Strengthening the Partnership: Improving Military Coordination with Relief Agencies and Allies in Humanitarian Operations - Softcover

This study examines how the U.S. military, particularly the U.S. AirForce (USAF), might improve cooperation with relief agencies andEuropean allies in humanitarian relief operations. Improvedcoordination would help the USAF support U.S. government effortsand increase the success of relief efforts.This study notes potential reasons for humanitarian intervention, thetypes of missions typically carried out by U.S. forces, and commonpolitical limits placed on military forces. With this context in mind, itdescribes a wide range of relief organizations, identifies problems incoordination, and offers recommendations to the USAF and to thewider military community that would improve coordination. It alsoexamines the role of allies in relief operations and allied perspectiveson key issues confronting USAF planners. The study is primarilywritten for military planners, but it will also interest civilians, bothwithin and outside government, who are concerned withhumanitarian assistance.This study was sponsored by General John Jumper (USAFE/CC) andwas conducted as part of the Strategy and Doctrine program ofRAND's Project AIR FORCE. Comments are welcomed and may beaddressed to the authors or to the Program Director, Dr. ZalmayKhalilzad.PROJECT AIR FORCEProject AIR FORCE, a division of RAND, is the Air Force federallyfunded research and development center (FFRDC) for studies andanalysis. It provides the Air Force with independent analysis of pol-icyalternatives affecting the development, employment, combatreadiness, and support of current and future aerospace forces.Research is performed in four programs: Aerospace Force De-velopment;Manpower, Personnel, and Training; Resource Man-agement;and Strategy and Doctrine.

Daniel L. Byman (Ph.D., political science, M.I.T.) is a policy analyst at Rand whose research interests include modeling ethnic conflict, assessing Middle East politics and security issues, developing countermeasures against terrorism, reevaluating air power theory, and other general issues related to U.S. foreign policy. Ian O. Lesser (D. Phil., International Politics, St. Antony's College, Oxford University) is a Senior International Policy Analyst at Rand whose areas of expertise include U.S. foreign policy and strategic planning, NATO and Mediterranean affairs, gRand strategy and economic security, and international terrorism.