In the Central African Republic, peacekeepers become trailblazing individuals

Date:

Peacekeepers become trailblazing individuals

  • news by AUN News correspondent
  • Monday, October 31, 2022
  • AUN News – ISSN: 2949-8090

Summary:

  • Indonesia is the eighth most significant contributor to international peacekeeping efforts, with about 2,700 soldiers serving in seven UN peace missions.

  • UNIC Indonesia/Rizky AsharStrong bases for a flimsy peace process20 Indonesian soldiers were trained by military engineers with extensive knowledge of using heavy engineering equipment in peacekeeping missions as part of the UN’s Triangular Partnership Programme (TPP), which brings together nations that provide trainers and resources and countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping missions.

  • This training session is the first to be held in Indonesia.

  • The TPP’s core goal is to improve the readiness and efficiency of peacekeeping deployments.

  • “The UN and Japanese trainers will return to Sentul the following year to conduct a training-of-trainers course, instructing future equipment instructors from forces that support peacekeeping throughout the area.

Chief Private Ryan Herdhika, an enthusiastic motorcyclist and member of the 3rd Combat Engineering Battalion of the Indonesian Army, did not naturally know how to operate an excavator, a bulldozer, or a wheel loader. But as a member of the Indonesian peacekeeping force there, he had just completed his heavy engineering equipment test. Next month, he will be sent to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

Getting on a motor grader to practise levelling the ground in a training area at the enormous Indonesian military peacekeeping centre in Sentul, Chief Private Herdhika stated, “It will be the first time in my life I go abroad, and I am glad that my first trip is as a UN peacekeeper, not a tourist.

Indonesia is the eighth most significant contributor to international peacekeeping efforts, with about 2,700 soldiers serving in seven UN peace missions.

A Japanese military instructor helps a soldier of the Indonesian Army’s 3rd Combat Engineering Battalion perfect his skills in driving a motor grader – equipment he will need to operate at the MINUSCA peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic.

UNIC Indonesia/Rizky Ashar

Strong bases for a flimsy peace process

20 Indonesian soldiers were trained by military engineers with extensive knowledge of using heavy engineering equipment in peacekeeping missions as part of the UN’s Triangular Partnership Programme (TPP), which brings together nations that provide trainers and resources and countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping missions. These engineers are from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF).

The members of the Indonesian Armed Forces who completed the training will put their knowledge to use by constructing and maintaining supply routes, campgrounds, and other infrastructure for UN missions while supporting the Central African Republic’s efforts to recover from recent natural disasters. Since 2014, MINUSCA has been operating in the nation to protect civilians, assist the shaky peace process, and assist the interim administration.

The Commander of the JGSDF Training Team, Lieutenant Colonel Tsuyoshi Toyoda, described the training as “extremely challenging,” requiring students to learn how to utilise a wide variety of equipment in just nine weeks. The students studied hard, aced the exam, and are now prepared for deployment.

Even though private teachers can teach these skills in a public context, the complexity of UN peacekeeping operations necessitates the use of trainers with prior peacekeeping expertise.

Colonel Herman Harnas, Director of International Cooperation at the Indonesian Armed Forces Peacekeeping Centre, explained that unlike a typical construction site, where operators specialise in a particular piece of machinery, “here we require the soldiers to train and operate six types of machines.” “You also do not have the luxury of having a separate crew for maintaining the vehicles in a peacekeeping situation, so the soldiers also need to understand that.”

However, comparable courses have been undertaken in Brazil, Kenya, Morocco, Rwanda, Uganda, and Viet Nam, nations that are also significant funders of the UN’s peacekeeping operations. This training session is the first to be held in Indonesia.

The TPP’s core goal is to improve the readiness and efficiency of peacekeeping deployments. The TPP, however, accurately depicts the challenging realities of the peacekeeping environment because the job of a peacekeeping engineer operating in UN operations calls for more than just specific technical knowledge.

According to Colonel Harnas, “Our soldiers also learn discipline and the significance of adhering to procedures, which is particularly important in emergencies, when they need to respond swiftly.” The soldiers might now be sent to MINUSCA, one of the UN’s most challenging peacekeeping missions.

Chief Private Ryan Herdhika of the Indonesian Army’s 3rd Combat Engineering Battalion is practicing how to flatten a surface – a task he will need to perform regularly at the UN’s MINUSCA peacekeeping mission once he deploys next month.

UNIC Indonesia/Rizky Ashar

A specific set of abilities

According to Rick Martin, Director of Special Activities at the UN’s Department of Operational Support in New York, the organisation is committed to maintaining uniformed soldiers’ engineering, medical, and technology capabilities.

To close capability gaps and enhance the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations, he continues, “high-quality enabling units in engineering and other key capability areas will need to continue to be a priority area as we face new operational challenges within UN peacekeeping operations.”

The UN and Japanese trainers will return to Sentul the following year to conduct a training-of-trainers course, instructing future equipment instructors from forces that support peacekeeping throughout the area. By that time, Chief Private Herdhika will be handling engineering machinery in the Central African Republic. But he adds, “I hope to be able to share my expertise and experience with my future peacekeeping colleagues after I return.”

Analysis by: Advocacy Unified Network

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