Category Articles

The fighting in Ukraine, initiated a year ago by the Russian invasion, is a daily demonstration of any armed conflict’s impact on resident or neighboring populations. Russia’s war on Ukraine is certainly not the only ongoing armed conflict in the world at this time. However, its ubiquitous imagery promotes near real-time reflection of the nature of war—past, present, and future. That reflection includes a continuing review of the suitability of the laws, policies, and programs designed to protect civilians or, at the least, mitigate the harm to them.

Physical integrity is the aspect of protection that most observers contemplate when considering protection of civilians (POC) and/or civilian harm mitigation and response (CHMR) policies and measures. Yet physical integrity, while of obvious vital importance to a population, is only one of many POC/CHMR concerns. This report (in two volumes) contains Lessons that address the physical integrity of a population. Yet it also includes Lessons connected to many—but not all—the other articulated POC/CHMR concerns regarding the what is protected? question. The Lessons in Volume I are categorized as follows: cultural identity; infrastructure and property; information and technology; and services.

This Lesson collection is not a comprehensive inventory of all topic areas included in the POC/CHMR discourse. Rather, it is intended to provide both overview and particular insights that may encourage further study. Consequently, the Lessons collected here encompass discussion points that both expand and narrow the discourse.

Click on the links below to read or download this lesson.

The Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) in the Military News Round Up for March highlights include the ARSOUTH WPS Symposium, as well as upcoming WPS events for Women’s History Month. Stay updated on the latest WPS news at the link below.

The WPS in the Military News Round Up from PKSOI provides the U.S. Army WPS community of interest with a monthly round up of articles to raise awareness and knowledge of WPS. The articles in the WPS News Round Up are provided for your situational awareness, only, and are not endorsed by DOD, the Army, CAC, or PKSOI.

Click on the links below to view or download.

The February Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) in the Military News Round Up is out now. Article highlights include an update 10 years after combat arms jobs were open to women, a study on gendered mentoring in the U.S. Army, and an article on the first female Soldier Abrams master gunner, as well as upcoming WPS events in the military.

The WPS in the Military News Round Up from PKSOI provides the U.S. Army WPS community of interest with a monthly round up of articles to raise awareness and knowledge of WPS. The articles in the WPS News Round Up are provided for your situational awareness, only, and are not endorsed by DOD, the Army, CAC, or PKSOI. Stay updated on the latest WPS current events at the link below.

The WPS News Round Up is a new monthly initiative from the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI), the U.S. Army Office of Primary Responsibility for WPS implementation, that will provide the U.S. Army WPS community of interest with a monthly round up of articles to raise awareness and knowledge of WPS efforts and initiatives. The articles in the WPS News Round Up are provided for your situational awareness, only. The contents do not reflect the official views of, nor are they endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, or PKSOI.

To read or download this months WPS News Round Up please click on the links below.

If you would like to be added or removed from the monthly WPS News Round Up distro list, please email: antonieta.rico.ctr@army.mil. Please forward the email to other members of the US Army WPS community who might find the content valuable.

The Global Fragility Act of 2019 outlined a US strategy to prevent conflict and promote stability in countries identified by the Department of State in partnership with other federal agencies. Among those agencies is the Department of Defense (DOD) with its relatively new interagency support authority, the Defense Support to Stabilization, or DSS.2 As Stephanie Hammond, then Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability and Humanitarian Affairs, indicated
This new authority allows DOD to provide logistical support, supplies and services to other federal agencies conducting stabilization activities… [so that] … critical civilian expertise can get into hard-to-reach areas more quickly and efficiently and with more effective resources, creating a unity of effort that the agencies have lacked in the past.3

To read this Semi Annual Lesson Report: Defense Support to Stabilization (DSS) Volume II click on the link below:

The Global Fragility Act of 20191 outlined a US strategy to prevent conflict and promote stability in countries identified by the Department of State in partnership with other federal agencies. Among those agencies is the Department of Defense (DOD) with its relatively new interagency support authority, the Defense Support to Stabilization, or DSS.2 As Stephanie Hammond, then Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability and Humanitarian Affairs, indicated
This new authority allows DOD to provide logistical support, supplies and services to other federal agencies conducting stabilization activities… [so that] … critical civilian expertise can get into hard-to-reach areas more quickly and efficiently and with more effective resources, creating a unity of effort that the agencies have lacked in the past.3
The intent of this lesson collection is to offer some insight into topics and concepts DOD should recognize or consider as it plans and programs itself to partner with other federal agencies across the stabilization spectrum.

To read this Lesson Report click on the link below:

On MAY 25, 2022, PKSOI and the U.S. Army War College celebrated the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

Speakers for the event included Brig. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, Deputy Commanding General for Reserve Affairs at the Army War College, as well as former peacekeepers — all highlighting the history, challenges, and future of UN missions.  “I am proud of the number of International Fellows in the Army War College Resident Class of 2022 who have served in UN Peace Operations….Half of our 80 International Fellows have served in at least one peacekeeping mission,” said Birckhead.

On this International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, we honor and remember those who have fallen:  over 4,197 peacekeepers have lost their lives in the cause of peace – including 79 Americans.  We also honor those who currently serve in peacekeeping missions, representing the best intentions of their nations, and who selflessly dedicate their lives to enable sustainable growth in the war-torn spaces around the world. Their shared determination and unified efforts will bring a greater chance of achieving peace than any single country could attain alone.

A three-week joint military exercise ‘Justified Accord 22’ officially closed on Thursday, 17th March 2022 in Nairobi.  PKSOI remained a key participant in the training and CPX phases of Justified Accord 22.  PKSOI has supported past exercise in Africa since 2012. 

Justified Accord is U.S. Africa Command’s joint, combined exercise that involves multiple U.S. military components, allied partner nations and international organizations to promote interoperability between participants for operations in East Africa. Justified Accord 22 brought together over 800 participants from twenty militaries across the world and it involved both Command Post and Field Training exercises. The exercise seeks to assess participant abilities in conducting operations and to enhance positive bilateral and regional relationships in conflict environments with coalition partners.

Representing Chief of the Defense Forces (KDF), the Director of National Security Major General Solomon Manambo stated that KDF and Kenya at large was honored to host the exercise for the first time and is ready to work with her counterparts and partners in hosting similar crucial exercises. PKSOI continues to engage with AFRICOM and SETAF-AF for future exercises on the African continent.

Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration Programs for Military Practitioners serves as a guide for organizing, planning, preparing, and executing activities in support of such operations. As the book underscores, the military’s supporting role is not passive; instead, it practices active engagement by incorporating the experience and expertise of DDR partners. Achieving a sense of teamwork among diverse organizational cultures requires creative thinking. While recognizing that DDR is essentially a civilian-led venture, the military can furnish key enablers that enhance performance and effectiveness. PKSOI regards this book as a valuable reference for military and civilian organizations coming together to implement meaningful DDR.

To read the paper click on the link below. To download this paper click on the download button below.

Maritime Stability Operations – China: Bullying Their Way Into the Arctic -The US Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic holds approximately 90 billion barrels of undiscovered oil which is about 13 percent of global estimates and 30 percent of the Earth’s undiscovered natural gas.[i] This increase in regional shipping and resource mining may cause regional instability in the Arctic as China, Russia, and the United States and its Arctic State partners compete to ensure their interests are attended to in this newly marketable portion of the Arctic.

[i] Lino, Marissa, 2020, “Understanding China’s Arctic activities.” Accessed March 1, 2021.  https://www.iiss.org/blogs/analysis/2020/02/china-arctic

To read the full article click on the link below. To download the article click on the download button below.