Military Response to Natural Disasters: The Resilience of Affected Nations

Abstract

Humanitarian response efforts are difficult to predict because many variables impact the final decision. Previous research on the topic of military assistance has focused on the strength of the cyclone or earthquake as the dominant factor. The kinetic force behind a natural disaster is important, but many other elements influence a request for aid from the United States. Resilience factors such as the infrastructure’s ability to withstand the disaster impact the nation’s ultimate decision to request external help. If local structures and support instruments are robust enough, additional assistance will not be necessary. This paper analyzes 40 years of the United States military humanitarian response; over 300 military operations were reviewed and coded based on the nature of the disaster and the impacted country’s Bundhis Entwicklong Hift WorldRiskIndex exposure, susceptibility and coping capacity values and FM Global Resilience Index natural hazard risk quality value. The research shows foreign countries will likely request the United States military aid if they have an exposure value greater than 26.3. The results of this study will assist military commanders in defining response requirements and aligning operational plans with the most vulnerable populations.