Training plus experience equals development

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Lance Pounds | Lt. Col. Christine Roney, a logistics officer with U.S. Army Africa and guest speaker, discusses the history of United Nations peacekeeping operations with attendees of an Intermediate Leader Professional Development training session held Nov. 3, 2016, at the Golden Lion Club on Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy. The training was held to inform and develop junior leaders who may one day serve a UN mission on the continent of Africa. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Staff Sgt. Lance Pounds)  

VICENZA, ITALY

11.07.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Lance Pounds 

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

VICENZA, Italy – A Civil Affairs team with U.S. Army Africa hosted an intermediate-level leader professional development session on peacekeeping operations Nov. 3 at the Golden Lion Conference Center on Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy.

The training was intended to provide junior officers, warrant officers and equivalent government service employees an overview of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations conducted on the continent of Africa, while providing a basic understanding of the operations USARAF currently supports or may support in the future.

Lt. Col. Christine Roney, a USARAF logistics officer and guest speaker, shared her knowledge of UN missions and how the training applied to leader development.

“This training is important because it’s the Majors and below doing the planning and overseeing the operations executed in the U.S. Africa Command area of operation,” said Roney.

Since 1948, the UN has conducted more than 70 peacekeeping operations. Currently, the UN has approximately 118,790 personnel serving in 16 peacekeeping operations, half of which are being conducted in Africa.

“It is important that we know what the UN is doing and work with them to achieve our goals in these countries,” Roney said. One of those goals, she said was to create sustainable peace.

In the training, “Peacekeeping Operations” was described as military operations undertaken with the consent of all major parties to a dispute, and are designed to monitor and facilitate implementation of an agreement to support diplomatic efforts to reach a long-term political settlement.

One challenge, noted by attendee Chief Warrant Officer Jeffery Stewart, was that some African militaries view certain ranks differently than the U.S.

“Warrant officers cannot participate because most countries use them as senior noncommissioned officers,” Stewart said. He added, however, the training was helpful because it gave him ground-level knowledge of operations conducted in Africa.

According to Stewart, the session not only provided attendees with valuable knowledge of peacekeeping operations, it also provided an opportunity for leader development.

“This training was a great opportunity for me to share my experience,” said Roney.

• Date Taken: 11.07.2016
• Date Posted: 11.07.2016 09:08
• Story ID: 214019
• Location: VICENZA, IT