My second contention is that like it or not, the CIMIC approach to disasters either man-made or natural; is the model of the future, particularly and most contentiously with the aftermath of conflict known as Peace Support Operations Why? Because there is a growing revolution in thinking amongst the militaries of the world, that questions the utility of force. It argues that most modern conflict is so complex; militaries have only a limited role in their resolution, creating the conditions for a political solution. In other words creating and enforcing a secure environment.

The problem is, to butcher a quote from Maslow, ‘If the only tool you have in your toolbox is a hammer, all the world’s problems are nails’. The argument goes that the military needs new tools, new methods, new training to meet the demands of modern conflict. Like Colossus it moves and changes slowly, but the change is inexorable. We can already seeing US Army Artillery Regiments putting away their field guns and learning about peace support, civil affairs and COIN. But the military has so much to learn and little time to learn it in. Moreover, there are skills and expertise it finds difficult to obtain and impossible to retain; skills essential to Disaster Relief and Peace Support Operations. For example how many veterinary officers does the Navy have? It must therefore form alliances with the UN and with NGOs of every shape and size, local and international, to provide this expertise in order to achieve what it calls, ‘winning the battle for hearts and minds’..

So the first point I would make about Medical Diplomacy, I have in part, made before; it is an experiment, an honest attempt to explore ideas old and new to meet demands that appear to be inescapable. The people of America and indeed the world, want conflicts, where they are inevitable, to be resolved in ways other than bombing cities until the rubble bounces. This will require the military and civilian humanitarian agencies to work in very close concert from the outset. This in turn will require them to think, plan and train together.