Coord practitioners remember the lessons from the Science of Persuasion, I think they will find military counterparts just as open to learning these.

It was an exciting week, having different approaches and insight into managing assets, military actions in crises situations, and mitigating risks. Peer learning allowed us to understand other realities and practices on CMCoord. The presentations of the military activities had quality and pertinence, showing different situations and possible scenarios. Managing the Risk using military assets is crucial, analyzing the impacts with the use of military support as a last resort solution. Analyzing and understanding the context and the various stakeholders, and the power dynamics is essential to understand when it is feasible for managing military assets as last resort and mitigating risks. It is also necessary to consider other actors of influence like donors or bilateral cooperation. Another takeaway was a good understanding of the needs and opportunities of civil-military cooperation depending on the type of military mission and possible tasks. During the week were analyzed the different military missions and different opportunities for collaboration. Another key takeaway was the importance of develop a good understanding of the conflict context and the existing different stakeholders and their power dynamics acknowledging the IHL framework and the respect to the Do no harm principle. The fundamental role of OCHA in the context of crises and its coordination role on the linkage of the different actors present.