text: Unified Action
  FOREIGN HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
  5-55. Foreign humanitarian assistance is Department of Defense activities conducted outside the United
  States and its territories to directly relieve or reduce human suffering, disease, hunger, or privation (JP 3-29).
  Most USG agencies, as well as USC and DOD directives, utilize the terms humanitarian assistance and
  foreign disaster relief.
  5-56. FHA operations are different from foreign assistance primarily because they have a direct humanitarian
  need. The DOD uses appropriated funds specifically for FHA in the form of overseas humanitarian disaster
  and civic aid. Foreign assistance is not funded by overseas humanitarian disaster and civic aid, and it is
  intended as deliberate assistance to promote long-term stability. FHA activities conducted by U.S. armed
  forces fall into two broad categories:
  * Steady-state FHA. Steady-state FHA are activities normally planned and conducted as part of the
  theater campaign plan of the geographic CCDR. The intent of steady-state FHA activities is to
  assess and increase the affected nation’s capacity and capability to respond to disaster. Steady-
  state FHA is a security cooperation tool that can improve visibility, access and influence. It can
  also promote regional stability with foreign military and civilian counterparts and increase
  interoperability between that nation and U.S. forces in the event that U.S. forces have to respond
  in support of foreign disaster relief.
  * Foreign Disaster Relief. Foreign disaster relief is a limited duration contingency operation.
  The goal of foreign disaster relief is to alleviate the suffering of foreign disaster victims—
  including victims of natural disasters and conflicts, internally displaced persons, refugees, stateless
  persons, and vulnerable migrants. Normally, foreign disaster relief includes:
  Provision of basic services and commodities, such as food, water, sanitation, health care,
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  nonfood items (clothing, bedding, and so on), and emergency shelter.
  Establishment of distribution points and collection points.
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  Support to critical infrastructure and logistics necessary for the delivery of those essential
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  services and commodities.
  Medical equipment, medical and technical personnel, and making repairs to essential services.
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  5-57. DODD 5100.46 directs that DOD components will provide disaster assistance in support of U.S.
  foreign disaster relief efforts only in any of the three following instances:
  * At the direction of the President.
  * When the SecDef or a designee approves (with the concurrence of the Secretary of State) a request
  for assistance from another federal department or agency.
  * In emergency situations in order to save human lives where there is not sufficient time to seek the
  prior concurrence of the Secretary of State, in which case the SecDef will advise and seek the
  concurrence of the Secretary of State as soon as practicable thereafter.
  5-58. Nothing in DODD 5100.46 will be construed as preventing a military commander with assigned forces
  at or near the immediate scene of a foreign disaster from taking prompt action to save human lives. In cases
  in which this authority is invoked, the commander should obtain the concurrence of the HN and U.S. Chief
  of Mission of the affected country before committing forces. Also, the CCDR will follow up as soon as
  possible (but no later than 72 hours after the start of relief operations) to secure SecDef or Deputy SecDef
  approval for continuing assistance. CCDRs must also obtain SecDef or Deputy SecDef approval in order to
  obtain reimbursement with Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid funds. Such assistance during
  the first 72 hours does not include the authority to provide military assistance that does not contribute to
  urgent life-saving efforts.
  5-59. Although U.S. military forces are primarily designed and structured to defend and protect U.S. national
  interests, they may be readily adapted to FHA requirements. Military organization, structure, and readiness
  enable commanders to rapidly and effectively respond when time is of the essence. In addition to—or
  sometimes in lieu of—host-nation humanitarian assistance efforts, hundreds of NGOs from around the world
  respond to disasters to provide humanitarian assistance in various forms and for varied durations.
  However, U.S. military forces are not the primary USG means of providing FHA. They normally supplement
  the activities of U.S. and foreign government authorities, NGOs, and international organizations. The USAID