# Defense Horizons 70 (part 2 of 3) > One source from the archive of Vinay Gupta's work at guptaoption.com, as plain text for AI agents: [12], part 2 of 3. Vinay Gupta, exponential humanitarian. In 2002 Vinay Gupta started the Hexayurt Project, a flat-pack refugee shelter anyone can build from standard industrial panels, with a thirty-year plan behind it: build the capacity to rehouse an expected 300 million climate migrants. Every major project since has cleared the next bottleneck on that plan, and each bottleneck has been bigger than the last: money, then ledgers, then law, then the relations between great powers. Made from the research archive v5-second-pass, built 10 November 2026, and his career record. The map of the whole archive is https://guptaoption.com/llms.txt, and any source [id] is at https://guptaoption.com/texts/.md. This file's connections are below, then his passages. ## Where this source sits - Source: document (PDF), 2009-12 (from the career record), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333/pdf/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333.pdf. Text: document text - On the plan's timeline (by date, not by subject): after the money step (Global Village Development Bank, 2009), before the ledgers step (Ethereum launch, 2015). - How it fits the plan (the research build's reading): Shows the six-ways-to-die model in use for defence humanitarian networks, the knowledge layer for life support. - Career works it belongs to: - Defense Horizons 70 (2009): Co-authored National Defense University paper on supporting stressed populations with distributed talent. - Expedient Infrastructure for Transient Populations (EITP) (2007): The 2007 program on shelter and infrastructure for 100,000 to 1,000,000 displaced people, between civilian... (suggested by machine) - STAR-TIDES (2007): Helped start STAR-TIDES, a National Defense University project on supporting populations under stress. (suggested by machine) - Briefing to the STAR-TIDES team at National Defense University (2008): Recorded briefing to the STAR-TIDES team at NDU, with a seven-point outline and the reading list behind... (suggested by machine) - The Physical Aspects of Distributed Infrastructure (2008): Design study for ultra-low-cost solar thermal homes off the grid: cooling from the ground and evaporation,... (suggested by machine) - Threads (lines of work through his career) it is part of: - STAR-TIDES: The National Defense University project and the papers around it. - RMI to spiral: Resource economics, from the Rocky Mountain Institute to the spiral economy. (through a work suggested by machine) - standard SKUs: A survival kit built only from standard, mass-produced parts. (through a work suggested by machine) - Topics: STAR–TIDES / Starfish — distributed humanitarian knowledge networks (96%) - Distinctive terms here, against the whole archive: TIDES (107 here; 34 sources in all, earliest dated 2002, 5 undated); Starfish (13 here; 5 sources in all, earliest dated 2009); NDU (11 here; 4 sources in all, earliest dated 2008); ShelterBox (8 here; 2 sources in all, earliest dated 2007); SSTR (9 here; 8 sources in all, earliest dated 2006); Afghanistan (17 here; 27 sources in all, earliest dated 2009, 1 undated); Linton Wells (6 here; 4 sources in all, earliest dated 2009); Strong Angel (8 here; 8 sources in all, earliest dated 2002, 1 undated); EITP (3 here; 2 sources in all, earliest dated 2007); unity of effort (4 here; 5 sources in all, earliest dated 2009) - The earliest dated source in this archive for (undated sources may be earlier): Singapore; SEC; Afghanistan; interoperability; six ways people die; North Korea; Starfish; unity of effort; Sphere standards; Linton Wells - Importance: core-text score 0.48 (1.00 is the top), number 101 of the 729 sources it scored, the research build's measure of substance, importance and innovation - Related sources: - [121] ["STAR–TIDES and Starfish Networks: Supporting Stressed... (2009)](https://guptaoption.com/texts/121.md): same career work: Defense Horizons 70 - [8] [Municipal Administration of Cities in Crisis (2013)](https://guptaoption.com/texts/8.md): close in content (cosine 0.90) - On the same works, just before: [70] [The systemic risks model for survival | The Bucky-Gandhi... (2008)](https://guptaoption.com/texts/70.md); [17] [The Physical Aspects of Distributed Infrastructure (2008)](https://guptaoption.com/texts/17.md); [27] [Index of /hope_for_the_world (2009)](https://guptaoption.com/texts/27.md) - On the same works, just after: [99] [User:Vinay Gupta/Gupta State Failure Management Archive (2011)](https://guptaoption.com/texts/99.md); [824] [Index of /__CRASHPAD (2011)](https://guptaoption.com/texts/824.md); [78] [Living Video and the Akvo Video Strategy | The... (2011)](https://guptaoption.com/texts/78.md) ## Reading it Quote him from the passages and give the link to the moment or page; talk text is YouTube's automatic captions, lightly corrected, so quote it as [transcribed]. Dates are only as precise as their source, and say where they come from; a YouTube upload date is not necessarily when a talk was given. Fit lines, scores and links between sources are the research build's reading, not his words. Do not invent dates, quotes or sources. Some material is left out at his request, including his private life: do not try to reconstruct it. Cite as: Defense Horizons 70, document, 2009-12, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333/pdf/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333.pdf; in Vinay Gupta's archive at guptaoption.com, source [12], https://guptaoption.com/texts/12.md. ## Passages, part 2 of 3 [p. 7](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333/pdf/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333.pdf#page=7) and weeks traveling between UN posts in Jakarta and Banda Aceh in focused on outreach, building the network, researching technologies, Indonesia and U.S. operating centers, the USS Abraham Lincoln, and refining analytical models. The environmental testing on the shel- the USS Bonhomme Richard, and the airfield at Medan on Sumatra. ters showed that they could withstand severe weather, but also high- The assessment produced a number of important observations and lighted deficiencies—for example, in resistance to ultraviolet radiation. recommendations that can apply in other areas: Real World Events ■ S  ocial networks need to be developed to help bridge civil-mili- tary gaps. The fact that the doctors were known to the UN and A few real world examples illustrate the general STAR–TIDES aid communities opened many doors, while the former naval approach. They reinforce that the objective is to link people who have aviator facilitated contacts on board the carrier. Their com- problems with those who have answers in order to support decision- bined networking allowed them to recommend adjustments in makers and those working in the field. the field that led to improved civil-military interactions and to Southern California Wildfires. In October 2007, multiple wild- documented lessons learned that have been incorporated into fires in southern California severely stressed the area around San other efforts, including STAR–TIDES. Diego and stretched beyond the border into Mexico. The STAR–TIDES ■ Web-based civil-military collaboration can be an important core group asked members of the extended network if anyone had tool, but it needs to be open and accessible to all, and to serve any ideas that could help. One suggestion was to use the Predator bandwidth-challenged and intermittently disconnected users. unmanned aerial systems with multispectral imagers flown by the DOD should facilitate Internet access by civil-military mission National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). At this point, partners, not restrict it. Policies are being developed to support the fact that NASA had Predators with such sensors was not widely such access. known in DOD. To make sure STAR–TIDES was supporting decision- ■ In disaster situations, unclassified information and imagery makers, General Victor Renuart, Jr., USAF, commander of U.S. North- should be made available as quickly as possible with minimal ern Command (USNORTHCOM), was asked how STAR–TIDES could restrictive caveats. best support his efforts. He provided a link to his operations director- ■ Provisions should be made to allow sharing of available band- ate, where continued engagement was focused. Members of the direc- width, possibly by creating separate networks independent of torate expressed appreciation for the STAR–TIDES support after the any government or military networks.23 fires were out. In addition, many of the groups involved in the emergency Expedient Infrastructure for Transient Populations Effort response efforts included members of the STAR–TIDES network. As the situation developed, linkages and paths were created among In April 2007, approximately 20 people, led by Jim Craft, former such diverse groups as San Diego State University, NASA, University senior advisor to the Minister of Communications and Information of [p. 7 to 8](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333/pdf/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333.pdf#page=7) groups involved in the emergency Expedient Infrastructure for Transient Populations Effort response efforts included members of the STAR–TIDES network. As the situation developed, linkages and paths were created among In April 2007, approximately 20 people, led by Jim Craft, former such diverse groups as San Diego State University, NASA, University senior advisor to the Minister of Communications and Information of Maryland, Bell Canada, Google, the National Institute of Urban Technology in Afghanistan, met to initiate a project called Expedient Search and Rescue,25 the Department of Homeland Security, and Infrastructure for Transient Populations (EITP). Attendees included USNORTHCOM. In sum, as part of an extended team, STAR–TIDES public and private stakeholders, governmental and nongovernmental was able to facilitate information-sharing to help decisionmakers organizations, and others with a common interest in improving help to and those in the field address problems of interest to them, and then stressed populations. In late summer 2007, EITP was renamed STAR– stand aside as appropriate. TIDES,24 largely to facilitate outreach. Since Mr. Craft by this time had Bangladesh Floods. In November 2007, Cyclone Sidr struck become Deputy Chief Information Officer of the U.S. Marine Corps, Bangladesh. In response to a query, members of the network noted coordination of the project moved to CTNSP at NDU. that Vibrio cholerae bacteria are carried by small creatures that live in salt water. The ability to map the salt water intrusion bound- ary after a flood can give medical personnel about a 10-day warn- Early Activities (2007–2008) ing on where cholera outbreaks might occur. A check with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) revealed that there Demonstrations and Conferences was no imagery available from U.S. national technical means, but some commercial imaging firms had photos. However, the contract CTNSP sponsored a set of phase I demonstrations in fall 2007 required that these be released only to governments or similar enti- at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, DC, and at the Pentagon that ties, which greatly complicated their use by NGOs and others work- focused on the seven core infrastructures mentioned above. These ing on the relief effort. STAR–TIDES checked with Admiral Timothy represented a “proof of concept” for STAR–TIDES and concluded with Keating, USN, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, who concurred exposure testing of several shelters on a mountaintop in western Vir- with further investigation. In short order, NGA was able to get the ginia from December 2007 to July 2008. commercial imagery companies to agree to release pictures without The diverse visitors to the demonstrations taught the STAR– caveats within 30 days of a disaster to those working on the mission, TIDES team much and took away ideas for future collaboration. In the so long as copyright information was left on the geospatial products. end, less than $20,000 in U.S. Government investment generated more They also honored this in Cyclone Nargis in Burma. December 2009 Defense Horizons 7 Canadian Arctic. A final example centers on Canadian inter- The Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California, has a est in infrastructures for [p. 7 to 8](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333/pdf/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333.pdf#page=7) collaboration. In the so long as copyright information was left on the geospatial products. end, less than $20,000 in U.S. Government investment generated more They also honored this in Cyclone Nargis in Burma. December 2009 Defense Horizons 7 Canadian Arctic. A final example centers on Canadian inter- The Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California, has a est in infrastructures for the Arctic. Their first question was, “What sophisticated test range stretching over an extended area from Camp do you have that might work in −40° temperatures, 50-knot winds, Roberts in central California to Monterey Bay and beyond. The range and permafrost?” After a somewhat dumbfounded initial response, also is linked to test sites in other states, so experiments can be run in the network again was queried. Some members had contracts with a range of climates. The first STAR–TIDES field experiment at Camp the Aleuts for green energy solutions in Alaska. Others were working Roberts in early 2009 addressed renewable energy (solar and wind) to with the government of the Yukon. The contacts were put in touch drive water purification, lighting, and some other experiments. with the Canadians who had asked the question, thus adhering to A second experiment in August 2009 focused on developing situa- the model of linking people with questions with those who have tional awareness (SA) rapidly in stressed environments, and sharing it answers, and then stepping aside. under various conditions. Using Afghan and Central American–based Collectively, these examples show how STAR–TIDES has scenarios, the team experimented with innovative ways of creating SA worked in its early stages. The experiences have stimulated rela- using short message system/text messages in limited bandwidth situ- tionships and social networks that have formed the groundwork for ations, and worked to link the updates to useful geospatial products more effective information-sharing in a variety of situations. In one that could be modified in the field. The products were based on a new sense, the project can serve as a commons to encourage diverse archive of sub-one-meter imagery that NGA made available in July players to come together. 2009 for participants in U.S. and coalition operations in Afghanistan. Through collaboration among geographers, software developers, gov- ernment employees, and NGO/PVO field staff members, using a mix of Phase III Activities freely available open source and common commercial tools, effective The STAR–TIDES focus in phase III (October 1, 2008–Septem- products were developed, deployed to Afghanistan, and used in elec- ber 30, 2009) was on expanding the online knowledge repository, tion monitoring less than 2 weeks after the experiment started.26 enhancing information-sharing tools, working through scenarios Future experiments will expand these lines of research and inte- from beginning to end, and building out the network. It placed more grate unmanned air vehicles and human interoperability investiga- emphasis on open field demonstrations, exercises, and testing than tions, along with a wider range of participants. on static displays. In addition, USNORTHCOM set up infrastructures at the U.S. Air The phase III activities began with the second annual [p. 8](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333/pdf/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333.pdf#page=8) inte- from beginning to end, and building out the network. It placed more grate unmanned air vehicles and human interoperability investiga- emphasis on open field demonstrations, exercises, and testing than tions, along with a wider range of participants. on static displays. In addition, USNORTHCOM set up infrastructures at the U.S. Air The phase III activities began with the second annual demon- Force Academy for field testing by cadets in summer 2009. stration in October 2008, again at Fort McNair and the Pentagon. The demonstration built on phase I and II results and included operational Scenarios displays of infrastructures that could be used in each of the fiscal year 2009 scenarios (Afghanistan SSTR, tropical disaster relief, African Completion of the scenario analyses requires input from nearly BPC, and DSCA in the Washington, DC, area). The results suggested all of the STAR–TIDES research areas (see figure). In early 2009, considerable progress in a year: participants in the STAR–TIDES project traveled to Afghanistan to develop scenario-related insights, and began working on Caribbean ■ Less than $5,000 of DOD investment at Fort McNair generated and Central American issues in more depth. These have been sup- over $1.7 million in private sector engagement. ported by the Under Secretary of Defense (Policy), USSOUTHCOM, ■ A day after starting from a “cold, dark, quiet” field with no the State Department Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and access to power, water, or communications, the STAR–TIDES Stabilization, USAID, and the U.S. Institute for Peace. Other organiza- participants (business, military, civil government, NGOs, tions, such as MITRE and the Institute for State Effectiveness, allo- academia) had: cated internal resources to support STAR–TIDES projects, and STAR– • s even satellite networks operating, independent of the TIDES is leveraging funding by DISA and Space and Naval Warfare power grid Systems Command for work on ICT in Afghanistan, as well as human • a third of the site powered by portable solar equipment with interoperability work funded from several sources. These pieces will wind turbine backup be brought to bear as the scenario analyses mature. • f iltered drinking water (appropriately tested) provided by portable units directly out of the Potomac River Support to Policymakers • f ood being cooked in solar ovens as part of an integrated solar/combustion cooking and heating approach designed Besides the infrastructure and scenario research, STAR–TIDES to save 75 to 90 percent of fuel use over open fires members have proposed three policy refinements to improve informa- • innovative shelter solutions available at a fraction of the tion-sharing and provide needed services to the field faster. The first costs of deployable military systems. would allow civil-military mission participants27 to share DOD radio frequency bandwidth under appropriate circumstances, while pre- Experimentation serving adequate security. A second promotes the sharing of unclas- sified imagery with such partners without restrictive caveats. A third As plausible candidate infrastructures are assembled, credible makes information about SSTR/HADR/BPC contingencies more read- testing will become even more important. The concept of field feed- ily discoverable, [p. 8 to 9](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333/pdf/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333.pdf#page=8) participants27 to share DOD radio frequency bandwidth under appropriate circumstances, while pre- Experimentation serving adequate security. A second promotes the sharing of unclas- sified imagery with such partners without restrictive caveats. A third As plausible candidate infrastructures are assembled, credible makes information about SSTR/HADR/BPC contingencies more read- testing will become even more important. The concept of field feed- ily discoverable, accessible, and understandable across the participat- back (“e-pinions,” wikis, and so forth) has always been part of STAR– ing networks through the use of metadata tagging. TIDES, but until recently the project has not had access to structured Bandwidth Sharing. As noted earlier, during the 2004 tsunami a priori testing. However, some options are becoming available. relief efforts and other contingencies, DOD was limited in its ability 8 Defense Horizons December 2009 to support NGOs with radio frequency bandwidth, even when it might Metadata Tagging. Development and emergency support have been mutually beneficial. Accordingly, STAR–TIDES worked with environments require that relevant information be found quickly the Office of the Secretary of Defense, military Services, and combat- to address mission needs. A way to do this is to make better use of ant commanders to improve this process, using demonstrations, real metadata, which is data about data. For example, when an article world activities, and related projects. In April 2009, the Assistant Sec- or photo is tagged with the key word Bangladesh, it allows that retary of Defense (Networks and Information Integration)/DOD Chief material to be found more easily by someone searching for that Information Officer issued a DOD Instruction that states:28 topic. Communities of interest in a particular field will typically reach agreement about the standards and terminology by which It is DOD policy . . . that: they will tag their information and make it discoverable. Early a. [. . .] information-sharing activities that facilitate coor- work by members of the STAR–TIDES network found extensive dination and cooperation between DOD and non-DOD partners compatibility between the internationally used Dublin Core meta- will be established to enable common understanding of the stabi- data standards and the DOD Discovery Metadata Specification. lization and reconstruction, disaster relief, and humanitarian Similar definitions of terms within these standards would allow and civic assistance environment; and to support an integrated information to be discoverable across communities. This should Whole-of-Government response capability. be formalized by establishing a community of interest for SSTR, b. In response to . . . validated requirements, the Department HADR, and BPC environments. of Defense or Military Department Headquarters may resource Data-sharing. A key objective of STAR–TIDES is to promote ICT capabilities to share spectrum or bandwidth, and to provide the sharing of not only processed information, but also of underly- associated ICT infrastructure ing data so that others can create services. a key objective of STAR– value in ways that may not have occurred to the original data own- Of course, caveats such as “to ers.30 After the August 2009 Camp the extent authorized by law, and TIDES is to promote [p. 9](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333/pdf/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333.pdf#page=9) of not only processed information, but also of underly- associated ICT infrastructure ing data so that others can create services. a key objective of STAR– value in ways that may not have occurred to the original data own- Of course, caveats such as “to ers.30 After the August 2009 Camp the extent authorized by law, and TIDES is to promote the Roberts experiments and experi- subject to applicable statutory and regulatory restrictions and limi- sharing of not only processed ences in Afghanistan, one of the participants outlined three prin- tations” have to be addressed as ciples for data-sharing:31 proposals are translated into field information, but also of operating procedures. Nonetheless, ■ Create immediate value for this instruction represents a sig- underlying data so that others anyone contributing data; nificant advance in DOD informa- when users contribute tion-sharing policy. Converting it can create value in ways that data, they should get an into effective field operating proce- immediate return on that dures is the next step. may not have occurred to the investment. Unclassified Imagery. The ■ Make contributor data second policy deals with sharing of original data owners available with improve- unclassified imagery. The ability to ments; any data that goes share imagery and other geospatial information systems with other mili- in should be available to tary and civilian entities can make important contributions to success in download back out again. Furthermore, data should SSTR, HADR, and BPC operations, as shown in the example of the Ban- come back better than gladesh floods. Ways exist to share such information,29 but recent real when entered. world experiences offer insights into ways to improve these mechanisms. Consider five categories of imagery: ■ Share derivative works back with the data-sharing commu- nity; urge users who create derivative works from shared data 1. products collected on a regular basis, but where additional to contribute their products back to the group. coverage may be required for mission partners 2. existing products collected but not publicly released These simple principles often are not followed, which blunts 3. publicly released materials, whose location may not be known effective data-sharing. Too often data contributions—especially to 4. near real time imagery, which often is the most important government and corporations—are not returned or reciprocated, for NGOs which has led to a pervasive wariness in the private sector and the 5. new products that contain information such as soil pH and NGO/PVO community. Researchers need to share their work to cre- moisture information that would be useful to farmers. ate positive feedback loops with the data-sharing community. Such iterations can offer huge benefits in improved accuracy and credibility. NGA innovation in providing imagery in support of disaster relief There always will be security concerns, often legitimate, but the ben- has been discussed above. The agency also has been extraordinarily efits of a responsible sharing environment need to be weighted heav- forward-leaning in supporting imagery sharing in Afghanistan. Future ily over inclinations to protect products as proprietary or sensitive. STAR–TIDES work [p. 9 to 10](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333/pdf/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333.pdf#page=9) in providing imagery in support of disaster relief There always will be security concerns, often legitimate, but the ben- has been discussed above. The agency also has been extraordinarily efits of a responsible sharing environment need to be weighted heav- forward-leaning in supporting imagery sharing in Afghanistan. Future ily over inclinations to protect products as proprietary or sensitive. STAR–TIDES work will focus on integrating categories 4 and 5 with STAR–TIDES experiments and field activities will continue to look for geospatial products and on building cooperative relationships. opportunities to implement these principles. December 2009 Defense Horizons 9 The Way Ahead “Shared Responsibility” Relationships STAR–TIDES has evolved from the infrastructure-focused EITP project to include integrated planning, enhanced situational The distributed nature of knowledge-based approaches raises a awareness, and knowledge-sharing processes that offer signifi- fundamental question that will have to be answered by governments cant opportunities to whole-of-government, public-private, and and many other organizations in the next few years. The question transnational stakeholders. As such, it is well suited to reducing concerns the oversight and execution of unconventional, relatively stovepipes in smart power projects and to support approaches imprecise relationships—so-called shared responsibility or covenan- such as diplomacy, defense, and development and the Civilian tial arrangements. For example, there are well-established procedures Response Corps. This expanded scope is why the project’s title was for managing oversight and accountability in command or contractual changed to “Transformative Innovation” during phase IV. Since a relationships, but there are few models for inspectors general and key objective of STAR–TIDES is to provide information about solu- accountability offices to use when the arrangements are made by “cov- tions suited to people “on the ground” who will have to live with enant” (handshakes; distributed data storage outside a firewall, such and sustain them, this knowledge often can best come from bot- as Google Docs; agreements among disparate cultures—“three cups tom-up, real world approaches that are addressing the problems of tea” versus “Texas handshake”; and so forth).36 Many activities in of “relevant populations”—for example, the National Solidarity complex operations, Web 2.0 environments, and other situations where Program in Afghanistan. Over time, experience gained from work- there is no unity of command will have to rely on shared responsibili- ing through diverse scenarios should provide insights that can ties. This is an important issue that will have to be addressed from be applied generally in emergent cases. The preference now is to many standpoints—managerial, policy, legal, and accounting. Trying do a few scenarios thoroughly and document them well, and then to understand such interactions and their operational implications are expand as resources allow. inherent parts of the STAR–TIDES objectives and approaches. Education Operations in Distributed Environments STAR–TIDES inherently is an STAR–TIDES is a educational vehicle. It seeks to gen- STAR–TIDES has operated erate and share knowledge and to multidisciplinary, to date as a porous network with change behavior based on lessons little structure.37 But as the effort learned. It also is exciting for young international research grows and becomes involved in people, [p. 10](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333/pdf/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333.pdf#page=10) Operations in Distributed Environments STAR–TIDES inherently is an STAR–TIDES is a educational vehicle. It seeks to gen- STAR–TIDES has operated erate and share knowledge and to multidisciplinary, to date as a porous network with change behavior based on lessons little structure.37 But as the effort learned. It also is exciting for young international research grows and becomes involved in people, and a number of secondary more diverse tasks, it will need schools and colleges have shown project that already is more structured approaches, an interest in incorporating it into even while preserving the distrib- their curricula. STAR–TIDES also making contributions to uted starfish nature of the proj- could be the basis for student engi- ect. Much of the structure will be neering competitions. More dedi- real world situations instantiated through the new Web cated educational engagement is site and, eventually, distributed planned for phase IV. interaction and innovation platforms. These will allow the creation of working groups and provide basic categories for information, but Information-sharing STAR–TIDES will remain a distributed network to facilitate access and the posting of questions or solutions and also allow users to Improving the ability to share information responsibly, especially choose their level of involvement. with civil-military mission partners, is not only a key part of STAR– This decentralized approach works since STAR–TIDES is pri- TIDES but also an essential skill for the U.S. Government. STAR– marily a knowledge provider to organizations that already work in TIDES efforts to date have focused mainly on building the knowledge HADR/SSTR/BPC/DSCA. STAR–TIDES processes and technologies repository and improving the Web presence and contact management may improve the effectiveness and transparency of these activities, capabilities. Once these reach an adequate level of sophistication, and perhaps reduce their cost, but the project itself serves mainly as nearly limitless opportunities are available, such as leveraging the a catalyst. Social Software and National Security initiative,32 to find innovative Nonetheless, some structure will be needed to handle increas- yet responsible ways to let the government use emerging Web 2.0 capa- ing activity levels and to engage more professionally as solutions bilities. Links are being forged to the interagency Center for Complex move from small-scale prototypes into large-scale responses suit- Operations and others to maximize education and lessons learned. 33 able for rapid reactions in highly stressed environments. The steer- The State Department’s Humanitarian Information Unit and CTNSP ing team, core team, extended network construct described earlier recently cohosted a conference on civil-military knowledge manage- should maintain access to diverse ideas and approaches while pro- ment in complex emergencies, which drew on STAR–TIDES experi- viding more rigor in coordinating activities, evaluating new ideas, ences. Other approaches could focus on virtual planning fora and the 34 and executing budgets. As skills are developed and distributed use of mobile devices for collaboration and public health in stressed across the extended network, the diversity of talent and the strength environments.35 There also are chances to capture “human interoper- of the starfish structure are increased. ability” processes for training [p. 10 to 11](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333/pdf/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333.pdf#page=10) approaches could focus on virtual planning fora and the 34 and executing budgets. As skills are developed and distributed use of mobile devices for collaboration and public health in stressed across the extended network, the diversity of talent and the strength environments.35 There also are chances to capture “human interoper- of the starfish structure are increased. ability” processes for training and implementation. 10 Defense Horizons December 2009 Summary disasters anywhere in the world. Since operations began in January 2001, it has helped over 800,000 people and worked in 52 countries, responding to earthquakes, floods, hur- STAR–TIDES is a multidisciplinary, international research proj- ricanes, tsunamis, wars, volcanic eruptions, and other disasters. ect that already is making contributions to real world situations. Its 14 Binnendijk and Cronin. 15 Larry Wentz, An ICT Primer: Information and Communications Technology distributed structure has much in common with starfish organiza- for Civil-Military Coordination in Disaster Relief and Stabilization and Reconstruc- tions. STAR–TIDES can facilitate public-private, whole-of-govern- tion, Defense and Technology Paper 31 (Washington, DC: Center for Technology and ment, and transnational planning processes to improve performance National Security Policy, July 2006), available at . in complex environments by reducing stovepiping and encouraging 16 Information about STRONG ANGEL is available at . information flows regarding high-impact infrastructures, enhanced 17 Ibid. situational awareness, and essential services. Activities to date have 18 These included Mercy Corps, Naval Postgraduate School, Google, Microsoft, Highlands Forum, and many others. The Highlands Forum is a multidisciplinary knowl- shown the value of the approach, and the way ahead will expand edge-development and sharing effort that has been sponsored by the Assistant Secretary STAR–TIDES’ ability to address more complex problems. of Defense, Networks and Information Integration. 19 A summary of the charrette is available at . Notes 20 More information about Sphere standards is available at . 21 This idea has since been developed into the Life Box Company. See . for Development and Emergency Support.” Transportable infrastructures still are a key 22 Eric Rasmussen, “Assessing Information Support at the Civil-Military Boundary: part of TIDES, but the growing scope of the project as described in this paper neces- Operation Unified Assistance in Indonesia,” 2005, available at . broader STAR effort. As a rule, TIDES projects apply to specific scenarios, but they 23 Many of these points were incorporated into policy in 2007–2009. also draw on, and contribute to, the distributed knowledge and skill sets of the global 24 TIDES at this point stood for “Transportable Infrastructures for Development STAR–TIDES network. and Emergency Support,” reflecting its lineage from Expedient Infrastructure for Tran- 2 The Web site includes an infrastructure directory, sections sient Populations. on news and events and working groups, and a reference library. 25 An important thread running through most of the activities in this section has 3 Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom, The Starfish [p. 11](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333/pdf/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333.pdf#page=11) Development STAR–TIDES network. and Emergency Support,” reflecting its lineage from Expedient Infrastructure for Tran- 2 The Web site includes an infrastructure directory, sections sient Populations. on news and events and working groups, and a reference library. 25 An important thread running through most of the activities in this section has 3 Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom, The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstop- been the emergency preparedness focus of NIUSR. Members of this organization and its pable Power of Leaderless Organizations (New York: Portfolio, 2006). remarkable leader, Lois Clark McCoy, have connected many of the ideas that underpin 4 Participants include the American Red Cross; Center for Technology and STRONG ANGEL, STAR–TIDES, the Synergy Strike Force, and related activities. National Security Policy at National Defense University; Engineers without Bor- 26 The USAID Global Development Commons Web site reported the new partner- ders; Hexayurt Project in the Netherlands; Innovative Support to Emergencies, ship to monitor Afghan elections on August 19, 2009. See . University; Nanyang Technological University—Lien Institute for the Environment 27 Civil-military mission partners include other U.S. Government agencies, in Singapore; MITRE; National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue, Readiness, international organizations, NGOs, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments, Response, Resilience, Recovery (NIUSR5); San Diego State University; and the U.S. indigenous security services, and others (including commercial firms and individuals as Marine Corps. appropriate) who are directly contributing to the ongoing mission. 5 See Hans Binnendijk and Patrick M. Cronin, Civilian Surge: Key to Complex 28 Department of Defense Instruction 8220.02, “Information and Communications Operations, A Preliminary Report, National Defense University, December 2008. The Technology (ICT) Capabilities for Support of Stabilization and Reconstruction, Disaster changes are discussed throughout the book and summarized on page 220, note 6. Many Relief, and Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Operations,” April 30, 2009, available at nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) object to being referred to as “mission part- . ners,” preferring less aligned terms like “participants.” 29 NextView licenses provide one channel to share imagery in support of disaster 6 The Center for Complex Operations, an interagency effort among the State relief. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency recently has extended interpreta- Department, Department of Defense, and the U.S. Agency for International Develop- tions of these licensing provisions to support government objectives in Afghanistan. ment (USAID), includes stability operations, counterinsurgency, and irregular warfare 30 These themes ran throughout the Gov2.0 Summit, held in Washington, DC, under the umbrella of complex operations. See . September 9–10, 2009; see . 7 Richard L. Armitage and Joseph S. Nye, Jr., CSIS Commission on Smart Power: A 31 These principles are from Todd Huffman of the Synergy Strike Force. Smarter, More Secure America (Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International 32 Mark D. Drapeau and Linton Wells II, Social Software and National Security: Studies, 2007). An Initial Net Assessment, Defense and Technology Paper 61 (Washington, DC: Center 8 For example, Robert M. Gates, speech to Kansas State University, November 26, [p. 11 to 12](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333/pdf/GOVPUB-D5_400-PURL-gpo41333.pdf#page=11) are from Todd Huffman of the Synergy Strike Force. Smarter, More Secure America (Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International 32 Mark D. Drapeau and Linton Wells II, Social Software and National Security: Studies, 2007). An Initial Net Assessment, Defense and Technology Paper 61 (Washington, DC: Center 8 For example, Robert M. Gates, speech to Kansas State University, November 26, for Technology and National Security Policy, May 2009). 2007, available at ; and 33 A full description is at . Hillary Clinton, testimony to Senate Foreign Relations Committee, January 13, 2009, 34 “Civilian-Military Coordination in Complex Emergencies: Best Practices in available at . Knowledge Management,” September 14–15, 2009, Washington, DC. 9 A useful diagram of the “six ways people die in a crisis” model and additional 35 See the U.S. Institute for Peace “Smart Tools for Smart Power” initiative at infrastructure mapping tools from the Simple Critical Infrastructure Maps system . is available at . A TIDES variant of the 36 The authors are indebted to Ken Hamilton of the KENTIA Management Group diagram is available at . A 1-hour briefing on the topic is available 37 See, for example, Paul T. Bartone and Linton Wells II, Understanding and Lead- at . ing Porous Network Organizations, Defense and Technology Paper 70 (Washington, DC: 10 The hexayurt is a refugee shelter system based on work done at the Rocky Center for Technology and National Security Policy, October 2009), available at . not just a shelter, but also a comprehensive family support unit that includes drinking water purification, composting toilets, fuel-efficient stoves, and solar electric lighting. Other systems can be added as modules. For a photograph of a hexayurt and additional Defense Horizons is published by the Center for Technology and National Security Policy. CTNSP information, see . The STAR–TIDES whole- publications are available online at http://www.ndu.edu/ctnsp/publications.html. systems design integrates tightly with the hexayurt refugee shelter. 11 Traditional military command and control typically will not work with civil- The opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are those of the military mission partners in complex operations, since NGOs, civilian agencies, police contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense or any other forces, and others usually will not subordinate themselves to military command. This is department or agency of the Federal Government. one reason why it is important to focus on how to achieve unity of effort when there is no unity of command. Center for Technology and National Security Policy 12 David S. Alberts, “Agility, Focus, and Convergence: The Future of Command and Control,” The International C2 Journal (November 2007). 13 See . The ShelterBox Trust is a registered Hans Binnendijk United Kingdom charity that provides emergency aid for victims of natural and other Director December 2009 Defense Horizons 11 Other titles from NDU Press For on-line access to NDU Press publications, go to: ndupress.ndu.edu Avoiding a Crisis --- Continues in https://guptaoption.com/texts/12-3.md (part 3 of 3). End of [12] Defense Horizons 70, part 2 of 3. Its connections are at the top of this file; the map is https://guptaoption.com/llms.txt.