Comprehensive Crisis Management (CCM)

Preventing, Preparing and Responding

Course Description

General

 1.  Purpose:  The CCM course exists to educate and socialize regional security practitioners into a “Community of Expertise” that values collaborative regional efforts at comprehensive crisis management and is equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to support those efforts.   Additionally, the course seeks to build regional security capability thru the development of individual leader skills in critical thinking, communication and collaboration which can be applied not only to CCM situations but to any collaborative effort.  The course is based on the broad notion that regional security is significantly enhanced by collaborative efforts at preventing, preparing for or responding to any crisis—natural or man-made—that threatens stability within nations within the context of national sovereignty.  By helping others help themselves, the entire region benefits. 

2. Description:  This course is a comprehensive examination of current thinking about how to deal with both man-made and natural crises.  Crises are comprehensive in nature; they involve, in interdependent ways, all elements of security (political, social, economic, military, etc.) and multiple, interactive players (domestic, international and non-governmental).  The degree to which we can build resilience into our societies will greatly influence the long-term impact of any crisis.  While crises are often thought of as time-bound, having a beginning and an end, in fact, they have deep roots in the past and long shadows into the future.  A major skill involved in crisis management is the smooth interplay between routine activities (normally focused on building a better, more efficient society) and the extraordinary requirements of life saving and damage mitigation throughout the life-cycle of a crisis situation. Accordingly, course content focuses on three broad topical areas: (1) crisis assessments and condition-setting, (2) transitions across the prevent-prepare-respond cycle and (3) during- and post-crisis reconstruction.  In addition to this conceptual framework, the CCM course also addresses CCM-task coalition building and operations, inter-agency coordination, stability trends analysis, preventative activities as well as international interventions, post-emergency reconstruction, transition shaping, and strategic communications.  The course curriculum is generally divided into three major blocks: (1) Framing the Problem and Tools, (2) How to Think About Crisis-Related Nation-Building and, (3) Making Collaborative Crisis Response Work.  Course learning objectives are achieved by preface topical lectures, followed by “learning by doing” small-group activities.  Seminars are activity-based.  The course includes three learning objective reinforcing exercises:

• Complex Problem Analysis
• Integration of Lines of Effort:  East Timor Case
• Post-shock event reconstruction: planning for a multinational, whole of government, civil society effort that synergistically develops all five major lines of effort towards restoring stability in the affected nation.

All course attendees attain membership in an expanded network of contacts among security practitioners that includes their fellow class-mates and APCSS faculty as well as the APCSS alumni network and a regional CCM “community of expertise” via a dedicated web portal.

3.  Length:  4 weeks

4.  Frequency:  2 to 3 times a year

5.  Fellows:  O-4 to O-6s and civilian equivalents (interagency, NGOs, and regional influencers) who work in the crisis management/recovery fields; 30-60 fellows per course;  mix of approximately 70% regional/ 30% U.S.

 Who would benefit by attending this course   Practitioners whose current or future responsibilities relate to CCM in one or more of these areas:

• Security (military and law enforcement)

• Infrastructure restoration

• Humanitarian assistance

• Economic internal development

• Governance strengthening

• Transitions planning, coordinating and negotiating

• Forecasting or Assessing CCM challenges

Educational Objectives:  To achieve the course purposes stated above, the CCM course has specific educational objectives in three areas:  enhanced knowledge, applied procedures and processes, improved individual and team skills.

 1. Enhanced Knowledge:  Facts; concepts; principles

 A. Concept of CCM

1. Explain the nature and boundaries of “CCM”
2. Articulate the relevance of CCM to their nation and the region.
3. Describe CCM in Asia-Pacific—regional concepts, terminology and examples
4. Explain the idea of Stability and enumerate various causes of man-made emergencies.
5. Explain “Intervention” and evaluate the cost/benefit of an intervention decision as International Community action

B. Concept of CCM as a Complex Problem

1. Describe the nature of Complex Problems
2. Develop appropriate approaches to deal with a complex problem

C. Concept of Governance as way of managing CCM

1. List and explain the five “lines of effort”
2. Analyze an instability case study using concepts of “Good Governance” 

D. Concept of Transitions/Transformations

1. Distinguish between transitions and transformations
2. Develop an appropriate set of transitions and transformations for a case

E. Principles of Information Environment for CCM

1. Develop a simplified Strategic Communication program
2. Describe the information sharing infrastructure for CCM in the region
3. Discuss the value and dangers of Information Sharing

F. Facts about “Players” in CCM:  List the key CCM players in a “typical” CCM case and explain their roles

G. Facts about funding of CCM:  Understand how the international community funds CCM operations and how that affects their organization

H. Self-Cognition:  Evaluate and articulate what knowledge he/she has gained and what areas need further study           

 2. Applied Procedures/Processes

 A.      List the key elements of planning for CCM

B.     Develop a CCM plan using a specific planning framework (USJFCOM/DOS)

C.     Describe the “Assessment” process and apply during cases/exercises

D.     Develop a set of Measures of Effectiveness

E.     Analyze a case to identify CCM relevant trends

F.      Conduct predictive analysis of trends and develop appropriate preventative strategies

G.     Conduct Joined-up/interagency/multinational/NGO/IGO collaboration

 3. Improved Personal and Teaming Skills

 A. Personal skills:

1. Communicate effectively (advocate/persuade, not just inform) in a variety of situations
2. Cooperate and contribute within a multi-national team (coalition) despite language, national/ethnic, cultural differences
3. Use information technology to manage their personal and team information environments

B. Teaming skills:

1. Clarify a team’s information environment:  goals, knowns, unknowns and assumptions
2. Shape a team’s process:  rules, terms of reference, time management
3. Develop a team’s organization:  roles (formal and informal), contributions and limitations of members

 Educational principles followed during the course

• All discussions/activities will assume that stability operations will be conducted in an international coalition context on inter-agency basis

• The focus is on factual analyses, conclusions and recommendations centered on  today’s security issues as shaped by cultural perspectives

• Begin with essential, current definitional and background context prefaces

• The course is conducted largely in a seminar format, minimizing large-size group lectures; and maximizing use of small group learning by doing collaborative tasks and formulating and presenting views and insights to other seminars

• The Faculty serves to facilitate discussions, ensure understanding, and enable skills development.  Regional or functional area expertise is brought in as needed

• Application of knowledge is proof of education.  Frequent opportunities to practice skills and apply knowledge are a critical part of the curriculum and take the form of class-wide exercises and in-seminar small group activities. 

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