From Battlefield to the Humanitarian Field

Humanitarian logistics is an emerging field that requires specialized training frameworks, particularly in military contexts where forces increasingly assume responsibility for crisis and disaster response. This research designed an educational curriculum model for training in humanitarian logistics based on the mission of the Colombian National Army. A qualitative approach was used through semistructured interviews with thirty-one key actors from the humanitarian and military sectors, representing various institutions of the National Disaster Risk Management System. The findings revealed essential curricular elements organized into four training areas: basic, professional, research, and sociohumanistic. The required competencies include technical dimensions (specialized logistics management and humanitarian inventory administration), operational dimensions (interinstitutional coordination and adaptive leadership), and ethical dimensions (solidarity, humanitarian professionalism, and transparency). The proposed model integrates theoretical–practical methodologies, crisis simulations, and interinstitutional training as central pedagogical strategies. The results establish a conceptual framework that articulates existing military capabilities with contemporary humanitarian demands, optimizing institutional resources to generate social impact. This research contributes to the development of an academic subdiscipline at the intersection of military studies and humanitarian management, providing a foundation for specialized training programs in the Latin American context. Higher education institutions and military training schools should adopt this curriculum model to design academic programs that respond to humanitarian emergencies, while ensuring interinstitutional coordination between military forces and civilian agencies for effective disaster response.