STRENGTHENING THE OPERATIONAL CAPACITY OF THE ARMEDS IN THE FACE OF DISASTERS AND EMERGENCIES: THE FORGOTTEN POTENTIAL OF CIVIL DEFENSE

Abstract

This article argues that Civil Defense, an agency that depends on the Ministry of National Defense (MDN), could contribute to strengthening the Armed Forces’ operational capacity in the field of disaster risk management. However, the agency lacks funding and is excluded from the Ministry’s political and strategic planning regarding disaster and emergency intervention, as well as from the National Civil Protection Plan. The article illustrates the problems currently affecting Civil Defense, analyzing the role that the defense sector already assumed in disaster intervention, in obedience to international treaties subscribed by Chile. It is argued that providing the Civil Defense with the task of assisting the Armed Forces in emergency situations would be key to fill in the gap left by the absence of an operative task-force at the disposal of the National Office for Emergencies (ONEMI) of the Ministry of Interior.