According to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), confirmed ebola case counts in the DRC continue to increase, bringing the total to more than 3000 with over 2000 deaths registered as of early September 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) dashboard provides a detailed update.
What Is the Disaster Management Cycle?
Pamela Berkowsky is the president of Blue Sapphire Strategies, a public affairs and business advisory consultancy that serves private and nonprofit clients. As a senior executive defense consultant to the South Florida Defense Alliance (SFDA) (www.southfloridadefensealliance.org), she works to increase defense and homeland security investments in the South Florida economy. During the Clinton Administration, Pamela Berkowsky was dual-hatted as Assistant Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense and Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Civil Support, advising, among other things, on domestic terrorism preparedness. To achieve optimal response preparedness, a full understanding of the disaster management cycle is important. The disaster management cycle is the organization and administration of relief before, during, and after disasters. It involves any endeavor to mitigate or avert the loss of life or property emanating from any hazard. Proper disaster management requires that victims receive quick and adequate attention and are given the necessary first aid. The disaster management cycle encompasses four major phases: preparation, response, recovery, and mitigation. Disaster preparation involves all the proactive measures that can reduce the impact of disasters before they happen. Disaster response includes the immediate steps taken after disasters including relief management, search and rescue, and healthcare. Disaster recovery refers to the series of response efforts after the initial disaster has abated, and disaster mitigation ensures that the effects of the disaster do not escalate.
The Purpose of Tyndall Air Force Base NDR Division
A Fulbright Scholar and former senior Pentagon official, Pamela Berkowsky has served as a senior executive defense consultant to the South Florida Defense Alliance (SFDA) since its inception in 2017. With a special interest in the effects of climate change on national security, Pamela Berkowsky has been carefully monitoring climate and extreme weather-related impacts on military installations, including the case of Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB), located near Panama City, FL. In 2018, Category 5 Hurricane Michael caused extensive damage to 484 buildings at Tyndall AFB, destroying most of the installation and its surroundings. In the wake of Hurricane Michael and the historic flooding just a few months later at Offutt, AFB in Nebraska, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center established a National Disaster Recovery Division (NDR) as a “single unit” to optimize and streamline the numerous post-hurricane redevelopment and reconstruction projects. At Tyndall, the NDR serves to reinforce the installation’s disaster-resilient features by overhauling and revamping the structural integrity of the buildings through innovative designs, novel technology, and strong materials. The goal is to create a resilient, sustainable and mission-ready “Installation of the Future”. Already underway, the engineering, design and construction standards for this project exceed baseline Department of Defense standards and Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC); the project is planned to take five to seven years to complete. Tyndall AFB remains operationally ready to project combat airpower for the country, despite its ongoing redevelopment projects.
Marines Plan a Microgrid Installation at Camp Lejeune
An accomplished senior executive and president of Blue Sapphire Strategies, Pamela Berkowsky is a former federal and state government official who has worked in defense and defense-related fields for more than three decades. In addition, Pamela Berkowsky is a senior executive defense consultant to the South Florida Defense Alliance (www.southfloridadefensealliance.org) and has a particular interest in the effects of climate change and extreme weather on military installations such as Camp Lejeune, the largest Marine Corps installation. The catastrophic Hurricane Florence, which struck the East Coast in September 2018, jeopardized multiple properties and facilities in the Carolinas, including the major power line that supplies Camp Lejeune’s Camp Johnson. Camp Johnson was powered by only a single line, which explains why the line damage had such a significant negative impact on facility operations. When the power outage occurred, the training schedules of 3,200 marine recruits experienced major disruptions. Local media organizations reported that the resulting extended training schedules translated into fewer deployments during trainees’ typical four-year enlistment periods.
Marines at Camp Lejeune are now moving forward with substantial facility upgrades to mitigate the unintended consequences of a power outage. For example, in November 2022, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune executed a Utility Energy Service Contract (UESC) with Duke Energy. The $22 million contract includes the design, construction and installation of a microgrid (a self-contained electrical network) which will serve as a source of continuous power during major power outages. The project will add a series of batteries that will store electricity from a revamped on-base solar farm and the major power grid. In the event of a power outage, these batteries can supply uninterrupted electricity for a few hours. If the major power outage isn’t resolved during that time, the facility can use gas-fired electric generators (which are also featured in the installation) for as long as needed. According to Walter Ludwig, Marine Corps Installations Command Public Works Director: “The Marine Corps is investing in state-of-the-art infrastructure to position installations to prevent, recover and survive a prolonged loss of electrical service from weather – and climate-related events. This UESC award is a major step toward furthering the reliability, resilience and efficiency of Camp Lejeune’s electrical infrastructure and on-site generation capabilities.”
Domestic Capabilities to Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction
As a Fulbright scholar in Geneva, Switzerland, Pamela Berkowsky addressed US diplomatic conduct in multilateral fora. During her tenure as a senior Pentagon official, Pamela Berkowsky gained expertise in biological warfare defense (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/issue/278/5), and more broadly in disaster preparedness and response, serving as an advisor to the Secretary of Defense and a DOD liaison to the National Security Council on domestic terrorism preparedness against weapons of mass destruction. A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is any weapon with the potential to cause widespread destruction or kill a large number of people; it includes nuclear, chemical, biological, and certain conventional weapons. To counter potential WMD use on US soil, the United States Department of Defense (DOD) has developed policies to protect its homeland and manage any consequences such weapons may cause. Regarding domestic consequence management, the DOD has four key principles which will govern its response in the event of a WMD contingency. First, it has a clear line of accountability and authority for any military assistance to civil authorities. Second, it will assist the principal federal agency in a supporting role. Third, leveraging its warfighting expertise and capabilities, it can provide domestic support to civil authorities through transportation, logistics, medical, and communication assets, among others. Lastly, it will use and rely on the National Guard and Reserves to conduct domestic operations, including the 57 Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams (WMD-CST). The WMD-CSTs are state-controlled but federally resourced, trained and sustained; they can provide rapid response for both intentional and unintentional HAZMAT or WMD contingencies. They also have a “reachback” capability that provides connectivity to technical experts and analysts who might also be required to assist a local response. In recent years, the WMD-CSTs have provided counter-WMD support for more than 2500 domestic “events” annually.
The Impact of Climate Change on National Security
Virgin Islands resident Pamela Berkowsky is the president of Blue Sapphire Strategies and a senior executive defense consultant to the South Florida Defense Alliance (www.southfloridadefensealliance.org). Pamela Berkowsky currently addresses issues at the nexus of climate change and national security, expertise she gained as a former senior staff member to both the U.S. Secretary of Defense and the Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Climate change, with effects that include rising sea levels, melting polar ice, flooding, wildfires, extreme heat, and severe storms, continues to be a significant challenge to the global population and security agencies internationally, including the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The effects of climate change on national security are increasingly evident: the intensification of environmental threats to military bases and readiness at home, and the growing demands on DOD abroad from climate-driven instability, refugees, migration, and conflict over increasingly scarce resources.
Through Executive Order 14008 and its subsequent actions, the Biden Administration has placed the climate crisis at the forefront of its national security strategy and policy. Accordingly, the DOD released its own climate adaptation strategy and plan, promulgating numerous policies and initiatives to mitigate climate threats to national security-related infrastructure. For instance, in 2020, the Department issued instructions to its installations regarding the use of site-specific databases for sea-level rise forecasts in planning and project design. The following year, it published its Climate Adaptation Plan outlining a strategic framework and areas of activity to address climate vulnerabilities, such as establishing robust infrastructure and supply networks. DOD also continues to address its energy efficiency and consumption by shifting to clean energy and minimizing dependence on fossil fuels for both its shore-based and operational requirements.
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