Protection of Civilians Military Reference Guide, Second Edition Second Edition | Page 55

Protection of Civilians Military Reference Guide
• Purpose, Scope, and Key Principles of the Strategy.
• PoC Strategic Threat Assessment.
• PoC Response Model and Planned Activities.
• Roles and Responsibilities of Mission Components.
• Engagement and Coordination Mechanisms.
• Preparedness Activities.
Task Challenges
There are at least four challenges regarding the PoC strategy. First, an actual PoC strategy from
higher echelons may not exist (or it may be too vague to be of value). For example, a sudden crisis
may have resulted in a hasty deployment of military forces without the deliberate formulation of a
PoC strategy. Alternatively, strategic leaders may be focused on other mission concerns and devote
little or no attention to PoC. A second challenge is a mismatch between ends, ways, and means. A
PoC strategy may have ambitious objectives, but the available resources are insufficient to attain
them. Third, a strategy may be obsolete with respect to circumstances that have changed. Finally,
commanders and other military personnel may neglect the strategy in their daily activities,
potentially resulting in tactical incidents that have negative strategic effects.
Task 6: Conduct Intelligence Activities
Task Description
Intelligence activities are vital for situational understanding and include the identification,
collection, analysis, and dissemination of information in support of the mission.
Task Relevance to PoC
Military forces rely upon accurate intelligence to provide early warning of risks and
opportunities to support planning and operations of any type, and this applies with respect to PoC.
Intelligence enables situational understanding of the operational environment, the actors, conflict
dynamics, and civilian vulnerabilities and threats to include how these are viewed from the
population’s perspective. Intelligence activities are essential for early warning systems that
identify potential risks to civilians. Intelligence activities and PoC are mutually-reinforcing;
civilians will provide information more freely when they can do so safely and if it further enhances
their security. In tur n, good intelligence should drive operations that improve PoC and make
civilians more secure.
Peacekeeping Operations (New York: UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Department of Field
Support, 13 February 2015).
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