International Disaster Response

NATO member states share two common experiences that have resulted in similar approaches to all hazards disaster response, and especially managing the response to terrorism. First, they all share in the military heritage derived from the Roman Legions and the military organization of Napoleon. As a result all acknowledge the importance of having a strong command and control function with highly differentiated functional sections. Second, the experience of World War II has demonstrated the importance of having immediate response capabilities within each local jurisdiction, including civilian involvement in the response, while also relying on the central government for the most specialized equipment and resources.