Responding to a crisis when the status quo is a crisis

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series on security and law enforcement during humanitarian and disaster relief scenarios. You can read the first article here.

If the 2016 earthquake recurred in Italy today, how would the country respond during the closure period? If a hurricane like Irma, Maria or Dorian strikes the Caribbean now, what can regional and international partners respond even to help? If a storm like Sandy now hits the United States, how much will New York and New Jersey sink? As the world suffers from a global pandemic in the form of a new coronavirus, most governments have focused on the health effects of this virus, on the economic implications of closures and other mitigation measures taken to stop its spread. But there are two main issues that need to be considered carefully every day: security issues and natural disasters. Criminals are more likely to take advantage of new opportunities created by the dramatic change in the status quo. The same applies to terrorist organizations, in terms of financing and attacks. However, how well are the security forces able to act or respond at the moment? Even outside these security concerns, natural disasters may be a greater threat to exceeding the current capacity. Hurricanes, hurricanes and hurricanes will strike, earthquakes will strike, volcanoes, epidemic or epidemic will explode. Now immersed in an unspecified global health crisis, every leader must answer this question: If the status quo is a catastrophe, how can we deal with accidental or accidental emergencies? Few, if any, countries are ready for the challenge.

Bigger and richer countries often struggle to manage a single catastrophic event. Multiple simultaneous emergencies can push even the best organized response mechanisms after a breaking point. US successive responses to Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Hurricane Irma in the Virgin Islands and Florida, and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands once again indicated that more needs to be done on this front, but 2020 COVID-19 has made the epidemic a challenge at high comfort . Around the world, countries recognize the importance of being prepared to respond to several different types of emergencies simultaneously, each with limited resources available for this effort. Given the urgency of the situation, countries should carefully study their tools to address security and law enforcement issues, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief amid the current epidemic and future public health crises. Some tools they may not already recognize, while others may need to create them.

Virtual inter-agency cell

At the national level, countries must strike a balance between maintaining basic services and trying to keep as many people as possible at home. Different countries deal with this differently. Some sought to rotate within government agencies, others sought to get as many remote workers as possible, others still considered only some agencies – sometimes only military – “essential” during the epidemic. In many cases, however, the problem is that health-focused rules may make sense on an agency-by-agency basis, but they do not take into account inter-agency requirements to deal with disaster response or security incidents. To operate efficiently and transparently in any context, there has to be some form of formal, reproducible and documented process to ensure that information reaches senior decision makers in a timely manner. But many approaches to cooperation, collaboration, and even information exchange, implemented in different countries, are simply not possible when some agencies are closed and most work from home. Although there is no “best” practice yet, some functional models, such as the U.S. Naval Operational Response Response Process (managed by the Global Maritime Operational Response Coordination Center), indicate that inter-agency cells can actually function. This mechanism – resulting from the attempted Soviet defection on the Coast Guard, which improved after September 11, and strengthened over decades – has well-defined protocols for getting all agencies needed to address a specific situation in a phone call so that information can be shared effectively, and can be taken Decisions quickly. By practicing the process regularly, there are clear procedures for establishing the lead agency and determining how to handle the type of situation as efficiently as possible.

Although the best time to organize a “virtual inter-agency cell” will be before the epidemic, it can also be established privately. However, there should be some structure for them, as they must meet the need to respond appropriately to security situations and disasters in a modified work environment. This means that, in addition to being reproducible and reliable so that it provides timely information to decision makers, it also needs to be very clear about powers and jurisdiction. The “on-demand” person of any agency within the virtual cell must be ready to call the phone with people from other agencies and make decisions on behalf of their agency immediately. This is difficult in some cases, so there must be a speedy and actionable process to find more top inputs in the things that it requires. Whether in the office, at home or on the beach, the right people should be able to communicate with each other instantly and solve any kind of inter-agency considerations. The primary goal of the virtual cell, although established, is to ensure that fully functioning agencies do not diminish in effectiveness when other agencies operate in less than complete operational condition. Countries should test the operation of these virtual cells before relying on them, and international partners may be useful in this process.

Multinational Regional Response Teams

As was said in Morocco, whose borders with Algeria were closed decades ago, the closed borders are “closed only for legal reasons.” Even as borders around the world are closed due to a pandemic, transnational crime will always continue. However, when it comes to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, the transnational response is often crucial. Therefore, one of the methods that countries can take is to establish multinational regional response teams. These teams will include officials from across the region or sub-region, and each of them has been granted, ex officio, decisive authority at the national level. Through regularly reviewed health protocols that include testing, quarantine, isolation and other protection measures, these teams can subsequently collaborate in cross-border security, across national borders, law enforcement, and disaster response issues. Since normal movement is not possible or safe for health reasons, multinational regional response teams can simplify international cooperation by actually present.

In some cases, this could build on or enhance existing regional cooperation. For example, as mentioned in Part One, the Yaounde Maritime Security Architecture in West and Central Africa has established a successive set of mechanisms for cooperation between regions, regions and regions. This architecture was recently tested in May 2020 in a piracy case where a fishing vessel was pirated off the coast of Ivory Coast, and with 18 hostages on board, it was transported via Ghana, Togo and Benin, to Nigeria’s exclusive economic zone. The navies of these countries worked together through Yaounde architecture to track the ship, exchange information, and ultimately help create a successful interception by the Nigerian navy. Previously established multinational focal points, such as those in Zone E, whose embargo occurred at its hour, illustrate the potential value that these regional response teams can enjoy. The faster it is established, the more likely it is to succeed.

Health protocols for ship agreements, force status agreements, and other cooperative agreements

As the first part has argued, there is tremendous value in utilizing ship agreements, status-of-forces agreements, and other cooperation mechanisms to maintain security while engaging in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions. While these tools may still be useful in dealing with confluence of security issues and disaster response, in a more difficult context of the epidemic, additional considerations are needed. Before enforcing ship rider agreements (which allow law enforcement officials from one country to embark on a ship belonging to another country) or status-of-forces agreements (that allow a country’s army to operate in another country), during the epidemic, careful public health protocols need to be developed. Inviting third parties to an operational theater is always risky. It is now formally recognized, for example, that the United Nations has a role in causing the devastating cholera epidemic in Haiti in 2010 while responding to the massive earthquake there. In light of the current epidemic and the future epidemic, countries must urgently establish “healthy protocols” for any agreements with shipbuilding companies, status-of-forces agreements, or other cooperative agreements that may be required. These additions should, in consultation with public health experts, develop protocols for how agreements will be implemented during a public health emergency. All considerations should be addressed in the use of personal protective equipment, communication protocols, social dispersion, workstation hygiene and equipment, and related matters. Moreover, countries must work together to determine how best to ensure law enforcement, security and disaster response protection are protected from disease and have clear guidance on how to prevent its spread.

Law enforcement guidance for disaster response amid a pandemic

Aside from the health protocols of various cooperative agreements, there is also a need for a global effort to develop law enforcement and disaster response guidance in a pandemic. In addition, these cannot just address issues on the ground. Naval considerations are very important, as recent positions related to the cruise industry, USS Theodore Roosevelt, and the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle indicated. For example, what is the best way to board a ship and arrest the crew in such a way that the disease does not spread? What should law enforcement authorities do if suspects in a security incident wear protective masks (or not)? How can the suspect be brought before a court with adequate counseling from the lawyer if the lawyer is to keep two meters of the social distance? How can law enforcement and disaster response officials take care of their mental and physical health when there is an invisible threat at the same time as a clear threat? This guide should be constantly reviewed and shared as understanding of the disease evolves and lessons are learned. Such guidance can also be tailored according to specific regional or national contexts.

Vehicle emergency preparedness

The epidemic is difficult to deal with. The epidemic, in addition to natural disasters, is more difficult. So, too, a pandemic as well as a security issue. The epidemic, in addition to a natural disaster, as well as a security issue, may be enough to confuse any country. But as the year 2020 progresses, the likelihood of such a double or triple challenge increases, and it has already been felt with the storms, earthquakes and shootings that have occurred. Even in the midst of an epidemic, countries involved in planning and engaging in exercises should prepare for complex emergencies. Virtual table exercises can help agencies focus on what they can and cannot do to respond at this time. If we look beyond the current situation, planning and preparing for multiple emergencies is crucial to prepare. Some will always argue that scenarios with dramatic and simultaneous challenges are out of reach, but 2020 will work for a long time as a reminder that they are not.

conclusion

Now that the global epidemic has become a reality, not a historical stranger, there is a need for new law enforcement approaches and procedures to respond to disasters. Preparation, proactive rethinking, and consciously abandoning normal assumptions will help reduce the likelihood of failure by states, even with limited resources. By transcending what appears to be possible limits, and working to meet the great challenge of tackling a pandemic, natural disaster, and security incident at the same time, countries may actually put in place policies and procedures that make them more generally efficient – and certainly more able to deal with a single emergency. In other words, work to maximize efficiency and effectiveness in dealing with complex emergencies may improve the ‘normal’ performance of the state as well. Moreover, as every country on Earth suffers from a major strategic shock from the epidemic, there is ample room for global cooperation in exchanging lessons, good practices and cautionary tales. Ultimately, the extent to which states organize creativity and ignore resources to address complex emergencies is the extent to which they save or lose human lives.

Brigadier General Teles Bethel is the commander of the 7th Defense Forces of the Royal Defense Forces in the Bahamas and is widely regarded as a major leader in maritime security in the region. He was the commander of the Defense Force in a number of major hurricanes including Irma, Maria and, more recently, Dorian.

Dr. Ian Ralby is CEO of I.R. Consilium, a paid-for family business specializing in maritime and resource security. He spent three years as a leading expert on maritime crime in the UNODC global marine crime program, and was in the region for Harvey, Irma and Maria, and was in the Bahamas in the days following Dorian. It also works on maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief issues worldwide, including throughout Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

The opinions, ideas, and opinions expressed in this article belong to the authors only and are not necessarily the views of any government or organization.

Photo: US Coast Guard (photo by 2nd grade officer Patrick Kelly)

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