From 30 March – 02 April, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies convened the Executive Forum “Building Partner Resilience: Disaster Response and Crisis Management,” to examine how U.S. allies and partners can strengthen preparedness, response, and recovery across an increasingly complex threat landscape. The virtual forum, led by Dr. Hassan Abbas and Deputy Course Director LTG Terry Wolff, explored disasters as national security challenges—including natural hazards, pandemics, environmental shocks, and human‑made crises—and assessed how their cascading effects can undermine governance, stability, and regional security if left unaddressed.

Through senior‑level dialogue and case‑driven analysis, participants examined resilience‑building at the national, regional, and international levels, with particular emphasis on civil‑military coordination, continuity of government, and rapid operational response. Sessions highlighted lessons from the COVID‑19 pandemic, environmental disasters in South Asia, fragile and conflict‑affected environments such as Afghanistan, and the growing importance of maritime readiness and situational awareness. Consistent with U.S. National Security Strategy priorities, the forum emphasized alliance and partner capacity, integrated deterrence, and shared responsibility, including how partners can lead in crisis response while leveraging U.S. enabling capabilities, interoperability, and targeted cooperation.

The Executive Forum brought together 104 senior civilian and military officials from 36 countries to advanced practical approaches to partner‑led resilience—enhancing readiness not only for future disasters, but for the broader strategic shocks that increasingly define today’s security environment.