The Role of Militaries in Natural Disaster Management: A Systematic Review

INTRODUCTION: Large-scale natural disasters, particularly in the first hours and days, place severe pressure on civilian response capacities, and in many countries, militaries act as complementary and enabling actors. This study aimed to systematically examine the roles, capacities, outcomes, and challenges of military involvement in the natural disaster crisis management cycle. METHODS: This study was conducted as a systematic review by searching scientific databases including ProQuest, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science, as well as SID, Noormags, and Magiran, from October ۱۹۵۰ to May ۲۰۲۵. Articles were selected based on predefined search strategies and inclusion and exclusion criteria. After screening and quality assessment, ۲۲ eligible articles were included in the final analysis. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. FINDINGS: The review identified ۱۲ empirical and ۱۰ conceptual–policy articles. Most of the evidence focused on the response phase, and only a limited number of studies addressed preparedness and recovery. No role was reported for the risk reduction phase. The most frequently reported military roles included medical and health services, logistics, search and rescue, and evacuation and transport. The key military capabilities identified included logistics, emergency medical capacity, rapid deployment, and airlift. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that in natural disasters, militaries can play a key but temporary and complementary role in health-based and logistical responses and are mainly involved in the response phase. The effectiveness of this involvement depends on clearly defined roles, strengthened civil–military coordination, doctrine development, and investment in specialized training.

کلیدواژه ها:

Army ، Military ، Crisis management ، Natural disasters ، ارتش ، نظامی ، مدیریت بحران ، سوانح طبیعی