The Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, Senator David Feeney, today said the Australian Government, through the Asia Pacific Civil-Military Centre of Excellence, has been working closely with the US Center for Complex Operations to deliver a ground breaking international conference held at the National Defense University in Washington, DC this week.
“Titled ‘Building Security Capacity’, the aim of the conference was to promote better understanding of the role of security actors, including the armed services, law enforcement and civilian oversight institutions, in peace and stabilisation operations,” Senator Feeney said.
“The conference explored lessons learned from state and society transformation through specific end-of-conflict and transition activities, including disarmament, demobilisation, rehabilitation and reintegration (DDRR) and capacity building.”
Keynote speakers included Ambassador (Ret) James Dobbins, Director, RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center; former US government official Dov Zakheim, Senior Advisor at the Centre for International and Strategic Studies in Washington DC; Dr. Daniel Kaufmann, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; and Ms. Clare Lockhart, Executive Director, Institute for State Effectiveness.
In addition, Dr James Schear, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense, Partnership Strategy and Stability Operations; Ginger Cruz, Deputy Special Inspector General, Iraq Reconstruction in the United States; Ambassador Patricia Haslach, Iraq Transition Coordinator, US Department of State; and Mr. Agio Pereira, Secretary of State for the Council of Ministers, Timor-Leste Government complemented a very strong list of panel presenters.
“This conference was an outstanding opportunity for both agencies to draw on the work of the United Nations, US, UK, Canada, and other key international peace and stabilisation actors, as well as to educate, engage and network with international facilitators, seminar speakers and participants from a wide international audience,” Senator Feeney said.
In December 2010, the Asia Pacific Civil-Military Centre of Excellence initiated the Multiagency Peace and Stabilisation Operations Project (MAPSOP) with the aim of assisting Australian Government policy makers to further develop Australia’s national civil-military capabilities for complex and multidimensional peace and stabilisation operations.
So far this year, MAPSOP has held a series of national and international workshops, roundtables and other activities to promote a shared understanding of peace and stabilisation operations and to improve civil-military capabilities for integrated conflict assessment, planning, preparedness, decision-making and monitoring and evaluation in multidimensional peace and stabilisation operations.
For more information about the Centre and its programs please visit www.civmilcoe.gov.au