Peace support operations

I

A successful Peace Support Operation (PCO) depends on close co-ordination between the military component and the (1) civilian component. The military component will generally be tasked to separate the (2) ________ , which could be individual (3) ________ or groups of (4) ________ forces. They will also have the task of establishing (5) ________ and areas of separation, supervision of the (6) ________ agreement, the prevention of armed conflict within the nation by carrying out (7) ________ procedures, and they will also contribute to the maintenance of (8) ________ and order and a return to normal conditions.

II

Other components deployed on a PSO mission may be a civilian police force, who are tasked with supervising and controlling the local police in order to maintain law and order. The human rights component checks that human rights are observed and help start human rights education programmes. There may also be a repatriation component who takes care of refugees returning to their homes.

When a country is run by its own civilian institutions and is protected by its own armed forces, the military peace mission leaves the country and the PSO is considered completed.

3.	Answer the questions.

1. What is PSO?

2. Who has the mission of supervising the local police in a country where a PSO is in operation?

3. What are the two main tasks of the human rights component?

4. Which component of the PSO looks after refugees?

5. When does the military peace mission leave a country?

4.



Match the phrases with the definitions.

1	An operation to attack the enemy under the best possible conditions.	advance to contact
2	A home-made bomb or grenade.	manoeuvre force
3	Training in preparation for an exercise or operational deployment.	improvised explosive device
4	The combat element that moves against the enemy.	training work-up

5.	Read the text and label the paragraphs. Use these headings.

Boots on the ground

Casualty evacuation

Lessons learned

Reacting to contact

1. ___________________

In the five months my platoon have spent in the DRCA, we have learned many lessons. In this article I want to share some of the lessons learned on patrolling in an urban environment. Basically, we carry out three types of foot patrol: presence patrols, checkpoints and clearing main supply routes of improvised explosive devices (IED).

2. ____________________

Routine dismounted patrols, conducted at least two to three times a week, are essential. Although mounted patrols are less risky, they do not provide adequate presence and they do not build a relationship with the local population. You should take security precautions to protect your troops, but avoiding dismounted patrols in urban areas is a bad habit and is not force protection. The best way to reduce the risk of dismounted patrols is to have more boots on the ground. This means never patrol with less than a platoon. If you are attacked, you will need enough troops to secure any casualties, set up an overwatch position, and manoeuvre against the threat.

3. _____________________

In an urban area, hostile groups will choose the time, place, and type of attack. They will aim to strike quickly and then run. You must be prepared to react to contact from any direction. If attacked, you must immediately manoeuvre against the threat and at the same time, isolate the area and provide overwatch.

4. _____________________

This requires training at every level. If you take casualties, do not let the casualty take your focus away from a combat engagement. Let your senior NCO handle the CASEVAC and focus your attention on engaging the threat. In your training work-up before deployment, integrate casualties into your exercise scenarios and train every soldier in making casualty assessments, placing a tourniquet, and calling in CASEVAC.

6.	Read the text (task 3) and complete the sentences with do or don’t.

1. ______ conduct regular dismounted patrol.

2. ______ avoid dismounted patrols in urban areas.

3. ______ build a relationship with the local population.

4. ______ move against the enemy if you are attacked.

5. ______ make casualties the focus of your attention if you are attacked.

7.



Work in pairs. Discuss questions.

1. Why are dismounted patrols important?

2. Why might some leaders avoid dismounted patrols?

3. What is the best way to protect troops on dismounted patrols?

4. What actions should the patrol take in case of attack?

5. What should the patrol leader do if patrol takes casualties?