The Civilian Cost of Myanmar’s Civil War: An Accounting of the First Three Years
The civil war in Myanmar reached a bloody three-year anniversary in early 2024 with the junta clinging to power as rebel groups slowly gained and consolidated territory around the country. More than 18.6 million people, or about a third of the population, was in need of humanitarian aid at the start of 2024. As of early June, only about 11% of the $993.5 million the UN is seeking to meet these needs was funded. Myanmar remains the only significant violent conflict in an Indo-Pacific region preoccupied with the much colder battles waging over Taiwan and the South China Sea. International attention – in the form of decisive political and military support for either side of the conflict – though never particularly strong, has fallen even further as Ukraine and then Gaza demand attention.
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August 2024
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Emergency Operations Centers (EOC): Quick Overview and Resource Guide
The purpose of this guide is to provide considerations for countries establishing, evaluating, or enhancing their national or provincial EOCs, which although are domestically focused may also have to consider incorporating international assistance in large-scale disasters. The goal is to provide information in a condensed and quick-access format, as a preliminary overview of established procedures and guidance on EOCs and relevant coordination structures.
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July 2024
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USINDOPACOM Foreign Disaster Response in the Indo-Asia-Pacific April 1991 – January 2024
With the significant number of natural disasters affecting the region, the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) was called upon to support at least 44 foreign disaster responses in the Indo-Pacific from April 1991 to the end of January 2024. These events range from small-scale responses, where sometimes U.S. military forces are the only foreign military assisting the affected nation, to supporting large-scale operations for major disasters alongside many other regional militaries and civilian responders. This number does not reflect every significant disaster that has impacted the Indo-Pacific. More often than not, civilian and military responders in the affected state can respond to disasters on their own without international help. Thus, it is less common for regional militaries, such as the U.S. military, to be called upon to support relief efforts.
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April 2024
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CFE-DM Issue Brief - Distress at Sea: Civilian Evacuees, Refugees, Migrants and Seafarers in Conflict
This brief explores the issue of the duty to render assistance to civilians in distress at sea, how armed conflict impacts that duty, and the policy and operational choices that states will face in potential Asia- Pacific conflict scenarios. It begins by reviewing the law and policy of the duty render assistance and examines key categories of civilians in distress at sea, including evacuees, refugees and migrants, and merchant seafarers. It then considers risks to these civilians at sea, including challenges to search-and rescue, and ashore, including disembarkation. It concludes with actions for government, military, and humanitarian actors to better prepare for contingencies around civilians in distress-at-sea in armed conflict.
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February 2024
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CFE-DM Issue Brief - Humanitarian Corridors and Safe Passage at Sea
This issue brief reviews the past practice of humanitarian corridors and safe passage arrangements-at-sea and highlights critical considerations for actors strengthening preparedness for humanitarian action in a large-scale conflict at sea. It begins with an overview of humanitarian corridors and safe passage in the context of naval strategy and international law. It then reviews current and past practice of humanitarian corridors- and safe passage arrangements-at-sea, considering examples from the conflicts in Sri Lanka, Yemen, Ukraine, the Falklands/Malvinas, and piracy in the Gulf of Aden. These case studies represent the most significant maritime safe passage arrangements since the Second World War. They highlight lessons for future maritime combat scenarios, lessons compiled for government, military and humanitarian actors interested in planning and preparing for the use of humanitarian corridors and safe passage arrangements at sea.
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February 2024
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Climate Change in the Pacific Islands: Needs and Priorities for U.S. Engagement
This report explains the emerging climate security framework in the Pacific Islands and identifies entry points for U.S. climate security collaboration with allies and partners to accelerate climate change adaptation in the region. To bolster Pacific-led responses, the author recommends the U.S. supports two key regional frameworks – the Boe Declaration Action Plan, the region’s lead security strategy; and the Framework for Resilience Development in the Pacific, which promotes an integrated approach to addressing climate change and disaster risk management.
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July 2023
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An Emerging Climate Security Framework in the Pacific Islands: Opportunities for U.S. Climate Security Engagement
This report explains the emerging climate security framework in the Pacific Islands and identifies entry points for U.S. climate security collaboration with allies and partners to accelerate climate change adaptation in the region. This report draws on key informant interviews with subject matter experts knowledgeable about climate change action in the Pacific Islands. It is also informed by a desk review of U.S. and Pacific Islands climate and security policies, assessments, and programmatic initiatives.
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July 2023
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A Resource Guide to Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Centers in the Indo-Pacific
This Resource Guide by the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM) intends to provide the user an introduction to a variety of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Centers located across the Indo-Pacific region. In compiling and preparing this report, CFE-DM sought to provide a broad mapping of centers in the region for general individual and institutional awareness, in an effort to promote cooperative HADR disaster research and institutional collaboration in the region. The overall intent of this document is to serve as a basic reference guide or starting point for the individual researcher or institution seeking to learn more about the different HADR centers located throughout the Indo-Pacific. This guide is considered as a working document and may be updated as new and significant information becomes available.
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May 2022
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China’s Multi-pronged Approach to Gain Influence in Oceania Four-Part Series
The full scope of China’s ambitions in the Pacific came into focus in late May 2022 when a communique outlining a regional economic and security arrangement with ten Pacific Island Countries (PICs) was leaked to the international media. This follows a controversial bilateral security agreement signed between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Solomon Islands a month earlier. China’s increasing security cooperation with PICs and its implications for regional security has drawn greater U.S. and international attention to Oceania. The five reports in this collection examine China’s growing diplomatic, military, economic, and strategic communication efforts in Oceania as it relates to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) and explains the implications for strategic competition in the region.
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August 2022
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Department of Defense Support to Foreign Disaster Relief - Handbook for Responding Forces 30 June 2021
This handbook serves as a quick reference guide for U.S. military members participating in a Foreign Disaster Relief (FDR) mission in permissive environments, in a country that still has a functioning government. It is not intended for use in complex situations; however, some information may have utility for DoD support in such instances. Additionally, this handbook will be useful for DoD support to international chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear response (ICBRN-R), also referred to as technological disasters.
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June 2021
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