Report to Ministers by the Political-Military Steering Committee/Ad Hoc Group on Cooperation in Peacekeeping

1. The Political-Military Steering Committee/Ad Hoc Group on Cooperation in Peacekeeping (PMSC/AHG) has continued to serve as the main NACC/PfP forum for consultations on political and conceptual, including legal, issues related to Peacekeeping, and for the exchange of experience and the discussion of practical measures for cooperation. Based on the results of the Seminar held in October 1994 on "Peacekeeping and Its Relationship to Crisis Management", the Group has continued its work to further develop a shared understanding of conceptual aspects of Peacekeeping, both within the NACC/PfP framework and in larger fora such as the OSCE and United Nations. At the same time, practical activities of cooperation have continued in a number of different Areas.

I. Conceptual Approaches

2. Throughout the first half of 1995, the Group drew on the rich variety of contributions to the October Seminar to focus on several key conceptual aspects of Peacekeeping identified by many Delegations as requiring deeper understanding. These included: national Peacekeeping doctrines, their differences and similarities, and the implications of any differences for cooperation in Peacekeeping; and the further discussion of the definitions, principles and criteria detailed in the Group's June 1993 Athens Report to NACC Ministers.
3. Many Delegations offered detailed presentations of national doctrines and experiences and contributed to the discussion of such key issues as: the new multifunctional Peacekeeping operations; the importance and content of mandates for Peacekeeping forces; and the role of impartiality (as distinct from neutrality) and use of force in carrying out a Peacekeeping mandate. These presentations and discussions have been sumMarised and shared with the United Nations and the OSCE. The discussion and comparative analysis of national dOctrines will continue.
4. There was a general feeling among Group members that the Group's discussions could lead to further development of some parts of the Athens Report. A folLow-on to the Report, addressing conceptual aspects of Peacekeeping in the light of experience gained since 1993, will be prepared and discussed at future meetings of the Group. Nations are encouraged to provide contributions to this work.
5. A Seminar on"Legal Aspects of Peacekeeping" will be held in Bucharest from 10th to 12th July. The aim will be to examine a number of legal questions relating to Peacekeeping and, in particular, contents and scope of the mandate, the impact of Peacekeeping operations on territorial sovereignty, international Humanitarian law, as well as further discussion of legal aspects of Peacekeeping exercises, drawing, inter alia, on the Seminar on the NATO Status of Forces Agreement, which was held in the Netherlands on 19th- 21st April. A joint meeting of the Senior NATO Logistics Conference (SNLC) with Cooperation Partners will be held in October 1995 at NATO HeadQuarters and a Seminar on the relationship between military and Civilian organisations in international Peacekeeping operations will take place in Copenhagen from 14th-16th November 1995.

II. Measures for Practical Cooperation in Peacekeeping

6. With regard to activities of practical cooperation, work has continued based on the programme endorsed by Ministers in December 1994.
7. Cooperation in Training: in the Spring of 1995, a revised edition of the NACC Peacekeeping Course Handbook was circulated, updating information provided by countries on national Peacekeeping courses and other related Training capabilities. Work also continues under Danish lead on the development of standards for both basic and specialised Peacekeeping Training. During the period, Peacekeeping Training courses under NATO(SHAPE) and national auspices also continued. Furthermore, practical interoperability experience is being gained through the participation of Lithuanian and now also Estonian Platoons in the Danish battalion in the UNPROFOR (UNCRO) forces in Sector North (DANBAT) in Croatia.
8. Cooperation in Logistics: work has continued to focus on the folLow-up to the Key Logisticians' Workshop held in June 1994. Practical measures include contributions to a UN Peacekeeping Operations Support Manual, and proposed improvements to organisational and procedural aspects of UN logistics. Work will continue on the compendium of logistics lessons learned in Peacekeeping operations and a revised version is expected to be completed later this year. The first joint meeting of Allied and Partner logisticians will take place in October and a NATO logistics course for Partners will be conducted in June. Both activities have a considerable Peacekeeping content. A Maritime logistics seminar/exercise is planned for September this year.
9. Cooperation in Communications and Command and Control: an open-ended group of experts in the Area of communications for Peacekeeping operations, led by The Netherlands, submitted to the Technical Sub-Group a report on the feasibility of establishing a NACC database on communications equipment and a common communications concept. A document on command and control is expected to be submitted to the Technical Sub-Group later this year. Reports on both activities will subsequently be considered by the PMSC/AHG.
10. Joint exercises: lessons learned from the first three joint exercises conducted in Autumn 1994 have been collated and are being applied in the 1995 programme, with the general objective of promoting enhanced interoperability amongst participating States. Some 11 joint exercises are scheduled for this year, including the first ever held in North America. A series of more than 40 workshops and seminars will prepare for these exercises and train Staff officers for their tasks in multinational headQuarters and formations. Cooperation and interoperability will be further enhanced through a wide range of bilateral and multilateral exercises hosted by individual Allies and Partners (an illustrative list is attached).

ANNEX

Bilateral and Multilateral Peacekeeping Exercices - 1995

Following are planned or conducted bilateral and multilateral Peacekeeping exercises for 1995 involving members of the Ad Hoc Group on Peacekeeping, based on information provided by nations