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Defence’s Australian Civil-Military Centre has formally released a strategy, titled Considerations for Civil-Military Interactions in Public Health Emergencies, designed to promote tighter coordination and cooperation during public health crises.
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The publication, launched by Lieutenant General (Ret’d) John Frewen, advocates that public health emergencies, including outbreaks, can be considered a unique operational setting for the conduct of civil-military interaction and is designed to provide operational guidance to strengthen civil-military coordination in preparing for, and responding to, future pandemics or public health emergencies at home and abroad.
Australian Civil-Military Centre (ACMC) executive director Nicola Rosenblum said, “The severity and complexity of crises is increasing. We are also seeing concurrent events, as Australia experienced in 2020, with major bushfires, widespread flooding and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
When set against the backdrop of public health emergencies, the ACMC plans emphasise the importance of dialogue and actions between civilian, humanitarian and military actors to engage with each other in preparation for, and during, public health emergencies.
“Now, more than ever, we need to strengthen coordination and collaboration between civil and humanitarian agencies and military organisations,” Rosenblum said.
In line with the International Health Regulations, a “public health emergency of international concern” is defined as an event which constitutes a public health risk through the international spread of disease and potentially requires a coordinated international response.
This response is often shaped by the dynamic, unpredictable and protracted nature of public health crises, in the case of the multi-year COVID-19 pandemic which often has first, second and third-order effects across a nation, requiring, as the report described, a “joined-up” or “whole-of-nation” strategy of response.
The ACMC was established in 2008 to assist Australian government agencies prepare for, prevent, and respond more effectively to conflicts and disasters overseas.
More information, including the full report can be found here.
