Mongolia - Civil Defense Forces

In time of peace and war, the civil defense forces are to be ready to provide rescue and relief activities in case of the use of mass destruction weapons, of natural disasters and other large-scale calamities and industrial accidents. On 1997, the Mongolian Armed Forces has 20,000 personnel, of which 500 were the in the civil defense forces and 1500 in the construction corps.

During the Cold War the Mongolian military was known for civil defense missions and tasks, similar to those inherent in today’s humanitarian disaster relief operations. "To protect the economy against weapons of mass destruction," all citizens were obliged to participate in civil defense training organized by the Civil Defense Office of the Ministry of Defense. In 1982 there reportedly were 600 civil defense units in Mongolia.

Today, Civil defense forces are tasked to undertake measures for protection of the population from natural disasters and other sudden threats, prevention and elimination the consequences thereof, and to direct civil defense activities.

The Prime Minister is assigned as the head of the civil defense and his defense minister as the Chairman of the State Permanent Emergency Commission. This arrangement is beneficial for the Armed Forces because the Government is the central power to initiate and implement legislation. Moreover, local administration units in 23 provinces have military departments responsible for all local military and civil defense activities. As a result, the Government's civil defense functions have an important role in maintaining the close cooperation of administrative officials with the Armed Forces at the local level.

The State and Government of Mongolia, within the framework of implementing comprehensive policies to strengthen the new political system, overcome the economic difficulties of the transition period, and improve social relations, have been taking systematic measures to provide security for its citizens. The development of civil defense is one of the defense policy priority objectives.

The Law on the Civil Defense of Mongolia, adopted by the State Great Hural in 1994, states that "Civil defense is a complex of measures aimed at the prevention, protection and rescue of the population and their property from afflictions caused by mass destruction weapons, natural disasters and accidents; elimination of the consequences thereof; and training citizens for appropriate action". Previously, civil defense was tasked to act only during external threats, but now, it has become much broader and includes perpetual tasks.

Civil Defense troops are responsible for the following missions: to inform the public about the use of mass destruction weapons, natural disasters and accidents; to train the population in methods of protecting against them; to organize, prepare and provide for the combat readiness of its personnel and the means necessary for protection and rescue actions; to protect livestock, pets, foodstuff, fodder, water resources and property from radioactive and chemical poisoning and bacteriological infection, and to eliminate consequences thereof; and to organize rescue and relief operations in cases of natural disaster and accident.

Civil defense activities vary depending on population and industrial density and climate conditions. These activities are organized on a territorial and industrial basis and is indifferent to property form.

The role of government in directing civil defense was defined in the following legal acts. First, the Law on the Government of Mongolia, in the part on the Government's power to provide for the country's defense and security states that the Government" shall direct civil defense activities to prevent and protect the population from natural disasters and accidents, and to eliminate the consequences thereof. Second, the Law on the Civil Defense of Mongolia defines the power of the Head of the State Civil Defense (Prime Minister) as: "to develop the legaal basis of state policy on civil defense; to direct civil defense activities on a national level; to submit to the Government and supervise implementation thereof planned measures for the prevention, protection and rescue of the population from mass destruction weapons, natural disasters and accidents, and the elimination of consequences thereof through and urgent rehabilitation work; to declare certain levels of civil defense readiness; to appoint and define activity guidelines for the State Permanent Emergency Commission, which is responsible for the prevention of disasters, accidents, threats, the protection and rescue of the population, the elimination of the consequences thereof, and the urgent organization of rehabilitation work".

The Civil Defense Directorate is the main executive body responsible for implementing civil defense measures. The Directorate functions under the direct guidance by the Minister of Defense. In coordinating and directing efforts against the threat of natural disasters and accidents, the Civil Defense Directorate is authorized to collect and assess all data relating to the civil defense situation; to carry out an operative decision to eliminate consequences, and involve the personnel and technical capabilities of specialized organizations in order to implement the decision; and to co-ordinate and supervise the joint efforts of all participants. The effectiveness and reliability of the civil defense system has been tested and proven during more than 1,100 forest and steppe fires, 2 heavy snowfalls and several snowstorms, floods and an outbreak of epidemic disease, 2 airplane crashes and other disasters and accidents that occurred between 1990 and 1997.

The governors of administrative units (provinces, capital city, soums and districts), in their capacity as heads of local civil defense, play an important role in the integral civil defense system. The governors of administrative units provide advanced assessment of possible natural disasters and accidents in their respective territories, plan and implement measures to prevent, protect and rescue the population and eliminate the consequences of disasters, prepare and organize available rescue capabilities, provide for their readiness, and conduct civil defense training and education for local civil defense authorities, specialized teams and the general population.

Since the 1980s, civil defense exercises have been directed toward the solution of urgent problems of organizations and enterprises, the improvement of their operational stability, and reducing their vulnerability to natural disasters and industrial accidents. This is a mutually beneficial practice that leads to common support and understanding.

In the late 1990s, during the national civil defense exercises, 1,555 shelters for cattle and 1,350 wells were built and 6,950 shelters and 4325 wells were mended. One million four hundred thousand cattle were mored 100-300 kms from areas affected by draught and one million cattle were mored 25-210 kms from areas affected by heavy snowfall. In addition, 74 km of roads were mended and improved. The Law on the Defense of Mongolia permits the Mongolian Armed Forces to be involved in civil defense activities. This was an important change brought about by the armed forces reform policy.

During the biggest forest and steppe fires in 1996 and the heavy snowfalls of 1996-1997, contingents of the armed forces participated in civil defense activities in of 5-8 provinces. They spent from 15 days to 2 months fighting deadly fires, transported 600 tons of fodder distances of 300-1,000 km, cleaned snow-blocked roads, and evacuated cattle-breeders' families and their livestock from the affected areas.