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WASHINGTON-The U.S. Department of Defense should seek to collaborate with its counterparts across the hemisphere in order to better respond to natural disasters and other shared security issues in an effort to practice “defense diplomacy,” the Pentagon official responsible for Western Hemisphere security affairs said Monday.

Paul Stockton, the U.S. assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and Americas’ security affairs, addressed the challenges facing the region and stressed shared values and common interests as key components of directing the military’s efforts in the hemisphere.

In an area of particular concern, Stockton emphasized that catastrophe in the region is “not a matter of if, but when” and said a primary goal is “learning from Haiti so we could do a better job the next time a natural disaster strikes.”

Stockton’s speech Monday at the Inter-American Dialogue came two months after the annual Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CDMA) in Bolivia, where President Evo Morales delivered a harsh lecture to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The United States co-sponsored a proposal during the conference to develop a multinational, institutional framework for coordinating military institutions in support of civilian-led relief operations. Stockton detailed the plan, which is aimed at helping to solve logistical problems regarding emergency relief by creating mechanisms for consultation before and after disasters strike.

Collaboration was a main theme of the event, as both Stockton and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere Frank Mora addressed issues including nuclear proliferation and energy security with calls for dialogue and consultation among the region’s powers.

While the two officials also stressed the policy of limiting law enforcement to civilian institutions, they addressed issues of militarization of security conflicts, particularly in areas marred by violence and narcotrafficking. “Because of the nature of the threat, the resources, the weapons … that these organizations have, governments in the region have decided that, at least in the short term, their military must have the resources to confront these challenges,” said Mora, adding that the United States supports other governments’ sovereign decisions and will back them. “But our long term mission is that this will transition to a law enforcement role once capabilities have reached the levels that allow the military to withdraw,” he said.

When asked about U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision last year to send 1,200 National Guard troops to the border with Mexico, Stockton reiterated previous administration statements that the mission is temporary.

“President Obama has made it clear that he has no intention of militarizing the U.S.-Mexico border. The provision of Department of Defense support at the request of the Department of Homeland Security was to provide support for one year so that Customs and Border Patrol could continue to add agents so they could be in the lead, as they need to be for securing the nations borders,” said Stockton.”