The Centre has developed a Training and Education Program to support best practice in Australia’s civil-military processes, plans and capabilities to prevent and respond more effectively to conflicts and disasters in the region. In developing this program the Centre collaborates with relevant Australian Government agencies, non-government organisations, the commercial sector, regional and international agencies and the tertiary education sector, in the development and delivery of its Training and Education Program.
Since its inception the Centre has conducted a range of training and education activities and has developed a reputation as the regional leader in the military, police and civilian coordination arena. Courses conducted in Australia have been fully subscribed and include two Civil-Military Interaction Seminars, two UN Civil–Military Humanitarian Coordination Courses, the Challenges Forum, Rule of Law Roundtable and Senior Leaders Forum. The Centres Training and Education activities are as follows:
Civil-Military Interaction Workshop
The Civil-Military Interaction Workshop (CMIW) is the foundation course run by the Centre. The workshop is an important part of Australia’s Regional Engagement Program organised by the International Policy Division of Defence, which has a long term program of funding and facilitating participation from within our Region. The Civil-Military Interaction Workshop is designed for operational level personnel (Australian Public Service Level 5/Captain to Executive Level 2/Colonel). CMIW also dovetails with other courses conducted by the Centre on behalf of the United Nations. The Asia Pacific Centre for Military Law provides curricula advice and some speakers as part of our existing partnership arrangement.
Civil-Military Interaction Seminar (CMIS)
CMIS is a three day annual seminar targeted at senior managers and explores current and emerging issues in the civil-military space.
Civil-Military Affairs Conference (CMAC)
CMAC is an annual event that focuses on a specific civil-military issue.
United Nations Civil-Military Coordination (UN CMCoord) Course
The UN CMCoord course is a four day course that addresses the need for coordination of activities of international civilian humanitarian actors, especially humanitarian agencies and international military forces in an international humanitarian emergency. The Centre is hosting the next UN Civil-Military Coordination Course in Vietnam 24-29 July 2011. Two officers from the Centre have recently become accredited as facilitators of this course. This will assist in the conduct of UN CMCoord courses within our region.
Senior Leaders Seminar
The aim of the seminar is to provide an opportunity for senior government and non-government officials from the Asia Pacific region to come together to workshop the high-level issues and challenges they face in responding to conflict and disasters. The seminar provides a secure space for the region’s leaders to develop a shared understanding of each other’s strategic priorities and to develop a common approach to collaborating in multinational responses to conflict and disaster situations.
Challenges Forum
The International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations, of which Australia is a partner, seeks to promote and broaden the international dialogue between key stakeholders addressing peace operations issues and matters in a timely, effective and inclusive manner.
The Forum is a joint effort by Partner Organisations from 17 leading peace operation countries. They represent a balanced group of different expertise with a variety of civilian, military and police perspectives.
The Challenges Partners (agreed at the January 2009 Carlisle workshops) are currently working on three work strands focusing on the following subjects:
- Create a secure and stable environment while strengthening the State’s ability to provide security, with full respect for the rule of law and human rights;
- Facilitate the political process by promoting dialogue and reconciliation and supporting the establishment of legitimate and effective institutions of governance, and
- Provide a framework for ensuring that all UN and other international actors pursue their activities at the country-level in a coherent and coordinated manner.
Rule of Law Roundtable
The aim of Rule of Law Roundtables is to provide an opportunity for government and non-government officials from the Asia Pacific region to come together to workshop in a learning environment the higher-level issues and challenges they face in re-establishing Rule of Law in a post conflict environment or post disaster. The Roundtables provide a secure space for practitioners in the Rule of Law to develop a shared understanding of issues involved and to identify better practices based on the most recent research and policy guidance with the support of expert practitioners. The Roundtables will focus on current Rule of Law issues and, by way of example, future topics are likely to include security sector reform and crime and conflict.
UN Senior Mission Leaders Course (SML)
The Centre will be hosting a Senior Mission Leaders Course in partnership with the United Nations Integrated Training Service in conjunction with the Rwandan Government, 21 May – 1 June 2012. The aim of the SML course is to prepare current and potential senior mission leaders in the role and responsibilities of senior leaders in complex peacekeeping operations to plan, prepare, manage and direct UN peacekeeping operations, in order to effectively fulfil their mandates. The course will contribute to the capacity building for troop contributing countries. Participants will be prepared for appointment as future senior mission leaders for DPKO field missions.
Departmental Civil-Military Training Modules
The Centre provides doctrinal advice and presentations to various Defence training areas in relation to Civil-Military awareness and training courses.
Australian Civilian Corps Training
The Centre provides regular training on civil-military issues to AusAID’s Australian Civilian Corps Training Program.
Postgraduate Courses in Civil-Military Relations
The Centre has successfully proposed civil-military postgraduate teaching modules into appropriate university courses in Australia and New Zealand as follows:
- A postgraduate course CISS6012 Civil-Military Relations that will be offered through the Centre for International Strategic Studies at the University of Sydney in semester 2 in 2011.
- A postgraduate course in Civil-Military Relations for distance education delivery through Peace Studies at the University of New England in trimester 2 in 2012.
- A postgraduate course in Civil-Military Relations as requested by the National Security College at the Australian National University for delivery in the mid-year intensive semester in 2012.
- The Centre is also proposing a postgraduate course in Civil-Military relations as requested by the Centre for Strategic Studies at Victoria University in New Zealand for delivery in 2012.
A scholarly publications strategy and program has also been developed by the Centre for the editing and publishing of Civil-Military Commentaries, Civil-Military Working Papers and Civil-Military Occasional Papers.
International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centres
The Centre is a member of the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centres which is a forum for exchanging information and experience on peace operations education and training. The association holds an annual conference hosted by an association member country which will be held in the United States in 2011.