Project CASA and M4CE

Exploring civil–military cooperation to handle climate related emergencies

Project CASA

Project CASA (Climate and Security Action through Civil–Military Cooperation in Climate-Related Emergencies) examines how militaries work together with civilian emergency management agencies within countries and across international borders to respond to climate-related crises. Its aim is to deliver actionable data for decision makers, stakeholders, and the wider public.

Launched in June 2023 with funding from the Canadian Department of National Defence through its Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security Program, Project CASA is guided by five partner organisations:

The project investigates a range of interconnected questions about the growing role of armed forces in climate emergencies:

The project's planned deliverables include a comprehensive dataset of military involvement in climate-related emergencies, country profiles analysing civil–military cooperation frameworks in selected nations, profiles of international governmental organisation coordination mechanisms, an interactive resource guide of relevant organisations and publications, and a final report with policy recommendations and best practices.

The M4CE Project — FOGGS' founding work

In recent years, record-breaking natural disasters have swept across the world: devastating floods in Western Europe, China, and India; extensive wildfires in California, around the Mediterranean, and in sub-Arctic Siberia; extreme heat waves and droughts across the Americas, the Mediterranean, and West Africa; and destructive hurricanes in the Caribbean and the United States. Looking ahead, climate change will undoubtedly intensify the frequency and severity of such events. The resources that authorities have at their disposal are finite and strained—when civilian capabilities are overwhelmed, governments turn to armed forces for logistics, engineering, transport, medical support, and the sheer scale of trained personnel they can command. Military assets can make the difference between life and death for thousands of people, yet their deployment raises important questions about legal authority, command and coordination, and the appropriate balance of civilian and military roles.

The Militaries for Civil(ian) Emergencies (M4CE) project was initiated by FOGGS in mid-2021 to examine these issues through comparative research across eight countries—France, Germany, Greece, India, Poland, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—as well as the coordination roles of the United Nations and NATO. Support was provided by the NATO Public Diplomacy Division. M4CE aimed to highlight the role of military assets in disaster response, examine legal and institutional frameworks governing their use, identify good practices, and stimulate policy discussion. Its three main work strands were:

The project was produced by a research team led by Lauren Brennan and Daniel Orth, with contributions from Peter Kakucska, Maro Mantziara, Manan Shah, and Daria Shumilova, and editorial oversight from Georgios Kostakos and Yvonne Rademacher. Overall coordination was provided by FOGGS Executive Director Georgios Kostakos, with Peter Kakucska serving as M4CE Project Manager.

Expert interviews

As part of M4CE, FOGGS conducted video interviews with eight practitioners and subject-matter experts drawn from academia, government agencies, international organisations, and civil society. Interviews explored civil–military coordination experiences, lessons learned, and emerging trends.

Dr. William Banks — Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism, Syracuse University College of Law

Dr. Nora Bensahel — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)

Mr. David Burke — Team Rubicon

Mr. Craig Fugate — formerly Administrator, US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Mr. Alfonso Lozano Basanta — Emergency Response Coordination Centre, European Commission

Mr. Josef Reiterer — UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Mr. Nikos Votsios — retired Brigadier General, Greek Armed Forces

Online discussion

Floods. Wildfires. Pandemics... Is it time to call in the troops?

FOGGS hosted this public online discussion as part of the M4CE Project, bringing together invited experts from various countries and organisations to examine the role of militaries in responding to civilian emergencies.

Discussions covered legal frameworks for civil–military cooperation, command and control between civilian and military authorities, budgets and training, cross-border support, and international coordination mechanisms. The event was supported by the NATO Public Diplomacy Division.

Publications

The M4CE Project: Interviews with Key Experts on Militaries for Civilian Emergencies (Interview Summary) — Daniel Orth and Lauren Brennan, November 2021

Published in Katoikos, this article summarises findings from the M4CE expert interview series. Interviews addressed three primary themes: civil–military coordination experiences, key lessons and challenges, and emerging trends in military resource deployment for civilian emergencies. Key challenges identified included the rapid obsolescence of disaster management legislation, unclear funding responsibility (particularly in federal systems), the insufficiency of generic international coordination mechanisms, and justified public mistrust of military involvement in nations with histories of military abuse.

Use of Military Resources to Address Natural and Human-Made Disasters (Background Paper) — Lauren Brennan and Daniel Orth, September 2021

This background paper reviews, in schematic form, the legal frameworks and actual use of military assets in eight countries—France, Germany, Greece, India, Poland, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—in the face of emergencies caused by natural and human-made disasters. It identifies initial good practices and emerging key issues, and reviews the roles of the UN and NATO as international mechanisms for the coordination of disaster response across borders. The paper was supported by NATO's Public Diplomacy Division.

Bring in the Troops: Deploying (Un)Armed Forces in Civilian Emergencies (Op-Ed) — Katoikos editorial, August 2021

Published in Katoikos, this piece examines how military forces are increasingly called upon to support civilian emergency response across multiple disaster types. It raises critical questions about who decides when to deploy troops, how civilian and military authorities coordinate, whether defence budgets should cover these operations, and whether military equipment and training are suited for rescue, firefighting, and medical support. The article introduced the M4CE research initiative and called for armed forces to deploy "with no arms, just with water hoses, spades, trucks, helicopters and lifesaving boats."

From the M4CE initiative of FOGGS to the multi-partner Project CASA

Insights from M4CE directly informed the design of Project CASA. Where M4CE researched into and policy advice on how militaries and civilian authorities cooperate in responding to climate-related disasters; Project CASA narrows and deepens that focus specifically to climate-related emergencies. It expands the geographic and institutional scope, extending research to a wider range of countries and international bodies to provide the evidence base that policymakers, defence planners, and emergency managers need.

Both initiatives reflect a shared conviction: that the engineering capabilities, logistical reach, medical units, and trained personnel of armed forces can make a decisive contribution to saving lives in disasters—and that this contribution is best realised through clear legal frameworks, civilian authority, and well-practised cooperation with humanitarian and emergency management partners.

For ongoing updates on Project CASA, visit project-casa.org.