National Defence and the Canadian Forces
www.forces.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Backgrounder
Op Palladium Rotation 12 Mission Accomplishments: Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC)
TFBH BG-Roto - October 6, 2003
One of the most active and robust features of peace support operations in the Second Battalion Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group's (2 PPCLI BG) tour in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was CIMIC.
CIMIC contributed to Canada's national interests in security, governance, economic and humanitarian matters within BiH at the grass root level, and in doing so furthered the goals of the International Community (‘IC').
CIMIC undertook a vigorous Information Operations campaign with other elements of the Battle Group, to further Canada's interests in BiH. This effort required, in equal measure, extensive and intimate liaison with Canadian Embassy officials, and with members of the IC, including the Office of the High Representative led by Lord Paddy Ashdown, (‘OHR'), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (‘OSCE'), The European Union Police Mission (“EUPM'), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (‘UNHCR'), and any number of Non Governmental Organizations (‘NGOs').
The merging and coordination of all parties' agendas is vital to rebuilding a self-sustaining peace, competent governance, enabling a market economy and the establishment of responsible fiscal stewardship in Bosnia.
CIMIC's operations with the members of the IC as well as working within the military put CIMIC at a critically strategic hub of information operations. No one member of the IC has a monopoly on information, and CIMIC enables a swift exchange of information and thereby contributes to the IC's agenda.
CIMIC employed twenty-one persons, including twelve liaison officers (‘LOs') and nine support staff.
Drawn from Canada's Army Reserves, they represent a variety of professional backgrounds, including communications, engineering, computers, law, science, development, and business.
Working in small teams at the tactical level, LOs operate throughout the villages and towns of the Canadian area of operations, establishing intimate contact with local citizens, government agencies, NGOs and the IC to monitor developments at the “street level.”
Often the first to learn of inter-ethnic disputes, failures in local governance, breakdown in rule of law, corruption and economic crime, LOs inform and advise the Battle Group and appropriate members of the IC.
For example, the LOs brought the ongoing employment of an unqualified police officer to the attention of the European Union Police Mission, which is responsible for monitoring the Bosnian Police. In another case, the LOs brought the housing problems of local displaced persons to the attention of the UNHCR. Throughout the tour LOs have monitored strikes and demonstrations, sought to influence local governments to work better, and connected people with the resources they need. Ongoing major issues, such as corruption in the judiciary, are tracked by the Senior Liaison Officer and dealt with at meetings with the regional heads of the IC.
CIMIC also assists with the rebuilding of local infrastructure by liaising with local political bodies and the IC to establish partnerships in co-funding projects with the Canadian International Development Agency (‘CIDA'), who alone funded $500,000 worth of projects.
CIMIC also undertook a campaign of collecting and distributing high value humanitarian assistance, a campaign that saw individuals and corporate citizens of Canada donate three sea containers of material, including over 300 computers.
- 30 -
RSS DND/CF News (What is RSS?)
