U.S. Agency for International Development

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U.S. Agency for International Development

Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance
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OFDAs Mission

• Responsible for the coordination of USG response
  to international disasters
• OFDAs mission is to
• Save lives
• Alleviate suffering of disaster victims
• Reduce the economic impact of the disaster
• Support prevention/mitigation/preparedness
  activities

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Origin Of OFDA Authorities

• Foreign Assistance Act - Section 491/492
• USAID Administrator - Presidents Special
  Coordinator for International Disaster Response
• Administrator chairs IWG on international
  disaster relief
• USAID is focal point for inter-agency
  deliberations on international disaster
  assistance

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Disaster Occurs

• US Government (through OFDA) may respond if
• Beyond the ability of the affected country to
  respond
• Affected country requests
• (or will accept) outside
• assistance
• In the interest of the US
• Government

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OFDA Response Options

• Deploy Regional Advisors
• Deploy Assessment Teams
• Fund NGO/IO/UN directly or provide funds through
  Embassy/USAID Mission
• Provide OFDA disaster relief commodities
• Deploy a Disaster Assistance Response /Ground
  Operations Teams (DART/GO)

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OFDAs Strategy in the AOR

Developing the capacities of national governments
and OFDA to prevent, mitigate and prepare for
disaster events, and to meet the most immediate
relief needs of disaster victims
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OFDA/LAC Implementation Plan

• Reduce dependency on international assistance
• Provide technical assistance to help strengthen
  the capacity of permanent national disaster
  organizations
• Continue implementation of the Risk Management
  Training Program
• Continue working with national and regional
  organizations
• Maintain OFDA readiness to rapidly respond to
  disasters in the region

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Assumptions

• SOUTHCOM has a proactive role in disaster
  response
• Assumption that disasters and complex
  humanitarian emergencies will continue to happen
  and the US military will continue to play an
  important part in them
• Acknowledged need to create greater synergy
  between civilian and military functions during an
  emergency
• US intervention or participation in these
  situations will increasingly be viewed as
  consistent with our national interests

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OFDAs Strategy for Improved Coordination

• OFDA/LNO as principal point of coordination for
  OFDA-W and Regional Office
• Improving Collaboration
• Enhanced communication
• Establish Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
• Provide advice on HA/DR (Strategic/Operational)
• Delineate specific responsibilities for
  particular functions and operations during
  humanitarian assistance responses

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Military Liaison Working Methodology

• Identify and understand the linkages between
  military and OFDA activities and the potential
  affect of those activities on OFDA operations
• Informing and educating OFDA staff on what
  influences these military activities may have on
  divisional portfolio activities

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Continuous Liaison

• Continuously cultivate a relationship between
  USAID/BHR/OFDA and the appropriate military
  counterparts
• Create a better understanding within the military
  of OFDA and the humanitarian relief communitys
  mission
• Develop communication structures and
  institutional relationships to allow both OFDA
  and the military to effectively work together
  during joint HA/DR operations

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Coordination Challenges

• Communication between different corporate
  cultures
• Defining roles and responsibilities (who is in
  charge?)
• End state unclear
• Various actors with often times competing goals
• Linking political strategies to field operations
• Change of personnel
• Interagency planning
• Differing philosophies on relief operations

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PREVIOUS DART DEPLOYMENTS WITH JTF OPERATIONS

• N. Iraq - Provide Comfort
• Somalia - Provide Relief and Restore Hope
• Rwanda - Support Hope
• Haiti - Uphold Democracy
• Also worked with JTFs in
• Nairobi, Kenya Bombing
• Central America -Hurricane Mitch - Strong Support
• The Balkans (Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo)
• Turkey - Avid Response
• Mozambique - Atlas Response

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Lessons Learned

• The need for a clear strategy is essential to a
  successful operation
• Effective military action requires a long-term
  understanding of the situation and of the impact
  of short-term actions
• Transition to a purely civilian effort should be
  planned from the start
• Civil-Military relations, however disparate, must
  be based on mutual support, respect, and open
  collaboration