Exercise CARANA: Peace Support Operations Training Places Emphasis on Integrated Planning

One of the highlights of the Higher Defence Management Course at the National Defence College Nigeria is the training in Peace Support Operations.

The Peace Support Operations Module introduces participants to the full spectrum of Peace Support Operations and the framework for its conduct, with particular reference to the United Nations, Africa Union and the Economic Community of Africa States (ECOWAS). It seeks to address issues in contemporary Peace Support Operations, which include the increasing intra-state character of conflicts, the ever-rising number of actors, protection of civilians, and other considerations relating to human security. The practical phase of the Module exposes participants to the complex multi- dimensional and multi-national nature of contemporary Peace Support Operations.

It emphasizes the need for integrated planning and multi-faceted solutions to issues in Peace Support Operations. The CARANA scenario depicts the nature of contemporary Peace Support Operations. It is important to note that CARANA represents a fictious country anywhere in the world. The conduct of the exercise entails syndicate room and central hall presentations, whereby participants working in syndicates are required to present their mission plan to the Chairperson of the African Union. This is followed by interactive session where the members of the Senior Management Leadership Team are required to clear grey areas of the mission plan by responding to questions raised on the proposed mission plan by the AU Chairperson and his team.

Participants are expected to leverage the opportunity offered by the Exercise to acquiant themselves with the complexity of Peace Support Operations and the actions required to redress the associated challenges, be it at the global, continental or regional levels.