The Australian Civil Military Centre (ACMC) has released a research publication providing operational guidance to strengthen civil-military coordination in preparing for and responding to a future pandemic or public health emergency – domestically or overseas.
In preparing this document, ACMC engaged stakeholders from Australia, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific on their experiences in civil-military coordination during public health emergencies.
LTGEN (Retd) John Frewen launched ‘Considerations for Civil-Military Interactions in Public Health Emergencies’ at the International Committee of Military Medicine Conference in Brisbane on 26 September 2024. LTGEN (Retd) Frewen led Defence’s COVID-19 taskforce and was the Coordinator-General of Australia’s COVID vaccine rollout.
“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,” LTGEN (Retd) Frewen said.
“Now, more than ever, we need to strengthen coordination and collaboration between civil and humanitarian agencies and military organisations.”
The new publication provides clear actionable guidance at the field level to build a more nuanced understanding of the roles and capabilities of militaries in outbreak response, facilitating better preparedness and more aligned operational responses in an emergency.
The publication is available at: Considerations for Civil-Military Interaction During Public Health Emergencies | ACMC