Participants of the Senegalese National Government Pandemic Disaster Response Tabletop Exercise summarized lessons learned and discussed ways ahead, July 29, 2011, wrapping up the five-day exercise held in Saly, Senegal.

Nearly 100 civilian and military representatives from Senegal, the United States and international organizations participated in the exercise, which was hosted by the Senegalese government, organized by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and supported by the Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine (CDHAM) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The exercise assisted the Senegalese government in assessing its pandemic influenza preparedness and identifying and validating how the Senegalese Armed Forces might assist in Senegal's National Pandemic Disaster Response Plan.

Attending closing day briefings and ceremonies were senior leader representatives including Abdou Khoudoss Niang, cabinet director, Ministry of Health; Dr. Aboubacry Fall, director of medical prevention, Ministry of Health and Prevention; Dr. Mar Lo, director of civil protection, Ministry of Interior; Colonel Saliou Ndiaye, chief of command staff, Senegalese Army; Colonel Ouanza Ouattara, commandant of the National Group of Firefighters; Alioune Badara Diop, prefect, Mbour district; Brigadier General Stayce Harris, U.S. Africa Command's mobilization reserve assistant to the commander, and Alfreda Brewer, acting mission director, USAID Senegal.

Representing U.S. AFRICOM's commander General Carter Ham, Brigadier General Stayce Harris thanked participants for their commitment and enthusiasm during the exercise. "It has been an honor to be [General Ham's] representative this week amongst so many concerned experts who have shared information on pandemic preparedness and disaster response and to assist our gracious host, the government of Senegal, in assessing their pandemic influenza preparedness and disaster response baselines."

"I trust you now feel more confident in your ability to exercise and improve your current Pandemic Disaster Response Plan for your country; involving the whole of government and non-government agencies in providing a cooperative response," she said.

Niang said that after the H1N1 flu outbreak in Mexico in 2009 that the government of Senegal created a committee that would be in charge of preparedness and response to a potential flu pandemic. The formulation of a contingency plan began in November 2009 and was completed in April 2011.

Niang thanked attendees from across the Senegalese government for their participation in the tabletop exercise, also thanking U.S., Senegalese and international experts who monitored the exercise.

"This exercise made it possible to develop intervention mechanisms, as well as coordination and communication mechanisms, for a pandemic response," Niang said. "This exercise has also allowed the updating of the contingency plan for pandemic flu, and helped promote multi-dimensional cooperation between the military and civilians within the framework of response to the pandemic and other complex humanitarian emergencies."

Throughout the week, participants were divided into five groups (operations, health, security, communications and logistics) to address key issues and events related to a worse-case pandemic emergency. Exercise facilitators stressed civilian-military cooperation, as well as regional cooperation, as crucial aspects of an effective response plan.

At the exercise's conclusion, each group did an after-action review, discussing exercise outcomes, lessons learned and gaps identified during the week. Reflecting on the exercise, they were asked to identify three areas that should be sustained and three areas that needed improvement. The individual groups briefed their identified areas, with the operations group going last.

Lo, the team leader for the operations group, thanked all the groups for their input.

"Your comments are relevant and will help us as we move forward and make adjustments to the plan," he said. "This exercise has also helped us see how we need to lead and organize for an emergency response. This was one of our primary objectives this week and I think we have achieved it."

"Preparing for disasters is like compiling a book," explained Alfreda Brewer, acting mission director, USAID Senegal. She said that each government ministry, agency, academic institute, civil society organization is response for a chapter.

"Each of these chapters must be carefully written and technically sound and fit neatly into an integrated whole with the others," said Brewer. "Editing this book is complicated, but essential. Proper planning for potentially adverse consequences of disasters, such as pandemics, helps save lives and livelihoods."

This tabletop exercise is part of a series of engagements facilitated by U.S. AFRICOM through its Pandemic Response Program (PRP) to assist African militaries in strengthening their capabilities and capacities to respond to pandemic influenza in the context of a larger national pandemic preparedness and response plan.

PRP is funded by USAID as part of its umbrella program Humanitarian Pandemic Preparedness Initiative. Implemented by the U.S. military, PRP is structured like a traditional USAID project with a focus on long-term sustainable results and focuses on the whole of government approach.

PRP's objectives are to train senior and mid-level military leaders in disaster management and humanitarian assistance with a particular focus on pandemic preparedness; to ensure that militaries in priority "pandemic preparedness" countries have developed detailed plans of action directly supporting national plans; and to conduct exercises to test the implementation of these plans and identify gaps or deficiencies.