Interoperability Issues in Noncombatant Evacuation Operations

Abstract

Abstract : Noncombatant evacuation operations are high profile events that are crucial to the credibility of the United States. Due to their political nature, the responsibility for the evacuation lies with the Department of State. For this reason, unity of effort is achieved through cooperation and not through unity of command. Interoperability, a key factor in the command structure of any military effort, is of profound importance in operations that attempt to achieve unity of effort across Departmental boundaries through cooperation. In past noncombatant evacuation operations and, particularly in the 2006 evacuation of Lebanon, the operational function of command and control and more precisely, simple interoperability continues to be the Achilles Heel for noncombatant evacuation operations. Difficulties stemming from interoperability do not arise during training due to the manner in which the Department of Defense and Department of State train. In order to avoid potential future failures, these entities must change their training practices.