Civil-Military Leaders’ Workshop
2015 – Insights Paper
9 – 12th June 2015, QT Hotel – Canberra
Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 3
1. Preparedness ....................................................................................................................................................... 4
2. The Mission and Mandate .................................................................................................................................... 4
3. Communication .................................................................................................................................................... 5
4. Stakeholders ........................................................................................................................................................ 5
5. Considerations for Mission Leaders ..................................................................................................................... 5
6. The Role of the Police .......................................................................................................................................... 7
7. New Cross-Cutting Themes in Civil-Military-Police Interaction............................................................................. 7
8. Additional Links .................................................................................................................................................... 8
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ACMC - CMLW Insights Paper
CMLW 2015 Introduction
The Australian Civil-Military Centre’s (ACMC) mandate is to support the development of national civil-militarypolice capabilities to prevent, prepare for and respond effectively to conflicts and disasters overseas.
The Civil-Military Leaders’ Workshop (CMLW) is designed to develop senior mission leaders’ understanding of the
mandates, cultures, practices and capabilities of the many actors involved in whole-of-government responses to
complex emergencies and disasters, to reinforce understanding of the leadership and coordination issues, and to
provide a platform for enhancing professional networks. It is targeted at the Senior Executive Service Band 1 and
2 (and equivalent).
The ACMC hosted a CMLW with the theme ‘Civil-Military Coordination – New Challenges and New Partners’ from
9–12 June 2015 in Canberra. Key topics included multinational coordination, factors for consideration by senior
mission leaders, responses to new threats, new partnerships, preparedness, cross-cutting themes, and the future
of civil-military-police interaction.
Fifty-five Australian and international senior leaders from twenty-two countries participated, with representation
from the military, police, civil society, government, non-government and private sector.
Keynote speakers included the Hon. Kevin Andrews MP, Minister for Defence; Mr Dennis Richardson AO, the
Secretary of the Department of Defence; and Vice Admiral Ray Griggs AO, CSC RAN, Vice Chief of the Defence
Force. Presenters were drawn from Australian government agencies and international and regional militaries,
government and civil society.
This Insights Paper summarises participants’ key observations, which includes best practice learnings from recent
case studies. Discussions drew on emergency responses including the Malaysian floods, the Christchurch
earthquake, selected United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions, the Ebola crisis in West Africa, the loss of
Malaysian Airlines’ flights MH370 and MH17, the Nepal earthquake, Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu and the Solomon
Islands floods.
The CMLW was conducted under the Chatham House rule. Comments are not attributed to any specific person or
position.
Advice to Mission Leaders on Pre-deployment
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First priority- Identify key people to draw knowledge and support from
 Quickly decipher core issues
 Challenge assumptions and pre-conceived ideas. Each disaster is unique
Remember that every organisation you work with may make decisions differently
ACMC - CMLW Insights Paper
1. Preparedness
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Preparedness: Murphy’s Law suggests that ‘anything that can go wrong will go wrong’. Due to the
complex nature and unpredictability of emergencies and unprecedented disasters, capability is best
developed by working together before disaster strikes. The key to effective preparation is establishing
positive professional relationships in advance; ‘knowing people around the table’ helps to better
coordinate efforts on the ground during disasters and emergencies.
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Public Trust: The greatest measurement of success in providing emergency response services is
building public trust and confidence. The challenge for agencies is to educate at the community level to
ensure people believe in and follow procedures in the event of a disaster. A government-led initiative to
promote ‘safety and preparedness culture’ is an effective way to prepare communities to reduce the
impact of a natural disaster.
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Culture of Improvement: To avoid complacency, preparedness efforts need to be continuous to
ensure they meet emerging threats in often unpredictable situations. Preparedness is the key to
ensuring that past mistakes are not repeated. Flexibility is vital, along with a willingness for critical selfevaluation and to build on previous
lessons learned. Each crisis is different
Preparedness of whole-of-government capability is a joint,
and brings with it new actors and
multiagency and multinational undertaking, which cuts
requirements. The Ebola crisis required
across many different ‘tribes’, with all our different
governments to think more broadly about
understandings and ways of doing business.
logistics and commercial disruptions, as
well as managing the movement of people globally and regionally. A key lesson learned, which stalled
the initial response, was the failure to early define the Ebola crisis as an international humanitarian
disaster. Once this was identified, the response was reshaped and greater progress was made.
Ongoing dialogue and a commitment to continual improvement are essential to avoid reinforcing
mistakes.
2. The Mission and Mandate
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Clarity of Mission: Mission leaders responding to emergencies and disasters need to be absolutely
clear about the mission, its objectives and what outcomes need to be achieved for operational success.
There will likely be a combination of civilian, police and military actors involved in the operation, and
this requires understanding and respect for the mandates of other organisations if cooperation is to be
effective. Competing perspectives can hinder coordination. Establishing agreed goals helps to guide
actors to work towards a common outcome.
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UN Peacekeeping: UN mandates have changed considerably over the past decade to more
comprehensive statements. To manage expectations, senior mission leaders should not only
understand the mandate but how subordinates and
agencies will interpret it. The key challenge with any
Big mandates create big expectations.
mission is to consider sustainability beyond the initial
peacekeeping intervention, in order to avoid
dependency. From the military perspective, a key factor is to win the trust and respect of UN civilians.
Not building key relationships will significantly impede mission success.
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Emerging Trends: The past decade has evidenced a myriad of lessons learned from short-term
humanitarian and disaster relief responses. However, there remains a particular gap in understanding
the difficulties and challenges of responding to protracted crises. These are often characterised by
difficulty in accessing the most vulnerable people, poor infrastructure, a fragmented system of
government, lack of ‘rule of law’ and other obstacles, which make coordination and response all the
more challenging.
ACMC - CMLW Insights Paper
3. Communication
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Role of the Media: In an information age context of increasing political and public scrutiny, leaders
must be well prepared to manage high pressure media expectations. This demands specialist training
and professional development; and media management needs to be incorporated into response plans
for emergencies and disasters. A key lesson learned from the Christchurch earthquakes was the
media’s increasing expectation for up-to-the-minute information, which required leaders to be ready
with a clear framework of action and narrative. The overwhelming media attention surrounding MH370
and MH17 displayed common characteristics, including intense public and political interest, and
demand for instant answers. Both situations subjected multiagency and international participants to
unrelenting media scrutiny; increasing the risk of distraction from the main effort.
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Clear Lines of Communication: Authorities must be ready to provide meaningful, accurate and timely
information to the public and media. Failure to do so will result in the ‘information vacuum’ being filled
with less credible information from alternative and often unverified sources, which is counterproductive
and may be dangerous. Authorities need to be proactive in streamlining effective communication
channels that are timely, accurate and helpful. It is important to ensure that local communities and
responders are aware of and understand official communication channels, e.g. when releasing public
warnings or meteorological updates, in order to avoid confusion.
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Community Engagement: Authorities gain public
The critical factor to effective recovery is how
trust by engaging consistently through traditional
involved local government and communities are
media sources so that members of the community are
in the response.
well informed at every stage. The use of social media,
such as Twitter and Facebook, has become standard practice for officials and community responders
in conveying important public safety messages and other necessary information.
4. Stakeholders
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Stakeholder Engagement: Engagement with a broad cross section of stakeholders during disasters
and emergencies is central to a successful response. Leaders should be prepared to listen and discuss
issues raised by stakeholders at appropriate times. Communication with stakeholders and members of
the public who will be seeking reassurance
is also critical. It is important that leaders
Competing stakeholder demands can overwhelm a leader.
maintain a calm composure in times of
Seek to do the greatest good for the greatest number.
crisis and act with confidence while
reflecting an appropriate level of empathy and compassion.
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Ministers and VIPs: Stakeholder engagement requires managing the interests of politicians and VIPs.
While this may detract attention and resources from recovery operations, they are an important
stakeholder whose presence reinforces assurances that authorities have control of the situation.
Managing politicians and VIPs includes the scheduling of tours and visits to affected areas, often
accompanied by a large media contingent. Leaders should be firm about protocol while balancing the
needs and requirements of all stakeholders.
5. Considerations for Mission Leaders
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Operational to Strategic Leadership: The transition from successful operational leader to strategic
leader is not easy. The required leadership skills and communication styles differ. Adaptability,
understanding and a willingness to learn new skills are vital. Good leaders will inspire stakeholders to
collaborate, and will guide key actors in operationalising teams. They should take responsibility when
things don’t go to plan.
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Understanding Local Context: Leaders must consider host nation needs, including local values,
vision and desired mission outcomes. Understanding and respecting diverse social, cultural and
religious factors must be taken into consideration. Non-government organisations (NGOs) are an
important source of local knowledge and can provide valuable networks as they tend to be wellestablished within the community and remain longer than other responders.
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Women, Peace and Security: Complex emergencies and disasters traditionally place significant
stress on societies, which can lead to a break-down of social structures. This often manifests in violent
outbreaks, where women and children are the most vulnerable targets. Operationalising UNSCR 1325
is an important and emerging cross-theme, whereby the narrative is shifting from women’s vulnerability
to empowering women to be active agents of change. For example, the strategic partnership between
NGOs and Vanuatu’s Department of Women’s Affairs following Tropical Cyclone Pam not only
empowered women to lead, but provided a unique space where a range of issues could be discussed.
This partnership helped to highlight the specific impacts of the disaster on women. It is unlikely these
impacts would have emerged without such collaboration. Building women’s resilience is imperative in
reducing poverty following major emergencies or disasters.
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Military Capability: Militaries bring large and diversified capacities for response and recovery.
Militaries can mobilise rapidly and provide unique resources to assist with humanitarian assistance and
disaster relief. Military responders need to be aware of
and guided by the various international, regional and
Understanding the end state is vital.
domestic guidelines and principles, including respect for
host nation sovereignty, and be prepared to operate
under civilian-led situations with an unfamiliar chain of command. Identifying the desired end-state is a
key upfront consideration; i.e. what needs to be accomplished in order to leave.
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Whole-of-Government Capacity: This is as much a mindset as it is the ability to achieve
interoperability, and needs to be developed at a cultural level within organisations. A key focus is in
embedding whole-of-government principles and themes into ‘business as usual’ practices. Leaders
must be mindful not to mask over complexities, nor to sweep differences under the carpet when
responding as a single voice. Military exercises are one way of encouraging greater engagement and
cross-agency understanding, while testing and challenging prescribed methods and preconceived
ideas.
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Private Sector: The private sector is a long-term established partner and not an emerging actor.
During the Ebola crisis, private sector engagement began on day one and proved crucial to managing
the response. Specific challenges for the private sector are the increasing complexity of humanitarian
crises, including the range of different dimensions and dynamics. The private sector brings real
capability, including financial, and has the ability to stay long term if required. Host governments should
provide strategic direction and guidelines to all actors involved in humanitarian assistance and disaster
relief (HADR) operations, to ensure private sector support is not overshadowed by corporate interest.
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Ad Hoc Adjustments: MH370 and MH17 were unique crises that demanded innovative approaches
internationally and across government departments, military, private sector and civil society. Australian
examples in responding to these events highlighted several factors that worked well including clear
political direction, clear lines of communication, capacity to coordinate multiple agencies and a culture
encompassing a whole-of-government approach. Operating in a hybrid conflict/disaster zone required
strong civil-military interaction, along with cyber and information operations that were crucial to mission
support. Effective management of the media also proved vital.
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Disaster Management Legislation: Well developed regulatory frameworks that facilitate the effective
management of offers of assistance are vital before disasters strike. NGOs are working with a number
of governments and humanitarian agencies across the Asia-Pacific to assist with drafting laws and
regulations that will strengthen host governments’ ability to manage offers of international assistance.
ACMC - CMLW Insights Paper
6. The Role of the Police
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Police and Law Enforcement: Police can play diverse roles in crises. The Ebola response highlighted
a need for enforcement of law and order and stability when local health centres were overwhelmed.
The private sector employed security contractors who worked
Police will often be the face of
closely with UN peacekeepers to ensure an underlying sense of
government and of stability.
calm prevailed. Police can play a pivotal role during and after
disasters in engaging with local communities while infrastructure
and local economies are rebuilt. Disasters can bring out the worst in humanity, which makes law
enforcement crucial.
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Changing Security Environment: Threats include a range of transnational and domestic concerns
(e.g. counter terrorism). Leaders need to be aware that the security environment is constantly changing
and agencies need to be flexible enough to adapt to new requirements. Information sharing within the
Indo-Pacific region assists in addressing regional concerns and must be underpinned by strong
international relationships.
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Challenging Assumptions: Cultural assumptions may highlight differences even between likeminded
countries. In response to the Christchurch earthquakes, Australia provided 300 Australian Federal
Police (AFP) personnel to be rapidly deployed and sworn in as members of the New Zealand Police
Force (NZFP). Different nuances between how the AFP and NZPF operate were highlighted in how
each agency responded to the crisis, despite cross-cultural awareness. A lesson learned by both AFP
and NZPF was to challenge their assumptions about each other and understand the position/mandate
of each agency at a local and federal level.
7. New Cross-Cutting Themes in Civil-Military-Police Interaction
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Strategic Mindset: Leaders need to be mindful of the efforts required to overcome cross-cultural
boundaries between agencies. This requires a more philosophical understanding of the whole-ofgovernment approach. Framing concepts in a strategic way may be useful in terms of expanding
Australia’s role as a capable actor in the Indo-Pacific. For example, Australia’s acquisition of the C-17
is a national capability; but it allows Australia to do far more than defend its national borders. Thinking
beyond defence, this capability gives Australia greater reach and capacity to respond to HADR, which
is important in a disaster prone region. Public support for the C-17 proved vital during the acquisition
process as citizens began to understand the value of the asset from a wider humanitarian lens.
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State Led Responses: Nepal and Vanuatu disasters in 2015 highlighted an increasingly positive trend
towards host nation-led responses. Nepal established a coordination arm of government to manage the
international response, which worked particularly well in providing clear and open channels of
communication through the centre. A key insight into managing the crisis was the value of connecting
with local communities. It remains vital that international organisations and governments minimise the
impact of international ‘rhetoric’, which can often overshadow local efforts.
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Regional Simulations: Exercises should highlight the complexities of crisis management. Effective
regional simulations are a valuable tool, where they combine the perspectives of governments, legal
frameworks, NGOs, military, private sector, media and local communities. With respect to regional
coordination, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian
Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) was launched
History gives us good guidance on
by ASEAN in 2011, and provides a regional hub and central point
how best to respond
for mobilisation of resources in disaster management.
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Liaison Officers (LOs): Liaison officers are beneficial to organisations as they play a key role in
bridging understandings across agencies at the tactical and operational level. LOs have a difficult task
working within new boundaries and organisational cultures, and this demands perceptiveness,
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resilience and strong interpersonal attributes. LOs work best when they have a degree of authority and
are suitably positioned within the organisation to maximise interagency exposure.
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UN Mandates: Missions need a thorough understanding of cross-cutting requirements, which may
include: the Role of Police (UNSCR 2185), Protection of Civilians (UNSCR 1265), Transition (UNSCR
2215), and Protection of Women (UNSCR 1325), amongst other themes. In preparing for integrated,
multi-dimensional operations, leaders need to understand these concepts and be capable of informing,
championing and enforcing mandate requirements across their mission or respective organisation. For
example, the police presence in Liberia as part of a wider UN peacekeeping mission (UNMIL)
highlighted instances where integrated planning and response activities cut across several themes.
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Reframing Risk: Risks are traditionally viewed in terms of likelihood and consequence, but reframing
risks to account for ‘inevitability’ will enhance preparedness, particularly for so-called ‘black swan’
events, which may carry more dramatic consequences. With little choice in unforeseen events, it is
important that leaders ‘shift the narrative’ towards
inevitability in order to plan, prepare and implement
Collective wisdom is required. Typically, things
practical measures for large scale disasters and
left unresolved are highlighted through disasters.
emergencies that will happen at some time in the
future.
8. Additional Links
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CMLW Live Blog/List of participating countries and organisations:
https://www.acmc.gov.au/acmc-release-live-blog-from-2015-civil-military-leaders-workshop/
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Defence Minister’s CMLW Closing Address: http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/2015/06/12/ministerfor-defence-australian-civil-military-centres-civil-military-leaders-workshop/
ACMC - CMLW Insights Paper