MAJGEN Dave Chalmers, AO, CSC (Retd)

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Managing in the face of Disaster The Australian
Task Force in Aceh Dec 04 Apr 05

• MAJGEN Dave Chalmers, AO, CSC (Retd)

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• Boxing Day Tsunami
• - Sumatra

9.3 earthquake followed 15 minutes later by a 34
m wave Towns of Banda Aceh and Meulaboh partially
destroyed Approximately 250,000 dead 500,000
people displaced Food and water shortages, fewer
casualties than expected
Aceh
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Area of Operations
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• Combined Joint Task Force 629

1050 Australian Defence Force Personnel

• Headquarters
• Air Lift
• 7 x C130 Hercules transport aircraft (one of
  which New Zealand)
• 6 x UH-1H helicopters (two of which British)
• Hospital
• Engineers
• Support Ship
• HMAS Kanimbla Landing Platform Amphibious
• Joint Communications Unit
• Joint Logistic Support Unit

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CJTF Concept for Operations
Initial Response 27 Dec 2005
Logistic base
Air Lift
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Initial response -Water Distribution
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CJTF Concept for Operations
Support Ship
Engineer/Hospital
Logistic base
Delivery
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• Army Engineers

• Based in a flooded Technical College
• Tasks
• Water purification
• Debris clearance
• Drain clearance
• Refugee camp sanitation

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The people who produced outcomes
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The person who didnt produce much outcome!
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What did we achieve?

• Distributed 1,200 tonnes of supplies
• Carried 2,500 displaced people
• Assisted with 70 aeromedical evacuations
• 3700 medical treatments
• 290 operations
• Produced 4.7 million litres of clean water
• Cleared 10,000 cubic metres debris
• Hand cleared kilometres of drains
• Moved 16 fishing boats

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Lessons Learnt

• Military Forces have a (limited) role to play
• Speed is essential
• Working in an information vacuum
• Go with the 90 solution and adjust your plan
  from there
• Assessment teams should pull the force
• Biggest need was not medical teams, engineers or
  aircraft it was command and control
• Unity of Effort
• Coordination of military, host nation, civilian
  force elements
• Most military forces worked bilaterally and were
  uninvited
• NGOs are like a herd of cats
• Value of standing arrangements for training and
  working together

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Lessons Learnt

• Start planning the extraction
• Strategic lag
• Aid Agencies and NGO need to be part of the
  military plan from first day
• Cultural sensitivity
• Establishing legitimacy
• Respecting host nation sovereignty
• Military forces can put the mission before the
  people
• Collaboration, Trust, Mutual Respect

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Questions?
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