Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina – 35 members of the Bosnian Army and Civil Protection attended a training event conducted by an expert team from JFC Naples J9 on Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) at the 5th Infantry Brigade of Bosnian Army from 12 to 15 December 2023.
The aim of this course was to provide the training audience with an overview of the various assets, roles, missions, and doctrines related to NATO’s Civil – Military Cooperation in Emergency Preparedness and Response (CEPR). The MTT represented the opportunity to share knowledge on military and civil/humanitarian aspects relevant in contexts of natural risks and complex emergencies.
The training promoted the understanding of NATO´s role and procedures in Civil-Military Cooperation in Emergency Planning (CEP) and Disaster Relief (DR) as well on the comprehension of the different civilian and military perspectives related to those specific topics. The focus of discussions included crisis management response architecture, non-military actors in emergency preparedness and response, military support to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) and emergency coordination mechanisms.
A total of 35 members of the Bosnian Army and Civil Protection attended the MTT, primarily at the Tactical level. Following the principles of reciprocity and mutual understanding, members of the Bosnian Civil Protection delivered a briefing on national crisis management architecture and prevention mechanisms. The presentations and follow-on discussions highlighted the primary role of Government authorities in leading response efforts, with the activation of national rescue and response mechanisms, and civil protection teams deployed to ensure the supply of vital resources to the affected population.
During the training, the following case studies were presented and disused with training participants: Pakistan Eathquake (2005), Haiti Earthquake (2010), BiH Floods (2014), Nepal Earthquake (2015), Croatian Earthquake (2020), and Türkiye Earthquake (2023).
A key strategic partner for NATO, Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the Partnership for Peace program in 2006. The Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) conducted the consequence management field exercise “BOSNA I HERCEGOVINA 2017” from 25th to 29th September 2017, in and around the city of Tuzla, where the MTT took place. The two events provided key opportunities for NATO, BiH and other partner countries to improve interoperability across a wide range of operations, including water rescue, urban search and rescue and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) protection.