The Essence of Civil and Military Cooperation and Its International Development Trends
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Counselor, Department of Health System Development, Ministry of Social Affairs
The military are increasingly contributing to the management of major crises. International experience shows that the army performs humanitarian tasks very well during crises in conflict areas both abroad and domestically.
The more a country has “invested” in its army, the bigger opportunities it has to contribute to crisis management and the more likely are these opportunities to be used. The probability is even higher where the resources of the army are intended for cross-use.
The contribution of the military in crises is generally quick but short-term and does not help eliminate the consequences of the disaster in a long-term perspective.
From the viewpoint of representatives of civil agencies, it makes sense to involve the military in crisis management because this does not need much money: military organisations are funded on a continuing basis which means that they have already ensured capability and readiness at the moment a crisis strikes. However, at the same time, representatives of civil agencies do not always know the actual capabilities of military organisations and they tend to overestimate them.
A prerequisite for efficient cooperation is predefined responsibilities and action guidelines that the army must meet during crisis. The opportunities for the army to support the civil sector during humanitarian crises has not been studied enough.