Eric
Rasmussen, MD, FACP
619-524-9541
shipboard
619-925-7701
cellular
u00sc3f@coronado.navy.mil
25
October 99
MPC
Final
To
our knowledge, no exercise effort like this has ever taken place. There will be
much to develop, much to learn, and probably a remarkable degree of helpful
hindsight afterwards. Recognizing that this is a first effort and everything
will be hard, our goal will be an effective legacy for those who will do this
next time.
1)
Overview:
a)
During a period of escalating tensions between two island
nations, the United Nations requests a Coalition Task Force to serve as a
calming presence in the waters off the most affected of the islands. On that
island are two countries, Green (the good guys) and Orange (not the good guys).
Ethnically Green citizens of Orange (read: Kosovar Albanians) are subjected to
persecution and flee across the border into Green. The influx worries Green,
which requests assistance in the management of the refugees. The UN Secretariat
agrees, and a civil-military operation is initiated that has UN agencies
establishing a refugee camp in Green. Those agencies (UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF), guided by the Office of
the Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), are to be supported in any
fashion they deem desirable by elements of the Coalition military. Essentially,
the camp will be a military effort, overseen by the UN agencies who know how to
do it.
b)
The camp will be established on the northwest corner of the
Big Island of Hawaii. The site, called Puu Paa, is below an 800-foot hill,
facing down slope across very rough lava scrublands to the ocean visible about
12 miles away. There will be two sites, the refugee camp itself and a
Civil-Military Operations Center (CMOC) section. There will be roughly 60
five-person tents within the camp, with a few larger tents for various support
functions including meals, showers, recreation, and storage. The CMOC section
will contain more storage, communication links, staff housing, and various
public relations areas for visitors.
c)
We will support 300 live volunteers for about six days in
the camp. The volunteers will be of mixed ages and genders, and they will be
selected for their suitability to the rigors of six days in a potentially harsh
environment. We recognize that there is nothing in the area. There is no power,
water, food, or shelter. All facilities must be developed from scratch.
Fortunately, the camp will be less than six miles from a small city with
excellent medical facilities, and the site surveys have been somewhat
reassuring. The safety of the civilian volunteers will be paramount.
d)
The material for the camp (tents, cots, kitchens, etc) will
be loaded on an amphibious ship (probably the USS Harpers Ferry) and
transported from Oahu to the landing area at K-docks on the Big island. The
Marines will transport by truck from there and establish the camp to UNHCR
specifications on the 9th and 10th of June. The breakdown
of the camp will be done on the 16th and 17th of June,
and the returning material will be sent by C-130 airlift from Wiamea-Kahala
airport back to it’s site of origin on Oahu
e)
There will be an extensive experimental component to Strong
Angel. One section outside the camp will be dedicated to the trials of
information management in an austere environment. The experiments run the gamut
from high-bandwidth video-teleconference support, to the interviewing of
refugees for war-crimes documentation using digital transcription, to solar
powered computer systems.
f)
There is a special effort to understand chemical and
biological response capabilities for information management. A sub-exercise,
called Sea Breeze (for CBRE, Chemical-Biological-Radiological-Envirotoxic) will
stimulate the requirements that will test the primary experimental effort, a
DARPA project called TIDES. TIDES is an acronym for Trans-lingual Information
Detection, Extraction, and Summarization.
It is a web portal to resources not previously available, and will have its
initial test in our attempt to ferret out the circumstances surrounding a
Sudan-like event.
i)
Background: On 23 July 99, rumors surfaced that a chemical
agent may have been used in Sudan against a civilian population. Evaluating
that report proved challenging, so the TIDES portal under development has been
adapted to look at a similar question in this exercise.
ii)
In addition, we will have a malignant contamination of a
water source within the camp by Orange insurgents masquerading as refugees. Our
response to that will be designed to assess information management tools with
particular attention to epidemiology in refugee camps, and the appropriate
response.
iii)
NOTE: We will NOT
be managing a chem-bio casualty problem. These experiments are to test information
management tools. There will be no release, no casualties, no moulage, no MOPP
gear, no decontamination procedures, and no general alerts to the refugees.
2) Any questions
regarding any component of the exercise can be directed to the Officer Conducting
the Exercise (OCE), LCDR Eric Rasmussen, Fleet Surgeon for Third Fleet. Contact
details are at the head of this paper.
3)
Location
a) Lee side of
the Puu, facing the slope to the water
i)
019.59.11.6 North
ii) 155.42.15.2 West
iii) 3400’ altitude
iv)
Airport at 2600’, roughly 4 miles due east
(1)
Runway 5197 feet x 100 feet, paved asphalt.
4)
Dates
a)
06 June: Coronado sails to
BI from PH, Boxer arrives in PH same day
b)
07 June: Coronado off BI,
Boxer onloading Oahu, and Site Team ashore
c)
08 June: Coronado
offshore, Boxer sails for BI
d)
09 June: Coronado
offshore, Boxer offloads K-docks, construction begins
e)
10 June: Refugees begin
late arrival, Coronado and Boxer sail to PH
f)
11-16 June: Refugees present, repatriated afternoon of
the 16th
g)
14 June: Coronado sails
from PH to BI
h)
14-16 June: Coronado
offshore
i)
17 June: Coronado departs
for PH, Camp breakdown.
j)
18 June: Air backload
k)
18-19 June: Coronado in
port in PH
l)
19 June: Hotwash
5)
Two main
sites: Refugee camp and Admin Support
a)
Refugee camp
i)
Road grading x1 on the 4WD
access road in late May
ii)
Water and water storage
for 350 for 7 days
iii)
Meals (Tray-pack 3x/day)
for 350 x 7 days
iv)
Tents (most with
power/light modules)
(1)
Lodging: 60 IFRC tents (confirmed)
(2)
Medical (real-world)
(3)
Recreation
(4)
Admin
(5)
Bulk commodity
v)
Portable latrines for 350
for 7 days
vi)
Laundry and shower
services for 350 for 7 days
vii)
Camp security
b)
Admin Site
i)
Tents
(1) Admin
(2) Staff housing
(3) Experimentation
(4)
Joint Information Center
(5)
Joint Visitors Bureau
(6) Bulk commodity
ii) Portable
latrines
6)
Two small
sites, not always manned:
a) Airport office
at Wiamea-Kahala
b) Port office at
K-docks
7)
Scenario
a) Coalition
arrival includes a CMOC structure afloat since ethnic persecution is recognized
and intervention seems likely.
b) Area of
probable refugee migration is inaccessible. Negotiations bring a hesitation to
the developing problem.
c) Escalating
tensions, refugees recognized in Green, Green asks UN for help.
d) Significant
Green infrastructure damage inhibits air transportation to the Green capital at
Hilo.
e) Local US
Ambassador discusses it with Green, then the Ambassador requests (through State
to the UN) the opportunity for Coalition assistance with security,
communications, and logistics support to a humanitarian operation. UNSC says
help authorized and appreciated. State notifies SecDef, then CINCPAC, then JTF.
f)
Through concurrent efforts behind the scenes, the JTF
Commander has identified assets to the Theater CINC.
g) UNSC tasks
OCHA to coordinate. OCHA designates UNHCR lead, contacts are made, begin
civ-mil coordination at the Field level, CMOC afloat desired since staff
endangerment likely during the assessment phase.
h) UN staff
brought to Coronado for development of a CMOC afloat.
i)
Team sent ashore on helo. Site selection from the air by
Joint Assessment Mission (Mil G4, Mil Security (2), OCHA, DART (2), WFP, UNHCR,
UNICEF) from Coalition.
j)
List of requirements generated afloat through GroupSystems
session in CMOC. Passed to military log / comms / security.
k) Implementing
partners delegated, military fills the gaps:
i)
Comms
ii) Sustainment
(1) Sanitation,
food, water, shelter, security
iii) Bulk commodity
movement
iv) Registration
and documentation
v)
Medical
l)
Begin military movement of goods and supplies based on the
discussions within the CMOC. Sea-Based logistics.
m) Transition
CMOC from afloat to ashore.
8)
General
sequence
a) Needs
assessment and immediate response
b) Implementing
partner coordination (UNHCR if Lead)
c) Site selection
i)
Military and UN agency team
d) Site
preparation
i)
USMC under UN guidance
e) Site
management
i)
Sanitation
ii) Water
quantity, quality, distribution
iii) Food
provisioning
iv) Shelter
v)
Security
vi) Communications
vii) Logistics and
supply
(1) Transportation
(2) Transport
protection
(3) Storage
viii) Registration
and screening
ix) Medical
evaluation
x) Social
services, education, and recreation
f)
Site recovery
9)
Legal
i)
Care of the civilians
ii) Site
responsibility
(1) Permissions
(2) Environmental
iii) International
Law
(1) How do we do
this in Djibouti?
10) Roads
a) Grade the
single 4WD road
i)
Provide pseudo-culvert protection during grading
11) Design the camp
a) Tent rows
(6x10 rows)
b) Portable
latrines
c) Showers
d) Fire breaks
(300m)
e) Admin space
f)
Bulk water space
g) Bulk commodity
space
h) Lighting
i)
Kitchen
j)
Laundry
k) Shelter
i)
60 tents from ARC
(1) Two housing
tents in Admin (20/tent)
l)
Food supply, preparation, distribution
i)
World Food Programme will coordinate with CSSG-3
ii) 350 tray meals
3x/day: 7000 meals, roughly $14,000
iii) Kitchen,
(1) Dining area
(2) Utensils
12) Requested from CSSG-3 for CMOC and Refugee Camp areas
a) Tents:
i)
Eighteen GP – Medium ( 12 CMOC + 6 RC)
(1) RC (6):
(a) Medical
(b) Recreation (2)
(c) Admin
(d) Bulk commodity
(2)
(2) CMOC
(a) CMOC (2)
(b) Staff Housing
(2)
(c) Experimentation
(d) Joint
Information Center
(e) Joint Visitors
Bureau
(f) Press housing
(g) Bulk Commodity
(4)
(3) (contingency
plan for housing 300 people if there are real-world requirements for IFRC
tents)
b) Latrines, portable:
i)
Eighteen (6 CMOC +
12 RC)
c) Meals:
i)
7500 (350 people x 3 meals/day x 7 days)
ii) Tray-pacs
d) Water
i)
350 people x 7 days (sustenance + hygiene)
(1) drinking
(2) cooking
(3) shower (CMOC
area and Refugee area separated)
(4) laundry
(optional)
e) Vehicles:
i)
Four bulk transport trucks from 09-18 June
ii) Three buses on
10 June pm
iii) Five buses on
11 June all day
iv) 7 buses on 16
June all day
v)
Three Ready vehicles (high-occupancy 4WD) for general
transport 09-17 June
vi) Three Six-Cons
for water
vii) Road grader
for access road on 05-06 June
f)
Cots: 350
g) Blankets: 500
h) Tables, folding: 40
i)
Chairs,
folding: 60
j)
Power/Light
modules for tent interior illumination: 18
k) Area lights:
i)
refugee area security
ii) CMOC area
security
iii) VIP/JVB area
security
l)
Electrical
power:
i)
Non-lighting power to thirteen tents.
m) Security detachment:
i)
camp area security
ii) CMOC area
security
iii) VIP/Press
escort
(1) All areas are
unfenced
(2) Security is
for the protection of the camp, not incarceration. All inhabitants are free to
leave at any point and for any reason. We will provide transportation to their
embarkation point at their request.
n) Medical
i)
Real-world contingency (minor management and major
stabilization)
ii) Use organic CSSG-3
Medical
(1) Competent
hospital roughly four miles distant
(2) EMS response
roughly 15 minutes
(3) Air response
roughly 4 minutes flight time.
o) Manning of CSSG-3 at Third Fleet
i)
Provide senior POC to C3F beginning at Mid-Planning
Conference
ii) Provide Senior
LNO to Strong Angel beginning at arrival of USS Coronado in Pearl Harbor in
late May 2000.
13) Health services (screen, baseline, emergency care, routine
care, surveillance, vaccinations)
a) Medical
support from CSSG-3
b) Link with Fire
and Rescue
i)
Ensure radio contact
ii) Grade road for
ambulance access
iii) Get precise
coordinates for Air-Evac