military assets abroad as a means of projecting our humanitarian response. Mr. SMITH. That's exactly what I had Mr. CUNY. And what I want to point out is that I think that this is a very effective way of doing this. That what we need to do is to organize those resources appropriately to be able to use the the aircraft, the ships, the resources that we have in bases, our stockpiles, and so forth, to be able to project that assistance when it's needed. And what we've been afraid of since the Vietnam era is the use of those because of the image it has of intervention on a broader scale. And, indeed, many of the activities of the military have not been very well focused. But one of the things that's really come out of Operation Provide Comfort is the realization on the part of many of us who have been real critics of the military that it's a new military. The volunteer forces is a different type of Army, and it-with its reserve components has a very different outlook on the world and a very mature and very proactive humanitarian vent to it that we never saw before. And I think it's ideal to capture that spirit and the capabilities they have, especially in this post-Cold War era, to be able to use those while they're still available. My fear is that in the near future that because of the possible cutbacks, some of those capabilities may be lost at just a time when we could be applying them to some of the severe emergencies that we're likely to face. I think there are some lessons to be drawn from the experience in Bangladesh. By all accounts, our intervention there was not nearly as effective as it was in Provide Comfort. We had the military going in with helicopters and so forth, and not having a civilian component, and not being effectively deployed. And I think that the lessons here are that we need to marry the civilian and the military components in-long before a disaster occurs to train, to develop the the response doctrines that are required for different types of emergencies-be it earthquake, or floods, cyclones, whatever-and that we find ways of using those resources to get the assets needed to make immediate humanitarian interventions possible, and then to-as we did in the case of Provide Comfort, immediately transition that over to international bodies. There are very few countries that have those kind of capabilities. The United States is either lucky or damned, I'm not sure which, to have those. And as long as we've got them, let's use them and use them effectively. Mr. SMITH. I want to thank you for your excellent answers, all three of you gentlemen, and yield back the balance of my time. Mr. DORGAN. Mr. Smith, thank you very much. The testimony that all of you have presented is excellent testimony. The House goes into session on the floor at 12:00, and I have to be there to present something at 12:00. So I am going to, on my behalf and on behalf of Chairman Hall, submit some questions to the three of you and ask that you would respond to them that way so that they become a part of the hearing record. I think that the the observations that you have made about the issue of humanitarian relief, and the right to food, and the conventions under the U.N. charter, and the role the United Nations might play and how that might affect our position as one of the major donors are provocative, interesting, and very useful suggestions that we now will be able to use in this legislative process. So your testimony was very beneficial to us. Thank you very much for being here today. This hearing is now adjourned. [Whereupon, at 11:56 a.m., the committee was adjourned.] [Material submitted for inclusion in the record follows:] STATEMENT OF CONGRESSMAN BILL EMERSON JULY 30, 1991 2247 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING THE DECADE OF DISASTERS: THE UNITED NATIONS' RESPONSE Good morning. I would like to commend Chairman Tony Hall for convening this timely and important hearing to discuss the United Nations' response to disasters. disasters We have all been struck by the recent spate of global refugees in northern Iraq, cyclone in Bangladesh, cholera in Latin America, and persistent famine in the Horn of Africa. These tragedies highlight the need now more than ever for international coordination to cope with disasters. We should take the opportunities presented by the current atmosphere of global cooperation and compromise to improve upon existing disaster response mechanisms. The Kurdish refugee crisis brought home the human toll of bureaucratic confusion and delay. Thousands died while relief organizations seemed to stumble over political mandates and logistical responsibilities. We also saw the speed with which relief operations can be mobilized once the world has committed itself to the task. The ever-present famine in the Horn of Africa is another lesson in the vagaries of disaster mitigation. Efforts to alleviate the suffering of millions of people are frequently stymied by governments or rebel forces that continue to block relief operations, denying food and medicine to their own people. And all too frequently in such situations, the United Nations can move only caution bordering on inaction, paralyzed by the principles with of non-intervention and a chronic lack of funds. We are not here to lay blame, though. The United Nations, after all, is only as effective as its member states want it to be. Reforming the UN response to disasters is merely part of a solution that requires better overall coordination among donor nations, private organizations, and recipient countries. The responsibility to respond in the face of disaster must be shared. As the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mrs. Sadako Ogata, said during her recent trip to the United States, the United Nations can perform an "important catalytic role (in)...keep(ing) alive the humanitarian commitment and traditions of the Western world," but and these are my donor nations and private organizations must participate fully in this endeavor. Own words Furthermore, and I think of great significance, we need to promote disaster preparedness as an issue of vital global concern. Without adequate disaster preparedness, response is too often slow and ineffective. It's like waiting at the scene of a five-car pile-up for the ambulance to be assembled! Many victims simply do not have the time for such assistance to reach them. We are somewhat perplexed that the United Nations chose to withdraw from our hearing at the last minute. This incident is symptomatic of a pattern of UN behavior characterized by |