Photo By Julianne Sympson | Bill Laspina, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/ Office of...... read more read more
NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. - On Sept. 25-26, a Joint Humanitarian Operations Course (JHOC) was held at the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC). Attendees came from a variety of locations to participate in this training, which familiarized JECC personnel with U.S. government (USG) led international disaster response structures, roles and responsibilities.
Thomas Frey and William Laspina from United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/ Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) facilitated the two-day course, which prepares the JECC to provide mission-tailored, joint capability packages to combatant commanders in order to facilitate rapid establishment of joint force headquarters, fulfill Global Response Force (GRF) execution and bridge joint operational requirements.
“The JECC is the key place to teach this course because of the important role that this command takes on and the crucial part that JECC has played in these types of missions,” said Frey. ”The student’s firsthand experiences and wealth of knowledge further enhance this course.”
Frey uses this perspective to modify the curriculum when necessary.
He stated “students sometimes provide the topics and the issues by questioning the concepts.”
These discussions take place during the tabletop exercises and classroom forums that occur during the two days. Having this training also facilitates critical environments when real-world situations arise. It makes the teams work more tightly together because they all have the same knowledge from taking this course.
The difference in working with planners who have been through this course is that it “saves days of work in providing a better product because the groundwork is in place,” stated Frey.
It is important to understand local capabilities. For example, there may be 100 pallets of material available to ship from a designated shipper but the receiving country may only have the capability to maintain 50 pallets. The key is to balance the capacity against the requirement through the validation of Department of Defense (DOD) tasks. These unique capabilities were skillfully demonstrated during one of the USAID’s presentations. A slide of a civilian commercial tractor trailer that was fully loaded with food supplies was able to drive on to a C-5 aircraft for transport directly to Nairobi, Kenya, during the 1998 disaster relief efforts; further demonstrating the motto of “We are one USG team.”
U.S. Army Maj. Kim Wilson, a member of the JECC’s Army Reserve Element and also an officer in the Hampton Roads police department, was fairly familiar with the information provided in the course because of her military experience in civil affairs. However, she learned a great deal about how USAID/ OFDA operates. This is important in being better prepared to support a humanitarian operations mission.
“Having completed this course, I understand the expectations of our non-DOD partners and I can better link what we do with what they do,” said Wilson. “I understand that when the military does humanitarian operations we are the supporting agency rather than being supported.”
U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Charles M. Dungan Jr., a member of the Joint Staff, J7, said the course built on his skill set and filled in the gaps. It also provided a better overall view once a disaster occurs. He feels better prepared to support a humanitarian operation having completed this course.
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Margaret Kageleiry, a member of the Joint Public Affairs Support Element (JPASE), said that completing this course is “crucial to understand who the other collaborators are on the ground and what their responsibilities are. If a planning staff’s mission analysis clearly indicates the actions to be taken, and incorporates the other agencies’ responsibilities and defines the limitations for U.S. forces, the commander can effectively direct the forces for mission accomplishment.”
The JHOC will continue to be a legacy course offered at the JECC, which further prepares the JECC personnel in case they are requested to support humanitarian assistance efforts on short notice. Today’s operational environment exposes the necessity for this training and coordination mechanism for planners.
| Date Taken: | 10.10.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.19.2014 13:19 |
| Story ID: | 148268 |
| Location: | NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 177 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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