Peacekeeping Operations Center

Peacekeeping Operations Center (PKOC) (Serbian: Centar za mirovne operacije / Центар за мировне операције) is an organizational unit of the Joint Operations Command within the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces. It is the major authority for training, selection, equipping, preparation and deployment of individuals and units to operations outside the borders of the Republic of Serbia.

History

Serbia returned to multinational operations in 2002. The Yugoslav Army and the Army of Serbia and Montenegro participated in two multinational operations of the United Nations: UNMISET in East Timor and ONUB in Burundi. This was an individual deployment of officers as military observers. This "point-by-point" engagement required an organizational unit to coordinate activities in selecting staff, their equipment, preparing for specific duties beyond the borders of the country and resolving their status.

Since 2002, peacekeeping missions have dealt with the Section for International Integration and Peace Operations. On October 14, 2003, this section became the National Center for Peacekeeping Missions, which was subordinated to the Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Army of Serbia and Montenegro.

The Peacekeeping Operations Center, as the legal successor of the National Center for Peacekeeping Missions, was established on January 1, 2005 and since it is directly subordinated to the Joint Operations Command of the General Staff. The Peacekeeping Operations Center celebrates its Day on November 17th, the anniversary of the 1956 deployment of the precursor of the YPA Detachment to the UN Emergency Force (UNEF) in Sinai.

Tasks

The Center has various, including:

• Selecting, training and preparation of personnel and participation in training and preparing units for multinational operations
• Monitoring, coordinating and controlling Serbian Armed Forces in multinational operations
• Coordinating transport of individuals, units, weapons and military equipment
• Planning, organizing and delivering courses, seminars and lectures
• Developing criteria for manning units and key staff
• Proposing individuals for training
• Participating in selecting and developing training
• Coordinating preparation of forces with the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff and other organizations.
• Proposing budgets for preparing and deploying individuals and units
• Participating in unit capability assessments
• Participating in preparing Memoranda of Understanding and technical agreements for deployments
• Proposing and participating in drafting and amending normative and legal frameworks
• Cooperating with regional and global peace-support operations training centers and international organizations.
• Cooperating with the MoD and the General Staff
• Cooperating with international entities on the exchange of ideas and experiences

Organizational structure

The Center's organizational structure consists of four other departments and one group:

• Department of Human Resources
• Department for Operations and Staff Affairs
• Department for Training
• Department of Support
• Finance Group

References

1. "Peacekeeping Operations Center (PKOC)". Vojska Srbije (in Serbian).
2. "White Book of Defence" (PDF). Ministarstvo odbrane (in Serbian).
3. "Defence Act". Narodna Skupština (in Serbian).
4. "Serbian Armed Forces Act". Narodna Skupština (in Serbian).
5. "Act on use of Serbian Armed Forces and other defence forces on foreign soil" (PDF). Narodna Skupština (in Serbian).
6. "Regulation on guidelines of internal structure and systematization of formative positions". Vlada Srbije (in Serbian).