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Military Aid to the Civil Community (MACC) is a phrase referring to the armed forces providing a service to the civilian community. It is used in many countries, particularly the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
.

tary Aid to the Civil Authorities is divided into 3 Categories:



Examples of use of UK armed forces for MACC (Cat A) include:



Providing assistance to government departments such as DEFRA in the 2001 foot and mouth crisis
2001 UK foot and mouth crisis

The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in the spring and summer of 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism....
 and responding to the ODPM (now DCLG
Department for Communities and Local Government

The Department for Communities and Local Government or "DCLG" is the United Kingdom Departments of the United Kingdom Government for communities and local government since May 2006....
) requests to provide fire cover
Operation Fresco

Operation Fresco or Op FRESCO was the codename for the provision of basic emergency cover during the UK firefighter dispute 2002-2003 by civilian firefighters in the United Kingdom, in late 2002 and early 2003....
 during firefighters strikes are covered by Military Aid to the Civil Power
Military Aid to the Civil Power

Military aid to the civil power is assistance by the armed forces to the police in maintaining law and order. It is used in many countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom....
 and are a significant step, requiring the use of emergency powers, and can only be undertaken with the specific authorisation of Ministers of the Defence Council
Defence Council of the United Kingdom

The Defence Council of the United Kingdom is the body legally entrusted with the defence of the United Kingdom and its British overseas territory and with control over the British armed forces, and is part of the Ministry of Defence ....
 and at the specific request of the Lead Government Department.

Interim Joint Doctrine Publication 02 - Operations in the UK: The Defence Contribution to Resilience contains the full description.

Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....

Canadian legislation and practice is very similar to that of the UK, adjusted to reflect the constitutional authority and responsibility of provinces
Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the List of countries and outlying territories by total area. The major difference between a Canada province and a territory is that a province receives its power and authority directly from the Monarchy in Canada, via the Constitution Act, 1867, whereas territories derive their manda...
.






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Military Aid to the Civil Community (MACC) is a phrase referring to the armed forces providing a service to the civilian community. It is used in many countries, particularly the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
.

United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....


MACC is one of the fundamental military tasks of the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces

The armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or His/Her Majesty's Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, encompasses a Royal Navy, an British Army, and an Royal Air Force....
. Military Aid to the Civil Authorities is divided into 3 Categories:

  • MACC Cat A - response to a civil emergency as a result of a natural disaster or major incident.
  • MACC Cat B - routine assistance of social value to the community
  • MACC Cat C - Individual volunteers serving with social benefit to the civil community.


Examples of use of UK armed forces for MACC (Cat A) include:

  • Provision of search and rescue
    Search and rescue

    Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger....
     aircraft
  • Assisting with problems caused by severe weather - particularly flooding


Providing assistance to government departments such as DEFRA in the 2001 foot and mouth crisis
2001 UK foot and mouth crisis

The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in the spring and summer of 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism....
 and responding to the ODPM (now DCLG
Department for Communities and Local Government

The Department for Communities and Local Government or "DCLG" is the United Kingdom Departments of the United Kingdom Government for communities and local government since May 2006....
) requests to provide fire cover
Operation Fresco

Operation Fresco or Op FRESCO was the codename for the provision of basic emergency cover during the UK firefighter dispute 2002-2003 by civilian firefighters in the United Kingdom, in late 2002 and early 2003....
 during firefighters strikes are covered by Military Aid to the Civil Power
Military Aid to the Civil Power

Military aid to the civil power is assistance by the armed forces to the police in maintaining law and order. It is used in many countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom....
 and are a significant step, requiring the use of emergency powers, and can only be undertaken with the specific authorisation of Ministers of the Defence Council
Defence Council of the United Kingdom

The Defence Council of the United Kingdom is the body legally entrusted with the defence of the United Kingdom and its British overseas territory and with control over the British armed forces, and is part of the Ministry of Defence ....
 and at the specific request of the Lead Government Department.

Interim Joint Doctrine Publication 02 - Operations in the UK: The Defence Contribution to Resilience contains the full description.

Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....


Canadian legislation and practice is very similar to that of the UK, adjusted to reflect the constitutional authority and responsibility of provinces
Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the List of countries and outlying territories by total area. The major difference between a Canada province and a territory is that a province receives its power and authority directly from the Monarchy in Canada, via the Constitution Act, 1867, whereas territories derive their manda...
. Provinces are responsible for dealing with most situations requiring emergency military assistance. The military is frequently called out by provinces to deal with forest fires, floods, and ice storms and even lost children.

Unlike "Military Aid to the Civil Power
Military Aid to the Civil Power

Military aid to the civil power is assistance by the armed forces to the police in maintaining law and order. It is used in many countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom....
", the procedures are much less formal and decision-making is decentralized. Since the military does not act in a police role when called out under these provisions, the main issue is the level of government that pays for this aid; in principle, when a province requests aid, it must pay the bill.

The military also provides certain full-time functions, including search and rescue at sea and for missing aircraft. It also provides patrols in the air and at sea to enforce civil regulations in regard to pollution, fishing, etc. However, this assistance is in support of other federal government departments and is the subject of simple inter-department memoranda of understanding.

Germany


MACC is one of the fundamental military tasks of the Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr is the name of the unified armed forces of the Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities. The States of Germany are not allowed to maintain armed forces of their own, since the Constitution determines that matters of defense fall into the sole responsibility of the Federal government....
. It was also historically very important to get legitimation and the support of the population, since German rearmament was a difficult political decision, taken under heavy criticism. The Grundgesetz (German constitution) contains several rules regarding MACC. The use of force is not permitted by the Bundeswehr under normal conditions. If force is required, the Bundesgrenzschutz federal police can be requested by the Bundesland
States of Germany

Germany is a federation consisting of sixteen states, known in German language as L?nder . Since Land is the literal German word for "country", the term Bundesl?nder is commonly used colloquially, as it is more specific, though technically incorrect within the corpus of German law....
.

Until the MACC during the North Sea flood of 1962
North Sea flood of 1962

The North Sea flood of 1962 was a natural disaster affecting mainly the coastal regions of Germany and in particular the city of Hamburg in the night from February 16 to February 17, 1962....
 the constitution banned the use of the Bundeswehr in Germany totally. Due to public acceptance problems in the early Bundesrepublik, the Bundeswehr focused on MACC to improve its public image. During the North German Winter Catastrophe of 1978 and in several other incidents, the Bundeswehr provided substantial aid to the population. The Bundeswehr with its SAR helicopters is also part of the German air rescue system. The Luftwaffe also evacuates German citizens in international crises and catastrophes on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Auswärtiges Amt). The Luftwaffe also offers a flying hospital for medical evacuation, which evacuated terror victims from Tunisia and tsunami victims from Thailand.

See also

  • Military Aid to the Civil Power
    Military Aid to the Civil Power

    Military aid to the civil power is assistance by the armed forces to the police in maintaining law and order. It is used in many countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom....