ENHANCING MULTINATIONAL DISASTER RELIEF RESPONSES

"Back in 2014 We thought that the idea of setting up a disaster management centre only when disaster strikes was not quite effective. Therefore, we decided to invest time and resources to set up the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Coordination Centre (RHCC) which will prepare for HADR operations around the clock.

"However, after we set it up, we realised that it was equally important to have a network of partners military and civilians to work together so that we can respond effectively within the first 48 to 72 hours after the disaster has struck."

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen said this at Exercise Coordinated Response (Ex COORES) 2017 held in Singapore from 23 to 25 Jan. The three-day table-top exercise was organised by the Changi RHCC, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States' Centre for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM) and was held at Changi Command and Control Centre in Changi Naval Base.

Dr Ng was visiting the last day of the exercise with Philippine Secretary of National Defence Delfin Lorenzana and the US Charg d'Affaires, ad interim, Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath.

The exercise aimed to enhance military-to-military coordination and interoperability during HADR operations through the simulation of a volcano erupting in the Philippines, and a Category 5 Typhoon landing in a nearby city.

Using Typhoon Haiyan which struck Philippines in 2013 as an example, Mr Lorenzana shared how unprepared he felt Philippines was in dealing with that disaster. "There were a lot of organisations which stepped forward to help, but we did not have the infrastructure to receive all of them promptly."

He elaborated: "Although we have made great strides in disaster management since then, I feel that this exercise was still a great help to us as we learnt about the alternative, and perhaps more effective, disaster management methods which will allow us to be better prepared in the future."

On the realism of the exercise, the Civil Coordination Officer of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Ms Viviana De Annuntiis, said: "The scenario where a typhoon is affecting the Philippines is something that we have seen in the past. Therefore, by being so realistic, it (the exercise) has actually helped us to learn about the best practices that we have witnessed in the past few years and to integrate them into the scenario to be further tested for their feasibility and effectiveness."

Fellow participant CFE-DM Director Joseph Martin said: "The exercise has also brought together many countries which brought a very unique blend of flavours, and it allowed us to observe how different countries react and work together if a real emergency was to occur."

Major (MAJ) Manoharan Pariasamy, who is a Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Officer at Changi RHCC, also noted the differences. "There are definitely different Standard Operating Procedures in different countries... So by practising now, it (the exercise) definitely helps to quicken the planning process of any operation so that the countries can respond quicker."

MAJ Manoharan was also glad to see how Changi RHCC contributed to the exercise by providing the SAF OPERA Command and Control Information System. "The OPERA system facilitates the rapid sharing of information so as to ensure that help can be given to the affected state as quickly as possible."

The inaugural Ex COORES involved 150 participants from 18 militaries, including the SAF, and 12 non-military observers.

On the sidelines of Ex COORES, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the SAF and the CFE-DM on 24 Jan to establish a framework for cooperation.