November 7, 2002
The Office of Humanitarian Assistance and Mine Action (OHA/MA) provides timely and effective direction, supervision, and oversight of DoD humanitarian assistance and mine action programs for the Director, DSCA. HA/D programs support foreign policy and national security interests of regional stability, promoting democracies, and economic development. Humanitarian assistance programs meet these goals by providing the Combatant Commanders with unobtrusive, low cost, but highly effective instruments to carry out their peacetime engagement missions. OHA/MA manages the Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid (OHDACA) Appropriation and its sub-activities: humanitarian mine action, humanitarian assistance (including the provision of non-lethal excess property, foreign disaster relief and emergency response, humanitarian daily rations (HDR), and the funded transportation program for privately donated material. Additionally, HA/MA provides oversight for the Commanders' humanitarian and civic assistance (HCA) programs and manages the Denton Program, a space available transportation program. OHA/MA activities are accomplished pursuant to the following legislative authorities: title 10, US Code, sections 401, 402, 404, 2547, 2551; and section 8009, Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2003 (P.L. 107-248, October 23, 2002). Specific duties and responsibilities:
1. Participates as a member of the U.S. Government (USG) Policy Coordination Committee (PCC) Sub-group on Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA.
2. Supports the Administration's humanitarian mine action initiatives, which seek to focus the efforts of the US in cooperation with the international community to eliminate the worldwide landmine problem.
3. Provides program management for the Department of Defense (DoD) components of humanitarian demining: mine awareness, host nation infrastructure development, civil-military cooperation, demining training, and victims' assistance.
4. Plans, programs, budgets for, and allocates budget authority from the Overseas Disaster, Humanitarian, and Civic Aid (OHDACA) appropriation to support DoD humanitarian assistance programs.
5. Provides annual reports to Congress on HA/D and HCA activities pursuant to title 10 U.S.C. sections 401 and 2561 and section 8009, Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2003 (P.L. 107-248, October 23, 2002).
6. Formulates, prepares, and defends the OHDACA portion of the president's budget and reviews draft legislation related to all HA/MA programs.
7. Prepares testimony and talking points for congressional hearing and/or official visits of government officials.
8. Responds to requests for information from congressional staff and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests related to humanitarian assistance programs and activities
9. Manages, coordinates, and monitors execution of DoD HA/MA planning, operations and related program activities.
10. Provides oversight, interagency coordination, and program approvals for HA/MA, foreign disaster relief, space available transportation, and Humanitarian and Civic Assistance (HCA) activities.
11. Reviews, approves and provides oversight for all Combatant Commanders' HA/MA programs.
12. Manages the DoD Humanitarian Excess Property (HAP-EP) program by identifying, selecting, transporting, storing and maintaining, and distributing non-lethal excess DoD property worldwide.
13. Assists the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (OJCS), United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), Combatant Commanders, host countries and other organizations in planning for, establishing, and executing HA/MA and HCA programs.
14. Establishes and maintains memoranda of understanding with USTRANSCOM, the Defense Logistics Agency, and the U.S. Agency for International Development for the conduct of funded and space available humanitarian and foreign disaster assistance/emergency respons initiatives.
15. Coordinates planned humanitarian assistance activities with non-governmental/private relief organizations (NGO/PVO).
16. Manages the Humanitarian Daily Ration (HDR) program to include procuring, storing, shelf-life maximization, obtaining interagency approval for donations, transporting, and distributing to recipients.
17. Establishes and maintains procedures for application and approval for transportation of privately donated humanitarian cargo through the interagency coordination process, including the conduct of the Denton Program (space available transportation).
18. Orients newly assigned personnel within the Security Cooperation community to the missions, goals, and objectives of the USG and DoD humanitarian assistance programs.
19. Maintains the HA/MA section of relevant country information papers and provides management topical and/or important information via daily summaries.
20. Proponent for specialized information systems supporting the HA/MA mission; provides material to maintain the currency of the HA/MA portion of DSCA websites.
21. Manages the creation, storage, and security of classified information and government property in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and directives.
22. Implements initiatives reflected in the DSCA Strategic Plan that relate to office responsibilities. Serves on DSCA-wide committees and working groups to identify problems, correct deficiencies, and establish improvements to current business practices.