The value of MPEs is not limited to UN peacekeeping. All participating countries are potential coalition partners with other participants in operations that may include humanitarian assistance, stability operations, or even combating terrorism.
Many MPE tasks apply to these kinds of operations, and they improve the overall readiness of the participating platoons and individuals. Participants from at least two of the participating countries will deploy soon on actual peacekeeping missions that will test their readiness.
Senior officials in the governments and militaries of the Asia-Pacific region recognize the importance of MPEs. Mongolia and Nepal sent senior military officers to observe various parts of the exercise, and observers from 15 other nations included not only military officers, but also defense attaches, ambassadors, and other officials.
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| Bangladeshi Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury presents a plaque and certificate to U.S. participants at the closing ceremony as the Bangladesh Institute for Peace Support Operation Training Commandant, Brig. Gen. Mahmud (left), looks on. |
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The MPE is a component of the South Asia Peace Operations Initiative. This initiative has both an operational-level Command Post Exercise (CPX) and a tactical-level MPE. Held on alternating years beginning in 2000, the first MPE (then called MPTE) took place in Nepal in January 2000 (See Asia-Pacific Defense FORUM, Summer 2000) and the first PKO CPX occurred in June 2001 in Hawaii (See Asia-Pacific Defense FORUM, Fall 2002).
Countries such as Bangladesh are ideally suited to host peacekeeping-related events because of their experience and the importance each nation places on peacekeeping. Bangladesh, India, and Nepal are all in various stages of establishing peacekeeping training centers that will host a variety of exercises, courses, and conferences. By the end of 2003, each will have hosted at least one MPE proposed in the U.S. Pacific Command/U.S. Army Pacific Peacekeeping Initiative.
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As reported in a Bangladesh Army news item,Bangladesh’s Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury said at the closing ceremony of Exercise SHANTEE DOOT, “The changing patterns of conflict in the post cold war period pose new challenges to the peacekeepers today. It is our sacred duty to prepare and train our peacekeepers to meet these new challenges. This two-week Multinational Platoon Exercise on peace support operations has enhanced the capability and interoperability of the participants to deal with difficult situations likely to be faced by them in various ongoing and future peace support missions.”
All participants learned a great deal about the conduct of peacekeeping operations. As a result, the region has gained a new group of personnel ready to undertake the responsibilities of helping countries in need
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| Mauritian Army Lt. Dawon receives a plaque and certificate from Bangladeshi Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury at the closing ceremony. |
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