Marshall Center begins new course on civil security
July 2008
GARMISCH, Germany — International cooperation is key to a nation’s response to domestic disasters, the assistant secretary of defense for Homeland Defense and America’s Security Affairs said in remarks at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies here July 10.
Paul McHale, assistant secretary of defense for Homeland Defense and America’s Security Affairs, responds to a question following his remarks on civil security planning and international cooperation at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies July 10. The assistant secretary of defense spoke to emergency management officials from the U.S. and 26 European and Eurasian countries participating in the first class of the Marshall Center’s three-week Seminar on Trans-Atlantic Civil Security. STACS addresses how nations can effectively manage domestic security issues which have regional and international impact.
(Photo by Karlheinz Wedhorn)
“There is no nation in the world so powerful that it should stand alone when confronting the very real threat of transnational terrorism. There is no nation so well prepared for a natural disaster that it can afford to stand alone in the face of the consequences of a catastrophic event,” Paul McHale said.
The assistant secretary of defense spoke to emergency management officials from the U.S. and 26 European and Eurasian countries participating in the first class of the Marshall Center’s three-week Seminar on Trans-Atlantic Civil Security, or STACS.
Hurricane Katrina made it clear that while the United States had resources to respond to the disaster, there was no plan for deploying those resources, McHale said. Since then, the U.S. has moved rapidly to develop 15 national planning scenarios for natural disasters and terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction.
“There is a very strong need, a requirement, for all of us to share this kind of information because we face the same kinds of threats. A hurricane or earthquake does not respect a political boundary,” McHale said to STACS participants.
“That’s really what brings us together here,” he said. “There are fundamental issues that need to be examined: who should be in charge of the response, what kinds of capabilities should be required, what kinds of detailed plans should be in place for events of this character. And in all of those areas, no one nation should stand alone.”
Because any domestic catastrophe, whether natural or man-made, can have regional and international impact, STACS takes an all-hazards approach to civil security, a developing field which includes civil defense, homeland security, civil emergency planning, and crisis and consequence management, said Dr. John L. Clarke, the course director.
“While the threat of war has receded for many countries, the dangers associated with terrorism and other problems and hazards have risen,” Clarke said. “We need to be prepared to deal with and manage the security implications of any event, whether a terrorist attack, a natural disaster, an industrial accident or pandemic disease.”
The seminar emphasizes interagency and international coordination in preventing, preparing for and managing the consequences of crises and disasters.
“Hurricane Katrina, the floods in Europe, the Armenian earthquakes, the Madrid train bombings—these kinds of threats and hazards are of such dimension and consequence that no single nation can handle them,” Clarke said. “That is why it is important to see how our neighbors do their work, to examine how ministries and governments can work together to solve problems.”
STACS is one outcome of several years of discussions and work with civil security professionals from both sides of the Atlantic. Most recently, in September 2007, Clarke chaired the first ever working group on trans-Atlantic civil security, which looked at the professional development needs of practitioners in the growing field. The working group, with representatives from 23 countries, compiled a comprehensive list of core competencies for civil security leaders and planners that helped shape the objectives and methods of the new course.
“With the working group’s input, we were able to incorporate what our stakeholders want, what practitioners say they need and what academics think make sense,” Clarke said.
On the group’s recommendation, the course features case studies and practical exercises on pandemic disease, risk management, critical infrastructure protection and media management, among other topics, as well as a field study focused on border security and large-event security planning.
“Our goal is to help the participants who are attending this course develop capabilities that they can use as soon as they get back to their countries, and to help them make contacts they can call on the next time a contingency arises,” Clarke said
STACS is one part of the Marshall Center’s Program on Civil Security, which also includes a traveling outreach and consulting team and a research element.
