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The Armed Forces as a Immediate Response State Institution and Its Participation as an Articulator in the Risk Management in Ecuador

Abstract:

The Ecuadorian Armed Forces have their constitutional mission as indicated in Art. No. 158 of the Constitution of Ecuador. Its human conformation, its technological resources, its equipment and training provide special features such as flexibility, opportunity, scope, speed and efficiency, which all are essential when reacting to a risk situation. As a support and reaction institution to deal with hazards and risks in the national territory in front of multiple existing scenarios, the Army provides experience, equipment and capabilities in the field of risk management. With this base, the military plans are elaborated next to other state institutions responsible for the prevention, reaction and mitigation of the effects produced by natural and anthropic disasters. The last high-magnitude earthquake occurred on April 16 of 2016, allowed to identify the need to know the components of the State based on possible natural hazards. The way to exploit the resources of these components and their distribution in case of emergencies in natural scenarios has been decisive, prior to a decision-making process that optimizes mitigation work of damages. Finally, the Armed Forces at present collaborate with their contingent in the creation of databases on information collected during emergencies, in order to transmit it as inputs as a pertinent corrective measure and perform it into doctrine and plans that facilitate logistical displacement and mobilization of a large military contingent guarantying the security of the population.