An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 21 P eace operations require specialised military elements, such as SoF or SF, to perform high value tasks involving the judicious use of force that will contribute decisively towards the successful achievement of the mission's mandate. these types of operations are known as special operations and are de- fined by the Un Special Forces Manual as 'military activities conducted by specifi- cally designated, organised, trained and equipped forces, manned with selected personnel using unconventional tactics, techniques, and courses of action'. To date however, the UN has been slow to embrace the employment of SOF in their operations, unlike other peacekeep- ing organisations such as the EU or NATO. Although these organisations are dissimi- lar to one another in certain ways, their employment of SOF should be mirrored. NATO for example has completely recog- nised the capabilities afforded by SOF units and is leading the way with regards force generation, standardisation, and integra- tion of a number of international contribu- tors. Lessons learned in recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, have shaped the way SOF 'do business'. So much so that many countries utilise their SOF units as instruments of foreign policy to reinforce capacity-building in fragile states, espe- cially to make them more resilient against terrorism and violent extremism. The practical application of SOF units in peace operations is immense. They are habitually associated with the intelligence process and are deployable in a number of ways to gather information, which is an integral part of the peacekeeping process. In MINUSMA (Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali) for example, the need for HUMINT (Human Intelligence) from the field was one of the key reasons for deploying a Dutch SOF unit to access areas where it was difficult to collect cru- cial information about the mission man- date implementation and force protection. SOF units are best suited to conduct environmental reconnaissance and threat assessment during peace operations, as they are trained and skilled in special reconnaissance (SR). Discreet and highly mobile SOF units can cover great distances in specialised vehicles, while increased fire- power, mobility and training allows them to travel in smaller groups. This minimises the impact on the population of volatile areas compared to large conventional forces arriving on mass. A SOF unit's long range SR capabil- ity also allows them to conduct static surveillance operations from overt or covert observation posts (OPs), minimising intrusion on the local population. From these OPs, SOF teams can photograph and gather information on potential adversar- ies and peace process spoilers. Apart from their limited use in MINUSMA however, SOF units have rarely been utilised in this role in any great significance by the UN in recent years. SOF personnel are also trained to carry out direct action (DA) missions. When de- ployed with the UN these specialised tasks can include hostage rescue operations (HRO). There have been multiple incidents that have involved the kidnapping of UN soldiers in the past across a number of missions. For example, in August 2014, forty-five UNDOF (United Nations Disen- gagement Observer Force) soldiers from Fiji were captured from their UN post in Syria and taken hostage by the Al Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra Front (ANF). The Fijians were held captive for two weeks and held for ransom for a number of ANF demands. They were subsequently released un- harmed on 11th September 2014. It is still unclear why ANF released the hostages, however had they not, a HRO would have been difficult to launch considering there is no SOF unit deployed with UNDOF. A SOF HRO capability should be considered as part of force protection measures in peace operations that are exposed to the threat of kidnapping in order to save lives. HROs by SOF units have also been necessary in the past for the protection of civilians, as demonstrated in Janu- ary 2004 by the Irish Army Ranger Wing (ARW) in UNMIL (United Nations Mission in Liberia). The ARW successfully rescued 35 beaten captives that were being held by Government of Liberia forces during a raid operation. This incident demonstrates the necessity for highly skilled SOF in any peace operation where the protection of civilians may become an issue. SOF units are also especially trained and equipped to conduct personnel recovery operations (PRO). These operations are an essential military function used to recover personnel when they have become iso- lated or separated from their unit. Another capability provided by SOF is military assistance (MA). MA is defined as 'a broad category of measures and activi- ties that support and influence friendly as- sets through organised training, advising, mentoring, or the conduct of combined operations'. SOF teams are generally suited for this type of task given their small unit structures and broad skill-sets. The use of SOF in this role is an example of how they can be utilised at the other end of the spectrum of peacekeeping during the peacebuilding phase, by professionally training local military and police to main- tain the peace themselves. Finally, SOF units are generally read- ily deployable at short notice and are therefore suited for hasty peace opera- tions. Their logistical footprint is generally quite small and their personnel are robust and suited for hasty deployments. Inser- tion methods such as parachuting and boatmanship also affords SOF a unique capability to quickly gain access to an area, by overt, discreet or covert means. SOF units bring a wide range of capabili- ties to the peacekeeping equation given their ability to conduct highly flexible SR, DA and MA missions in challenging envi- ronments. Nevertheless, the employment of SOF in UN peace operations to date is lacking. If the UN wishes to overcome the challenges of 21st century peace opera- tions, it should endeavour to enhance its use of this 'underutilised tool'. Dutch SOF with MINUSMA in Northern Mali. Canadian SOF providing military assistance in Iraq.

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