Non-Traditional Military Training for Canadian Peacekeepers: A Study

This study examines the training needs of professional peacekeepers in the 1990s. After a series of interviews with Canadian and United Nations personnel and an analysis of Canadian Forces and United Nations documents, the authors set out “new” peacekeeping training requirements. The study compares these requirements with training received by Canadian peacekeepers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It finds that the Canadian Forces has not kept up with the changing peacekeeping environment and that modern peacekeeping requires training and skills far beyond traditional general-purpose combat training. To meet these training shortfalls, the authors recommend that a series of training options be put in place at different command levels and at different stages of peacekeeping training cycles. The study concludes that only by substantially supplementing traditional military training can the Canadian Forces produce the best Canadian peacekeepers possible.