U.S. and Bosnia and Herzegovina participate in a crisis communications workshop in Sarajevo
Story and photos by: 1st Lt. Jasmine Mathews, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Maryland National Guard led a communication workshop in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mar. 7-9. The event was conducted in coordination with the U.S. Embassy Sarajevo and the U.S. Department of Defense Emergency Management and Resilience program, under the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s Institute for Security Governance.
The workshop’s events included presentations, lessons learned discussions and breakout sessions to challenge the more than 26 participants from 8 organizations. Participants were asked to develop an all-hazards communication plan, learn new techniques to combat misinformation, and enhance social media in a crisis.
“The lessons on creating crisis communications plans, message maps, and holding statements enhanced my previous public affairs knowledge. Listening to the subject matter experts’ experiences during crises was very valuable and provided an excellent example for us to follow,” said Erma Dudo, a participant from the workshop and public relations specialist with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ministry of Defense.
The crisis communication workshop provided the Bosnia and Herzegovina government an opportunity for continuous improvement in public information capabilities when responding to natural and manmade disasters in the country and was conducted in cooperation with the EM&R, which supports NATO Partner Nations in building capacity for national-level and all-hazards disaster preparedness.
“The Bosnian public information officers we worked with are outstanding communicators who demonstrated their skills through the practical exercises we developed,” said Jay Field, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers public affairs officer and subject matter expert for the EM&R program. “I enjoyed sharing our experiences; I find I learned as much from them as I hope they learned from me.”
Formally known as the U.S. Department of Defense Civil-Military Emergency Preparedness program, EM&R program, executed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, focuses on facilitating inter-ministerial and civil-military cooperation, enhancing Armed Forces capabilities to provide defense support to civil authority and regional / multilateral cooperation to support response to disasters.
“Communication is extremely challenging during a crisis, which is why we emphasize the importance of practicing, training, and strengthening partnerships over time, not overnight,” said Maj. Gen. Kimberly M. Colloton, Deputy Commanding General for Military and International Operations, Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “The Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Maryland National Guard, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been training civil-military collaboration and emergency response since 2007.”
The Maryland National Guard celebrates 20 years of partnership with the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina through the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. The State Partnership Program consists of training, exercises, and bilateral engagements to strengthen military capabilities and enhance cooperation between both countries.
