Military Aid to Civil Community: Strategic Support and Community Resilience in Modern Defense Operations

By Fouad Sabry

What is Military Aid to The Civil Community

Military aid to the civil community (MACC) is a phrase referring to the armed forces providing a service to the civilian community. It is used in many countries, particularly the United Kingdom.

How you will benefit

(I) Insights, and validations about the following topics:

Chapter 1: Military aid to the civil community

Chapter 2: Civil defense

Chapter 3: Search and rescue

Chapter 4: Military aid to the civil power

Chapter 5: Field hospital

Chapter 6: Emergency management

Chapter 7: International response to Hurricane Katrina

Chapter 8: Hurricane Katrina disaster relief

Chapter 9: Department of Defence (Ireland)

Chapter 10: Disaster Preparedness and Response Team

(II) Answering the public top questions about military aid to the civil community.

Who this book is for

Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of Military Aid to The Civil Community.

• Language: English
• Publisher: One Billion Knowledgeable
• Release date: Jun 19, 2024

Book preview

Chapter 1: Military aid to the civil community

The phrase military aid to the civil community (MACC) is a phrase that describes the act of the armed services delivering a service to the civilian sector. It is utilized in a variety of countries, most notably the United Countries of America.

There are three different categories of military assistance to the civil authority in the United Kingdom. One of these categories is military assistance to the civic community. MACC encompasses the provision of unarmed military assistance for the purpose of preventing or dealing with the aftermath of a natural disaster or a major incident, or for the purpose of assisting civil sponsors in either carrying out special projects that have significant social value to the community or by attaching individual volunteers to specific projects. In 1968, for instance, the Royal Engineers established a specialist squadron known as the 66 Plant Squadron, which was based in Longmoor, Hampshire. This squadron was comprised of four specialist plant troops: the Southern (which had been based in Longmoor), the Midlands (which had been based in Walsall), the Northern (which had been based in Catterick), and the Scotland (which had been an original base in Edinburgh). The 66th Plant Squadron was the largest single Royal Engineers squadron at the time, and it had a significant amount of plant equipment, including bulldozers, tippers, graders, rollers, excavators, cranes, and its transport vehicles. It was made up of four troops, in addition to a headquarters troop, a light aid detachment from REME, and a troop that was responsible for equipment and supplies. Examples of MACC assistance carried out was the Cleaning up after the Torrey Canyon Incident when an Oil tanker ran onto rocks in the South West of England and 66 Plant squadron was tasked to clean up the beaches of oil residue, rebuilding Oekyel Bridge in Scotland after floods, building an airstrip between Kylakin and Broadford on the Isle of Skye, building and maintaining ranges in various locations on Salisbury Plain, enhancing the Tank proving grounds at Bovington (Royal Armourd Corps Training centre in Dorset), Exercise Waterleap in Canada, Dredging the Avon & Kennett Canal in Southern England to allow recreational boating, and building the range butts at Bisley in Hants. In addition, numerous MACC deployments were carried out overseas, including those to Singapore, Malawi, Kenya, and Canada.

Through aid to the civil power (ATCP) accords with the government of Ireland, the Irish armed forces have the potential to offer help to civic populations in the country of Ireland. In times of natural disasters, such as storms, flooding, huge fires, and other similar calamities, the Irish Army, Naval Service, and Air Corps may be called upon to provide immediate assistance. These are in addition to the roles that it plays in the ATCP and in providing assistance to government departments, which include national security, counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism, transporting prisoners, cash, ammunition, and explosives, maritime safety, search and rescue, drug interdiction, fisheries protection, patrols of vital state installations and border patrols (including armed checkpoints), air ambulance service, and non-combatant evacuation.

The Australian Defense Force makes use of the term defence assistance to the civil community (DACC), which can be broken down into a variety of different categories.

Assistance in local emergency circumstances where immediate action is required to save lives is the first kind of DACC emergency assistance provided. It is possible to make arrangements for this at the local level between civilian emergency services and local commanders of the Armed Forces.

In the event that state or territorial resources are insufficient, DACC category 2 addresses the provision of emergency aid in the event of a more broad or ongoing disaster. This can include things like communications, transportation and evacuation, and search and rescue operations. In most cases, the federal government receives requests for assistance of this kind from the governments of the surrounding states and territories. On a major scale, aid was provided in the aftermath of the floods that occurred in the Hunter Valley in 1955, Cyclone Tracy, the earthquake that occurred in Newcastle in 1989, the Black Saturday bushfires, and the floods that occurred in Queensland in 2011.

Assistance in recovery from an emergency or disaster that is not directly related to the saving of life or property is included in the third category of the Disaster Assistance Center (DACC). Emergency Management Australia is often the entity that is responsible for submitting requests for help of this kind from civilian emergency services. One example of this would be the provision of temporary bridges in situations when permanent bridges have been destroyed by natural disasters such as fire or flooding.

Category 4 of the DACC is for help that is not an emergency and is used for ceremonial and public relations purposes. Included in this category are requests for the Australian Defense Force to provide equipment for use in film and television productions, flypasts for public occasions, and performances by military bands. Requests for assistance of this kind are typically submitted by the organizer through the Department of Defence's public affairs.

Non-emergency help of a modest nature falls under the DACC category 5 category. Other types of training, with the exception of training with law enforcement, are included in this category. This includes training for emergencies and disasters.

Support to civil authorities in the performance of non-emergency law enforcement in situations when there is no prospect of the Australian Defense Force using force is the sixth category of the DACC.

Legislation and practice in Canada are extremely comparable to those in the United Kingdom, with certain modifications made to reflect the constitutional authority and duty of the provinces. The majority of situations that call for immediate military aid are handled by the provinces instead of the federal government. In the event of a natural disaster, such as a forest fire, flood, or ice storm, or even a kid who has gone missing, the military is frequently called upon by the provinces.

The procedures are significantly less formal, and the decision-making process is decentralized, in contrast to the military assistance provided to the civil authorities. Due to the fact that the military does not perform the duties of a police force when called upon in accordance with these regulations, the primary concern is the level of government that pay for this assistance; in principle, when a province seeks assistance, it is responsible for paying the cost.

Certain responsibilities, such as search and rescue operations at sea and for aircraft that have gone missing, are also provided by the military on a full-time basis. In addition to this, it conducts patrols both in the air and at sea in order to enforce civil legislation concerning pollution, fishing, and other related topics. It should be noted, however, that this assistance is provided in support of other departments within the federal government and is the subject of basic memoranda of understanding between departments.

The MACC is one of the most important military duties that the Bundeswehr is responsible for. Due to the fact that German rearmament was a tough political decision that was met with strong criticism, it was also highly important historically to obtain legitimation and the backing of the populace. A number of regulations pertaining to MACC can be found in the German constitution, known as the Grundgesetz. In normal circumstances, the Bundeswehr does not allow the use of force to be employed when necessary. It is possible for the Bundesgrenzschutz federal police to be requested by the Bundesland in the event that force is required.

Prior to the MACC, which occurred during the flood that occurred in the North Sea in 1962, the constitution of Germany completely prohibited the use of the Bundeswehr.

As a result of difficulties in gaining public acceptability in the early Bundesrepublik, MACC was the primary emphasis of the Bundeswehr in order to enhance its public image.

During the winter catastrophe that occurred in North Germany in 1978, as well as in a number of other incidents, Help of a significant nature was offered to the population by the Bundeswehr.

The Bundeswehr, with its search and rescue helicopters, is also a component of the helicopter rescue system in Germany.

The Luftwaffe also evacuates German citizens in international crises and catastrophes on behalf of the Auswärtiges Amt (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Moreover, the Luftwaffe provides a flying hospital for patients who require medical withdrawal, through which victims of terrorist attacks in Tunisia and victims of tsunamis in Thailand were evacuated.

Although the United States of America normally places a significant restriction on military activity, it is not uncommon for the military to provide help in rescue efforts. This includes elements of the regular and reserve armed forces when their expertise or equipment is required, such as in response to Hurricane Katrina (US Naval hospital ships), the Colorado Floods in 2013, and the Oso, Washington Landslide in 2014. The National Guard is frequently called upon to respond to domestic emergencies and natural disasters such as floods and severe weather. Additional elements of the armed forces fall under this category.

{End Chapter 1}

Chapter 2: Civil defense

Civil protection, also known as civil defense (British English: civil defense), is an effort to safeguard the residents of a state, who are often non-combatants, against natural and man-made calamities. Specifically, it employs the principles of emergency operations, which include prevention, mitigation, preparation, reaction, or emergency evacuation and recovery processes. This kind of program was initially considered at least as early as the 1920s, and it was implemented in several countries throughout the 1930s as the prospect of war and aerial bombardment increased. Additionally, this program was adopted in some countries. Following the authorities' recognition of the dangers posed by nuclear weapons, the construction of civil defense facilities became widespread.

Since the conclusion of the Cold War, the primary focus of civil defense has switched from responding to military attacks to dealing with emergencies and disasters in general. This shift has occurred partly as a result of the new world order. A number of phrases, each of which has its own distinct shade of meaning, are used to characterize the new notion. Some of these terms include crisis management, emergency management, emergency preparedness, contingency planning, civil contingency, civil help, and civil protection.

There are several nations that think of civil defense as an essential component of defense in general.

For example, the Swedish-language word totalförsvar (total defense) refers to the commitment of a wide range of national resources to defense, in addition to the safeguarding of every facet of civilian life.

Some nations have established civil defense systems that are organized along paramilitary lines, Alternatively, they have included it into their services, such as the Soviet Civil Defense Forces (Войска гражданской обороны).

The experience of bombing residential areas during the First World War served as a catalyst for the development of civil defense organizations. On January 19, 1915, German zeppelins dropped bombs on the Great Yarmouth region, resulting in the deaths of six persons. This marked the beginning of the aerial bombardment of the United Kingdom. During the First World War, German bombing tactics were remarkably effective, particularly after the Gotha bombers eclipsed the zeppelins in terms of their offensive capabilities. Over the course of the most catastrophic raids, 121 people were killed for every ton of bombs that were dropped; this number was then utilized as a foundation for making projections.

In 1924, the Air Raid Precautions Committee (ARP) was founded in order to examine measures of insuring the safety of citizens from the threat of air-raids. This was done after the war, when focus was turned toward civil defense in the event of war.

According to the numbers that were generated by the Committee, it was estimated that there would be 9,000 casualties in London within the first two days, and then a continuing pace of 17,500 injuries every week moving forward. These prices were considered to be lower than average. As the citizens of London attempted to evacuate the city, it was speculated that there would be total chaos and panic as well as hysterical neurosis among them. Bringing London under nearly complete military control and physically cordoning off the city with 120,000 troops in order to force people to return to work were two of the extreme methods