Incorporating Military Civil Affairs Support into Domestic Disaster Management

Internationally, the military—by virtue of its readiness status, ability to launch large-scale operations, and possession of specialized personnel and equipment—has almost always responded to community disasters. Especially with the growth of a professional emergency-management cadre, through such organizations as the National Coordinating Council on Emergency Management, it is very important to connect the military and civilian sides of emergency management more closely. This paper describes the structure and operation of Civil Affairs programs in the military and considers ways in which community-emergency managers can connect with such programs.