Exercise Civil Bridge: Real-time disaster preparation in Uganda
Working on a disaster preparedness strategy in the bustling town of Mbale, Uganda, with the Military Stabilisation Support Group (MSSG) was an unforgettable experience for Hannah Winfield, a MOD Fast Streamer seconded to the Stabilisation Unit, a specialist UK Government unit owned by MOD, DFID, and the FCO.
In the Stabilisation Unit (SU), no day is ever the same for MOD fast streamer, Hannah Winfield, but a recent trip to eastern Uganda was a chance to step away from the desk and put theory into practice. Along with two members of the Stabilisation Unit’s Civilian Stabilisation Group (CSG), Hannah took part in Exercise CIVIL BRIDGE. The exercise, organised by the Military Stabilisation Support Group (MSSG), was the first time the SU had exercised with the MSSG overseas.
The integrated civilian-military teams on the ground were responsible for completing a real-time evaluation of Ugandan disaster preparedness and planning at the district level. They met with a range of key officials from the Ugandan government, local authorities, and the international community to identify disaster planning priorities. In several cases, the workshops facilitated by the teams resulted in the establishment of disaster management forums to support coordinated action by all actors, leaving a legacy to outlast the exercise.
Hannah, who manages Deployable Civilian Experts in the CSG, and was based in the Exercise HQ in Mbale as a senior civilian advisor, said there was much to take away from the experience, ‘Participating in Exercise CIVIL BRIDGE was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about how the military operate on the ground, and to strengthen how the SU and MSSG work together. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on exercise and intend to put what I learnt into practice.
Colonel Greville Bibby, former Commander of the MSSG was full of praise for the SU’s contribution, “We were particularly impressed with the quality of the SU staff. From our perspective the inclusion of the three Stabilisation Advisers was a tremendous success, opening the door to even greater collaboration in the future.
Exercises play a vital role in ensuring that civilians and military work together effectively in the field. This preparation is particularly critical for the MSSG who are deployed alongside stabilisation advisers from the SU in forward operating bases in Afghanistan. Two other CSG members were placed in small detached teams based in the Ugandan districts of Kumi, Mbale, Tororo and Pallisa. Lisa Bird, Head of International Development for the Scottish Government and a member of the CSG, found it an eye-opening experience, ‘it was invaluable training, testing our skills in military and civilian co-operation in a real setting, and, at the same time, achieving something sustainable for the Ugandan people.'