Archive Article: Soldiering As A Form Of Healing. 22 Feb 02
January 3, 2009

As we are seeing in Afghanistan at present, winning a war may be easier than winning the peace. Military operations need to be planned with the end in view and with the determination to create a good peace.

The Sydney-based Conflict Resolution Network has argued that a soldier’s work does not necessarily end with the armistice, and may well continue for a long time afterwards in the process of healing the country. Therefore, soldiers need be trained for healing as well as fighting. Some of them will be deployed in Medical and Humanitarian Contingents.

Modern warfare (for example the operation in Afghanistan) is often characterized by the large use of conventional weapons – and yet few military personnel. A great deal of damage is done to the other side, particularly by bombing, and this can take years to repair.

Another change in warfare has been the growth of UN peacekeeping operations. “Peacekeeping” is not referred to in the UN Charter. It has been an ad hoc measure that the UN devised to cope with the Cold War’s freezing of the procedure which is laid down in the Charter. Even now that the Cold War is over, that elaborate procedure is still not being used.

Instead, the UN is drawn into crises. Each one is controversial and usually the result of the failure by a government. Each one requires the UN to solicit forces from governments and these are often not trained for UN peacekeeping. The lack of training causes problems in the field and delays the fulfilment of the mission.

Therefore it is necessary to recognize that there is a new era of soldiering. The old large international conventional wars are now rare. Instead, soldiers will be required for peacekeeping operations and other types of low intensity operations.

This means reconceptualizing the role of soldiering. Soldiers will need to be prepared for a variety of roles. As individuals, they will need to be adaptable, flexible and multi-skilled.

Medical and Humanitarian Contingents would carry out a wide variety of duties, including medical, nursing, hospitalization, immunization services, primary health care, nutrition and education. Their work would be the care of non-combatants including civilians, prisoners, and displaced persons. They would work with other contingents, such as in the building of temporary accommodation, and with non-governmental disaster relief and development organizations.

One implication for the military is that the world will continue to have for the foreseeable future many situations of internal conflict. The rich are getting richer and the poor are becoming more numerous. On economic grounds alone, therefore, there are many causes of conflict. There will be many more peacekeeping operations of one sort or another to deal with.

Second, the Medical and Humanitarian work is not unprecedented. For at least the last half a century there have been MACC operations: Military Aid to the Civilian Community (such as assisting with floods and bush fires). Additionally the Israeli Defence Force has pioneered training for soldiers to perform a variety of roles.

Third, soldering as a form of healing will be an attractive recruiting campaign theme. The profession of arms will appeal to a broader section of the community and it will lift the image of the defence force still further.

As to Australia, most of the operations in which Australia can expect to serve are peacekeeping of one sort of another. Therefore, the Medical and Humanitarian Contingent, which would be well trained and ready for instant deployment, can be an Australian contribution to assisting in such operations. Such a Contingent would mean that Australia was not powerless to be involved in the search for international peace and security. It would be ready for instant deployment.

BROADCAST ON FRIDAY 22ND FEBRUARY 2002 ON RADIO 2GB’S “BRIAN WILSHIRE PROGRAMME” AT 9 PM, AND ON 24TH FEBRUARY 2002 ON “SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE” AT 10.30 PM