| Discussion Issue 4: National/UN Operational Planning/Training Responsibilities
Requirement:
With the more demanding operational environment found today, what changes are possible that would improve the relationship between a TCN and the DPKO in the areas of operational planning and pre-deployment training?
Summary of Group Findings:
1. Examine the feasibility of early TCN engagement in contingency planning for possible missions.
Advantages
- Nations who are keen in current and future PKO deployment would be interested
- TCN have experience and expertise that is of great value to the planning process
- Can provide early strategic and operation guidance to enable nation to prepare
- Interest of the TCN is best served through military planning: provides advice, identifies role, addresses concerns early
- Early knowledge of the mission results in a better pre-deployment training package
- Nations would experience improved logistics preparation
- Nations would be in position to bargain for a better package
- Allows for longer lead time to prepare for the mission
- Soldiers are able to prepare their families better before deployment
- Establish UN Centers at regional basis to help with early engagement
- Allows for contingency planning for a particular UN mission vs. general contingency planning
Disadvantages
- There may be an expectation generated that your TCN is committed
- Too many TCN planners can complicate the process and plan
- Impartiality issues, including sensitivities between TCN and host nation
- UN to plan vs. Multilateral nations to plan: becomes a matter of responsiveness
Recommendations for enacting
- Institute a system of consultation between UN agencies and the various participating nations
- Realize through military representations at the permanent mission to the UN
- Realize through national military staffs, visitors who are seconded to the UN on a temporary basis
2. Identify the phase of the DPKO planning process where Troop Contributing Nation (TCN) staff should be formally engaged:
UNDPKO/TCN Planning Interface*
# |
Phase Name |
Key Parties |
Level of involvement of TCN |
1 |
Pre-initiation |
Ambassadors, UN permanent representatives with UN and UNDPKO |
Not involved |
2 |
Initiation |
Ambassador, Military Attache |
Not involved |
3 |
Strategic Planning |
Military Advisor and Senior Commanders from TCN to attend planning conference |
Informally involved |
4 |
Initial Operational Planning |
Involve senior Commanders/Force Commander, Invitation for participation from TCNs, Request for mission recon |
Early is better because:
Risk analysis is more robust;
Course of Action development given more time;
Cost of the mission can be more easily assessed and prepared for;
Political acceptability increases
Information gap can be bridged early* |
5 |
Concept Development |
As #4, plus budget approval |
As above in #4 |
6 |
Plan Development |
Mission planning staffs (military and civilian) from TCNs |
Current model has TCN formally enter the picture here: not early enough for bringing in the military component |
7 |
Deployment |
NA |
NA |
8 |
Execution |
NA |
NA |
*Military tend to be more proactive than civilian counterparts; therefore military should rally involvement from civilian police and other civilian components and agencies, and should seek to be formally involved as early as possible.
3. What are recommendations for improved mechanisms for information sharing and common analysis throughout the planning process?
- Sharing training and education infrastructures
- Developing linkages with the national and international media
- Developing public information campaigns
- Making TCN information available to the UN during the strategic planning phase
- International information sharing
- Information valued and seen as fulfilling (in part) their UN obligation to the mission
- Tap into the UNOCHA/NGO information gathering capability
- Developing or enhancing the UN Situation Center availability to interpret, manage and disseminate information to TCNs
- Develop UNOCHA Humanitarian Information Center (HIC)
- UNOCHA to assist and facilitate TCN reconnaissance teams in theater
- Creating points of contact at both ends
- Addressing the technological requirement, including which method (LAN/WAN/Web)
- Establishing liaison officers
- Developing meeting plans
- Encouraging common analysis throughout the planning process
- Taking TCN analysis into account during the production of the final plan
- Making sure the same, correct information is available to stakeholders
- Beware of the risks of information overload
4. What are recommendations for strategic level planning linkages?
- Maintaining permanent, effective representation at the UN and UNOCHA
- Making national diplomats aware of the UN processes and military, civilian police, NGO and IO capabilities
- Establishing national strategic planning mechanisms
- Enhancing bilateral and regional support relationships at the UN Security Council
5. What are recommendations for operational level (specific mission) planning linkages?
- Encouraging cooperation and coordination between TCN and the UN
- Establishing military attaché, advisors and senior planners from TCNs at UNDPKO
- Exploiting technology as a platform to engage the UN and international partners, such as via video conferences
6. What are recommendations for training support provided by UNDPKO Training and Evaluation Service (TES) to TCNs?
- Providing training guidelines and UN PSO training resources
- Providing subject matter experts, based on availability
- TCN should know TES capabilities and how they can be accessed
- UN should be proactive in pushing those training resources to the TCN
- TES should have the capability to train and validate the TCN trainers
- Recognizing training initiatives
- TCNs should send officers to TES for attachment, in order to shorten the learning curve
- Endorsing or validate national PKO courses
- Staffers who are recognized by TES could be in the mission planning cells
- Promoting “knowledge fusion” by maintaining a comprehensive database, i.e., AAR, lessons learnt, case studies, etc.
- Client Services should include prioritized visits to TCNs on a sub-regional basis
- Establish regional TES teams
- They may be more acceptable to regional TCNs
- There would be a greater capacity to train TCNs as a result
- Nations would more readily maintain currency in training standards
- They should represent all PSO participants
7. What are the capabilities, roles, and responsibilities of that the military staff in your national mission to the UN should have:
- Capabilities: military staff assigned to the national mission at the UN should:
- Have reasonable amount of experience of UN PSOs
- Hold a senior rank
- Be academically qualified
- Be well versed with UN PSO matters and issues
- Have proficiency in languages
- Have proficiency in information technology
- Be trained in military diplomacy
- Have experience in the Joint and Combined environments and familiarity with operational planning
- Their roles and responsibilities include:
- Being a conduit of information between UN and TCN
- Liaising, coordinating and providing linkage between UNDPKO and their nation, and be a part of the initial planning staff
- Conveying military perspective
- Sharing a detailed understanding of UN processes
- Lobbying
- Gathering information
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