Planning Requirements for Humanitarian Assistance Operations

The Center for Naval Analyses conducted a study to identify and analyze alternative ways the Marine Corps might consider to improve its ability to conduct Humanitarian Assistance Operations (HAO). To achieve this objective we (1) examined how the military has conducted HAOs in the past; (2) identified alternative way the military can conduct these operations; and (3) assessed the relative costs of these alternatives in terms of changes in organizations, education and training, doctrine and documentation, and equipment and supplies. This paper addresses how the Marines and the military in general can improve their ability to plan an HAO. It is one of a series of papers on the U.S. Marine Corps and HAOs.