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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Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response 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 Response 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
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response 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 Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response 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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