Compendium of practice to inform regional and national civilian-military collaboration for health emergency preparedness

Overview

Civilian–military collaborative efforts have played a critical role in national responses to health emergencies across the globe in a myriad of forms. From natural disasters to infectious disease outbreaks, civilian–military collaboration provides the unique combination of resources and knowledge to enhance health emergency response capabilities. However, such collaboration has often been utilized as an ad hoc last resort during emergency response, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. This and other health emergencies highlight the need for multisectoral preparedness and coordination across all relevant government and non-government agencies to advance health security and leverage cross-sector capacities to prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies.