Question

Explain why do some suggest that the UN should have its own standing military force? What would be the job of a standing UN army?

Answer 1

The UN does not have its own standing army or police force. Military and police personnel from UN member states serving as peacekeepers in peacekeeping operations around the world are first members of their own national service, and are seconded to serve with the UN. They wear the uniform of their nations, and are marked by a UN blue helmet or beret as UN peacekeepers.

Since 1948 when the Security Council approved the deployment of UN military observers to the Middle East to oversee the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbours, the UN has been deploying military personnel for service in peace operations. United Nations military personnel may be called upon to: protect civilians and UN personnel; monitor a contested border; track and track post-conflict peace processes Provide protection in a conflict zone; provide protection during elections;

A standing reserve sounds rational but making a force of several thousand people on permanent standby will be enormously expensive. Though it takes time, producing the military personnel is far more realistic once the go-ahead has been given. It also means that we hire personnel with the correct experience, qualifications and language skills that are important to the position to which they are being deployed.