Managing health disasters and Civil–Military Cooperation: A case of COVID-19 in Pakistan

Abstract

As an institution, the Pakistan Army has been playing a significant role in dealing with emergencies and disasters facing the nation. The novel coronavirus disease, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) COVID-19, was wreaking havoc around the world. The pandemic is a threat to health and has caused severe damage across most aspects of the society. The situation forced the formation of a unique series of civil–military inter-agency relationships to be formed, in order to curb the spread of the pandemic. The Pakistan Army that was neither trained nor equipped to undertake any such health disaster management operation played a significant role in preventing disease and overcoming the disaster. Civil–military cooperation (CIMIC) was the key to the successful response of Pakistan towards COVID-19. The research was based on qualitative interviews that analysed the phenomenon of COVID-19 pandemic, that is, ‘health disaster’, to elucidate the disaster management practices performed through the framework of CIMIC in Pakistan. With regard to this, the article argued that formulating a comprehensive guideline or framework was necessary to maintain an effective and cooperative relationship between civil and military components. It further demonstrated the need to recognise the constitutive factors that influenced the functionalisation and institutionalisation of CIMIC to manage the highly complex health-related emergencies.

Global key concepts of civil-military cooperation for disaster management in the COVID-19 pandemic—A qualitative phenomenological scoping review

“…The following section reviews concrete CIMIC field experiences or analyses of such ( 3 , 46 – 62 ). Because disaster management during COVID-19 was generally guided by national frameworks and policies, pertinent reports in this section are reviewed grouped by country of first author in order to maintain this perspective ( Figure 4 ), appearing geographically aggregated by continent and in descending order of overall numbers of reports per country.…”

“…Jabbar and Makki analyzed civil-military cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic from a leadership perspective ( 62 ). They focused on four themes, i.e., (1) the significance of CIMIC in disaster management, (2) challenges associated with CIMIC during the COVID-19 pandemic, (3) the role of a common civil-military comment operation center, and (4) government policies and practices related to disaster management ( 62 ). Of interest, most funding is spent into measures responding to a disaster rather than in prevention ( 62 ).…”

“…They focused on four themes, i.e., (1) the significance of CIMIC in disaster management, (2) challenges associated with CIMIC during the COVID-19 pandemic, (3) the role of a common civil-military comment operation center, and (4) government policies and practices related to disaster management ( 62 ). Of interest, most funding is spent into measures responding to a disaster rather than in prevention ( 62 ). This is not an isolated phenomenon, but a frequent global shortcoming, which is being addressed by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 ( 63 ).…”

“…In Pakistan, overcoming a communication gap and fostering collaboration between civilian actors was important during the COVID-19 crises ( 62 ). In the absence of international guidelines for CIMIC, a definition of the overall framework and guidelines are helpful ( 62 ). Joint training of civilian and military stakeholders improved functioning and mutual understanding, and increases trust, while previous military training of civilian actors proved to be beneficial in this regard ( 62 ).…”

“…This is not an isolated phenomenon, but a frequent global shortcoming, which is being addressed by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 ( 63 ). Tasks of the Pakistani army included support in SARS-CoV-2-testing, logistics (i.e., distribution of medical equipment including testing kits, ventilators, personal protective equipment and drugs), disaster response coordination, and information management ( 62 ). In Pakistan, overcoming a communication gap and fostering collaboration between civilian actors was important during the COVID-19 crises ( 62 ).…”