Abstract
This article examines the Irish Defence Forces’ (DF) approach to contemporary Civil Military Co-operation (CIMIC) operations in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), seeking to discover whether or not the DF is developing the necessary capability to meet the operational requirements of its UN CIMIC roles. The paper focuses on the manner in which the DF selects and trains personnel for this operational task, and the degree to which this enables the organisation to meet UN requirements. The article explores international military best practice relating to pre-deployment training and examines Irish policy and practice, presenting the results of interviews conducted with relevant Irish personnel. The research demonstrates that, while there is no doubt that the DF is meeting the operational requirements of its UN CIMIC tasks, this may be the result of its soldiers’ collective attitudes and behaviour rather than by design. This suggests that Irish soldiers make good peacekeepers, but that this may not be closely connected to any pre-deployment training relating to CIMIC.
Highlights
This article examines the Irish Defence Forces’ (DF) approach to contemporary Civil Military Co-operation (CIMIC) operations in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), seeking to discover whether or not the DF is developing the necessary capability to meet the operational requirements of its UN CIMIC roles
This article examines the Irish Defence Forces’ (DF) approach to contemporary Civil Military Co-operation (CIMIC) operations in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission. It examines how the DF selects and trains personnel for this operational task, in order to discover whether or not the DF is developing the necessary capability to meet the operational requirements of its United Nations (UN) CIMIC roles
This paper aims to develop a clear understanding of the DF’s approach to contemporary CIMIC operations in UNIFIL
Summary
Since the UN has only fully embraced the importance of the CIMIC cell in recent years, much of the published literature specific to UN CIMIC is relatively recent. Gourlay identifies how the military’s “short-term, non-participatory approach” can be a source of tension between military and civilian organisations deployed within the same theatre as the objectives of each organisation are vastly different This approach relates to this research as the existence of a CIMIC team within a theatre may reduce the need for civilian humanitarian operators to be co-located. Recruitment and selection within military organisations displays strong links to sociodemographic factors such as age, gender and education and suggests that these factors can directly influence an individual’s decision to join a military organisation, to volunteer for overseas service and can affect their interactions with other people This factor is more relevant when the area of selection for CIMIC appointments is considered
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