This spring SWEDINT launched a new course concept based on UN:s “Integrated Mission Concept” for Peace Support Operations, including the recently released UN doctrine for Peacekeeping Operations (UN Peacekeeping Operations, Principles and Guidelines, 2008) three courses with students from military, police and civilian organisations has been merged in to a common “integrated” whole, still maintaining its respective course characteristics. Here the students learn how to cooperate and solve problems they will encounter in a field mission. The course concept mirrors the present ongoing UN missions and reflects the latest from UN concerning peacekeeping doctrine and concept development. SWEDINT has a long tradition to cooperate with the UN and support the development of common education and training standards, i.e. Standard Training Modules (STM) and Standard Generic Training Modules (SGTM). In 2007 the military course, UN Staff Officers Course (UNSOC), was certified by the UN DPKO. Now the ambition is to also certify the police (UNPCC) and civilian courses (UNCIVSOC). This would give the whole course concept a mark of quality, unique in the world at this point. Keeping up with these standards is also encouraging for SWEDINT to continuously maintain a high standard when it comes to individual education and training and develop the concept in concert with UN doctrine and standards development.
– At present we are the only institution in the world that integrates courses in this manner. Integration is already a reality in ongoing UN missions all over the world, says Colonel Thomas Karlsson, the new Commandant of SWEDINT.
– The military is not the only player in a UN peacekeeping mission. We must learn to cooperate in multinational and multifunctional environments, says Mr Frank Larsson, SWEDINTs subject matter expert on civil-military cooperation and coordination.
SWEDINT is also an important national provider of international education for Swedish officers. In close cooperation with the Swedish National Defence College they give national courses in Operational Planning Processes both from the UN and the NATO. In the future, Col Karlsson hopes that the development of international courses at SWEDINT will give SWEDINT an even more important role when it comes to the national mandatory training for Swedish officers. - Focusing on education and training all the time just makes us better and better. We have close to perfect circumstances for education and training here at the Life Guards barracks. Maintaining high standards on the permanent staff is a prerequisite for the future. A dedicated staff set high standards and are constantly trying to push them even higher. The technical support is top of the art, according to the Commandant.
– We also invite distinguished and well-known lecturers from all over the world to complement where our own staff does not have the expertise. Our longstanding cooperation with the Swedish Police is one reason for our success in this field. At last I would like to emphasise the cooperation between the Nordic countries, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland within the framework of Nordic Coordinated Arrangement for Military Peace Support (NORDCAPS). Being able to draw on the experience of officers from our neighbouring countries is a privilege without which we would fail our mission.
In the future the Commandant of SWEDINT hopes to be able to develop and offer CJTF-courses for senior commanders and staff officers within the framework of NATO-led Peace Support Operations. The coming year SWEDINT is expecting to be engaged in the preparation of staff officers for the Swedish led EU Battle Group for 2011.