Welcome to the Centre's first newsletter for 2010. Our newsletter is produced quarterly, enabling us to keep our stakeholders and partners informed of the Centre's activities. In our first year of operations, the Centre has established a credible reputation at home and abroad in advancing Australia's commitment to best practice civil-military engagement in conflict and disaster management overseas.

The Centre hosted the inaugural Civil-Military Interaction Seminar (CMIS) at HMAS WATSON, Sydney, 29 November- 4 December 2009.  More than 100 participants representing 20 nations attended. CMIS was the Centre’s flagship event for 2009, seeking to enhance the understanding of the role of civil-military relationships in conflicts and disasters.

The Asia Pacific Civil-Military Centre of Excellence, in conjunction with the African Union (AU), convened the ‘Protection of Civilians: AU Guidelines Drafting Workshop’, 7 – 11 December 2009 in Queanbeyan, NSW.  The purpose of the workshop was to prepare AU draft guidelines for the protection of civilians in peace support missions for consideration at the International Symposium on the Protection of Civilians in Conflict Zones to be  convened in Addis Ababa, 3-5 March 2010.

In 2009, the Centre provided significant support to the Australian Command and Staff College (ACSC) in the management and facilitation of the stabilisation exercise, EXERCISE EXCALIBUR.

The Centre supported the Convenor of the first Civil-Military Relations elective Ms Kathy Old at the Centre for Defence Strategic Studies (CDSS), Australian Defence College at Weston Creek, Canberra.  The course was conducted 17- 28 August 2009.   The Centre for Defence Strategic Studies prepares Australian and regional students for senior leadership appointments in Defence. Through the outstanding efforts of Kathy, the important message of civil-military engagement will now become a standard element of the training at the CDSS.

In October and November 2009 the National Security Executive Development Program conducted a Pilot Program at the Australian Defence College.  Executives from across Australian and State Government departments and agencies participated in this five-week program.

The Centre is working closely with the United Nations Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to partner with OCHA in undertaking the United Nations Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination (UN-CMCoord) training module in the Asia Pacific region.

The Conceptual Framework for Strengthening Australia’s Civil-Military-Police Collaboration for International Conflict and Disaster Management is the highest priority task for the Centre.  Work commenced on this activity on 20 Jan 2009, when The Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support, the Hon Dr Mike Kelly AM MP, presented his thoughts on what this task entailed to an inter-departmental meeting that included representation from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Defence, the Australian Agency for International Development, the Attorney-General’s Department, and the Australian Federal Police.

In September 2009, the Centre led the Australian delegation to the 4^th Asia Pacific Conference on Military Assistance to Disaster Relief Operations (APC-MADRO) held in Honolulu, Hawaii.  The Conference was co-chaired by Arjun Katoch, Chief, Civil-Military Coordination Section (CMCS), and Emergency Services Branch, United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), and Lt Gen (Rtd) John Goodman, Director, Centre for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance, US Pacific Command.

The 9th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Inter-Sectional Meeting (ISM) on Disaster Relief was held in Honolulu from 16 to 18 September 2009 following the 4th Asia Pacific Conference on Military Assistance to Disaster Relief Operations (APC-MADRO).

In November 2009, twenty-five people representing thirteen Australian non-government organisations gathered to develop and share strategies to implement the responsibility to Protect (R2P).  While the focus of the workshop was on the Asia-Pacific region, the outcomes of the workshop apply to a broad range of contexts where there is a risk of mass atrocity crimes.

The Centre contributed to the Conference with the Civil Military Coordination Section (CMCS) of the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (Hawaii), Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation.

The devastating economic and social impact of natural disasters, particularly in the Asia- Pacific region, were again starkly demonstrated this year - severe flooding in Manila followed by a tsunami hitting Samoa and Tonga, and a strong earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia. These disasters serve as a reminder that the Asia-Pacific region is home to the greatest number of natural disasters affecting up to 60% of the world’s population.  It is expected that the economic and social impact of natural disasters will increase given changes to climate, population growth and growing urbanisation.

Centre representatives attended the US Army Peacekeeping and Stabilisation Operations Institute (PKSOI) Stability Operations (SO) Training and Education (T&E) Workshop at the National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington,DC in October 2009.

The Centre participated in a two-day workshop in Jakarta on the 19-20 September aimed at enhancing understanding among ASEAN defence forces and disaster management agencies of the relationship between military and civilian actors responding to natural disasters.

Looking outward and engaging with the UN and the international community will be a key measure of the Centre’s success in the future.  This agenda is strongly supported by the Centre’s mandate in developing and strengthening Australia’s national civil-military capabilities in responding to conflicts and disasters overseas, and enhancing peace and security, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Centre will host the 3^rd International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations at Queanbeyan, NSW, 27-29 April 2010.  The Forum is an international grouping of 17 partner nations (‘Challenges Partners’).

The Centre’s Research and Lessons Learned Program looks to enhance civil-military understanding in the management of conflicts and disasters through rigorous and disciplined scholarship.  The program aims to achieve optimum outcomes in relevant key focus areas through undertaking and commissioning research to support civil-military best practice and facilitating events to capture lessons learned.