VZCZCXYZ0002
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPU #0126/01 0362012
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 052010Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0099
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0313
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE
INFO HAITI COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 000126 
 
AIDAC 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ECON PGOV PINR PREL PREF HA
SUBJECT: HAITI USAID/DART - SYSTEM FOR FORMAL REQUESTS FOR U.S. 
MILITARY ASSISTANCE 
 
REF: PORT A 0054 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary.  The scale and scope of the current crisis in 
Haiti has created opportunities to utilize the unique capacities of 
the U.S. Military to support relief efforts.  The USAID Disaster 
Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) serves as the focal point for 
receiving formal civilian requests for U.S. military assistance to 
facilitate humanitarian response efforts in Haiti.  The USAID/DART 
then validates, prioritizes, and directs requests, referred to as 
mission taskings, to U.S. military counterparts to implement. 
Application of, and adherence to, the established system is 
critical for effective coordination and implementation with other 
humanitarian actors on the ground.  End Summary 
 
 
 
-------- 
 
OVERVIEW 
 
-------- 
 
 
 
¶2.  (U) Of the 70 to 80 disasters declared by U.S. Ambassadors on 
average each year, only a small portion involve the U.S. Military 
and then only under specific conditions.  The Department of Defense 
(DOD) is not an instrument of first resort in responding to 
humanitarian crises.  U.S. military support of U.S. Government 
(USG) civilian-led humanitarian assistance must be: 1) at the 
specific request of USAID through the Office of U.S. Foreign 
Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) or the U.S. State Department 
(State), and 2) vetted by USAID and State to ensure that it is 
appropriate.  The only exception to this policy is when a Combatant 
Commander exercises his authority to use U.S. military resources to 
save life and limb within the first 72 hours after a disaster. 
When DOD support is required, a system exists to appropriately 
direct U.S. military assistance and facilitate civilian-military 
coordination. 
 
 
 
¶3.  (U) In an international disaster situation when host nation and 
international civilian capacities are not sufficient or unavailable 
due to the magnitude of the event, USAID/OFDA serves as the focal 
point for channeling civilian requests for U.S. military assistance 
to facilitate humanitarian response efforts.  In the context of the 
Haiti response, USAID/OFDA is represented by the USAID/DART. 
Within the USG, USAID offers the comparative advantage of its field 
presence and its pool of skilled, experienced humanitarian 
assistance and development professionals.  USAID/OFDA is the office 
within USAID responsible for facilitating and coordinating USG 
emergency assistance overseas.  USAID/OFDA provides humanitarian 
assistance to save lives, alleviate human suffering, and reduce the 
social and economic impact of humanitarian emergencies worldwide. 
USAID/OFDA has a dedicated team that coordinates and liaises 
between USAID/OFDA and the U.S. Military during humanitarian 
assistance and disaster relief operations to realize USAID/OFDA's 
mandate and harmonize USG efforts.  Full-time USAID/OFDA Advisors 
are also posted at the relevant U.S. Military Combatant Commands. 
 
 
 
 
¶4.  (U) Requests for U.S. military assistance originate from a 
variety of sources, including other internal USG agencies, U.N. 
organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other 
donors.  In adherence to internationally recognized practice for 
employing foreign military assets in disaster response, the U.S. 
system requires requests to be channeled through the USAID/DART for 
validation, prioritization, and tasking to the military.  Requests 
are validated based on humanitarian principles and, when the U.N. 
is present, in concert with U.N. and humanitarian 
community-identified priorities established through the 
international humanitarian coordination mechanism of the 
sector-specific cluster system. 
 
 
¶5.  (U) Once the USAID/DART formally communicates the mission 
tasking, the U.S military responding headquarters analyzes the 
mission tasking and either requests additional information, rejects 
the request, or staffs and sources the request.  The USAID/DART, 
serving as the liaison between the U.S. Military and civilian 
partners, then communicates the information to the civilian 
organization.  This process can be rapidly expedited within hours 
if necessary. 
 
 
 
----------------- 
 
TYPES OF REQUESTS 
 
----------------- 
 
 
 
¶6.  (U) In post-earthquake Haiti, security , transport, and 
engineering structural assessments represent the significant 
majority of requests for U.S. military assistance, accounting for 
25 percent, 22 percent, and 16 percent of total requests, 
respectively, to date.  Requests include the deployment of military 
forces to provide security for specific locations or activities, 
such as relief commodity and food assistance distributions; 
heavy-lift capacity and transport for commodities, including via 
truck, aircraft, or shipping vessels; and the use of engineering 
specialists to assess structural damage of buildings and 
infrastructure. 
 
 
 
--------------------- 
 
UTILIZING THE SYSTEM 
 
-------------------- 
 
 
 
¶7.  (SBU) USAID/DART staff highlight concern regarding incidences 
of civilian requests being transmitted directly to the U.S. 
Military, outside of the established system in place.  The 
mechanism exists to ensure that requests are reviewed and 
prioritized to advance appropriate tasking for support and to 
facilitate effect coordination and communication between civilian 
and military institutions.  USAID/DART staff emphasize the need for 
all actors to work within the established system.  USAID/DART staff 
have informed the Joint Task Force-Haiti (JTF/H) of the process and 
continue to work with the JTF/H on developing guidance to direct 
ad-hoc civilian and NGO requests to the established system. 
 
 
 
¶8.  (U) The newly established Joint Operations Tasking Center 
(JOTC) represents a response to the need for enhanced coordination 
in facilitating the provision of military assistance from the broad 
range of military forces present in Haiti, including the U.N. 
Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the U.S. Military, and 
other international military forces, to NGOs operating in Haiti. 
The JOTC, composed of representatives from the U.N. Office for the 
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), MINUSTAH, other 
international militaries, and the USAID/DART is intended to serve 
as a centralized coordinating body for the use of military assets 
for logistics support, security assistance, and technical 
assistance.  The JOTC does not determine priorities for the 
humanitarian community but links humanitarian support requests to 
military resources.  Overall priorities are shaped and defined 
through the humanitarian community cluster system and must be 
validated by sectoral leads prior to JOTC consideration. 
 
 
 
¶9.  (U) Requests for U.S. Military assistance generated through the 
JOTC still require USAID/DART clearance.  The USAID/DART continues 
to serve the critical function of the focal point for advancing 
requests through established channels and mechanism to the U.S. 
Military.  Application and adherence to the established system is 
essential for effective coordination and implementation. 
 
 
 
 
 
MINIMIZE CONSIDERED 
MERTEN