ACMC releases guide for civil-military health emergency cooperation

The Australian Civil-Military Centre (ACMC) recently released Considerations for Civil-Military Interactions in Public Health Emergencies. The publication provides operational guidance to strengthen civil-military coordination in preparing for, and responding to, future pandemics or public health emergencies – both domestically and overseas. During its development, ACMC engaged stakeholders from Australia, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, drawing on their experiences in these types of situations. “The severity and complexity of crises is increasing. We are also seeing concurrent events, as Australia experienced in 2020, with major bushfires, widespread flooding and the COVID-19 pandemic,” ACMC Executive Director Nicola Rosenblum said. “Now, more than ever, we need to strengthen coordination and collaboration between civil and humanitarian agencies and military organisations.” The publication was launched by Lieutenant General (retd) John Frewen at the International Committee of Military Medicine Conference in Brisbane. Lieutenant General Frewen led Defence’s COVID-19 taskforce and was the Coordinator-General of Australia’s COVID vaccine rollout. The ACMC was established in 2008 to assist Australian government agencies prepare for, prevent, and respond more effectively to conflicts and disasters overseas. The new publication is available at: https://acmc.gov.au/resources/publications. For Editorial Inquiries Contact : Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Group Sales Director Simon Hadfield at [email protected]