Learning to fight in UN peacekeeping

Harig, Christoph

doi:10.1080/14702436.2019.1704177

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The findings of the current study confirm that military organizations need to address both formal and informal processes so that experience gained can contribute to a process of continuous learning (O'Toole & Talbot, 2011;Dyson & Pashchuk, 2022;Dyson, 2020;Maarten et al, 2022;Harig, 2020;Coticchia & Moro, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

“…According to NATO Allied Joint Doctrine, the acquisition of knowledge is a process requiring one to "learn efficiently from experience and to provide validated justifications for amending the existing way of doing things, to improve performance, both during the course of an operation and for subsequent operations" (NATO, 2019, p. 149). Several authors argue that military organizations need to address both formal and informal processes if lessons can be drawn through continuous learning (O'Toole & Talbot, 2011;Dyson & Pashchuk, 2022;Dyson, 2020;Maarten et al, 2022;Harig, 2020;Coticchia & Moro, 2016). Without repetition in training, exercises, and operations, these core competencies can quickly deteriorate with the risk of defeat in battle.…”

Section: Research Question and Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Learning in the Force Protection Environment between International Operations: Last-Minute Learning

Grunne¹,

Robbins²,

Skarsvåg³

et al. 2023

Scandinavian Journal of Military Studies

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This study considers learning in international military operations. It explores these questions: What are the obstacles to learning in a military context? How did these obstacles manifest themselves in contribution made by the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) in Mali? How effective in overcoming these obstacles were the formal and informal learning processes that took place? And what does this tell us about how learning might be improved in a military context? Norway has supported the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) since 2013. The RNoAF contribution began in January 2016 and continued periodically until May 2021. The contribution consisted of a Hercules C130 transport aircraft with crew and other support personnel. The detachment from Norway consisted of approximately 60-70 women and men with backgrounds in various fields of expertise (aviators, navigators, cargo masters, technicians, security personnel, and other support personnel) required to execute the mission. Based on in-depth interviews of key personnel, this study looks at learning that took place among the various constellations of personnel from the force protection responsible for security during the operation. Much of the learning took place through last-minute efforts because of tight schedules and other pressing tasks. The study has resulted in a conceptual model for facilitating and better supporting the acquisition of knowledge through a continuous process rather than at the last minute. This will require top-down and bottom-up processes, both formal and informal.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Research Question and Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning in the Force Protection Environment between International Operations: Last-Minute Learning

Grunne¹,

Robbins²,

Skarsvåg³

et al. 2023

Scandinavian Journal of Military Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This mission stipulated significant adjustments by the military in terms of doctrine and training. 85 Since the armed forces received sizeable benefits in terms of new equipment and the opportunity to let troops gain practical experience, the newly found emphasis on peacekeeping was fully embraced by military leaders. 86 Yet, politicians did not seize this opportunity to fully reshape the military's operational profile towards external tasks.…”

Section: Brazil: Reluctant Reactions To Operational Pulling and A Return To Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knocking on the barracks’ door: How role conceptions shape the military's reactions to political demands

Harig

Ruffa

2021

Eur. j. of int. secur.

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Academic research on civil-military relations often assumes that dangers for democracy and civilian control mainly emanate from the military's predisposition of ‘pushing’ its way into politics. Yet, civilian control frequently is a precondition for governments’ moves of ‘pulling’ the military into roles that may potentially be problematic. These can include the military's involvement in political disputes or internal public security missions. Notwithstanding its empirical relevance, little academic work has been devoted to understanding how ‘pulling’ works. In this article, we aim to provide a first, exploratory framework of ‘pulling’ that captures the dynamics of the military's reactions and indirect consequences for civil-military relations. We identify three analytically distinct phases in which pulling occurs. First, politicians initiate either operational or political pulling moves. Second, we situate the military's reaction on a spectrum that ranges from refusal to non-conditional compliance. This reaction is driven by the military's role conceptions about appropriate missions and their relation to politics. In a third phase, the military may slowly start shifting its role conceptions to adapt to its new roles. We illustrate our argument with case studies of two different instances of pulling: operational pulling in the case of France (2015–19) and operational – then-turned-political – pulling in the case of Brazil (2010–20).

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“…For a start, when troops are deployed in multiple missions, they carry meanings between deployments and across missions. Learning is therefore important as it allows that experience to be carried through (Campbell, 2018; Harig, 2020; Howard, 2008).…”

Section: Our Argument: Meaning-making Strategies and Interaction With...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Meaning making in peacekeeping missions: mandate interpretation and multinational collaboration in the UN mission in Mali

Ruffa

Rietjens

2022

European Journal of International Relations

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Peacekeeping helps to prevent conflict and to protect civilians. But how does it work to achieve those aims? Notwithstanding a growing recognition that peacekeeping mandates alone do not directly determine what actually happens in the field, we still know little about how—once deployed—military units translate an ambiguous mandate into action. In this paper, we focus on one dimension of peacekeepers’ behavior that has become increasingly important, namely, how peacekeepers relate to other military units with whom they are supposed to implement their mandate. We systematically document how mandate interpretations emerge and how they influence peacekeepers’ understanding of other troops they work with. Central to this is peacekeepers’ meaning making, a concept we borrow from the sociological literature, which refers to the common and human process through which individuals give meaning to their surrounding context. Drawing on nearly 120 interviews with peacekeepers deployed to the United Nations (UN) mission in Mali (2014–2019), we identify three different ways by which peacekeepers interpret their mandate and interact with other contingents: Voltaire’s garden; building bridges; and othering. Acknowledging peacekeepers’ agency and the social dimension of peacekeeping has important implications for both scholarly and policy debates.

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Learning to fight in UN peacekeeping

Cited by 7 publications

References 42 publications

Learning in the Force Protection Environment between International Operations: Last-Minute Learning

Learning in the Force Protection Environment between International Operations: Last-Minute Learning

Knocking on the barracks’ door: How role conceptions shape the military's reactions to political demands

Meaning making in peacekeeping missions: mandate interpretation and multinational collaboration in the UN mission in Mali

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