U.S. support for the UN Peacekeeping mission is critical to success. Enhanced support in financing and in providing personnel and other assets should be considered by the U.S. Administration. For the last four years, the Center for Complex Operations (CCO) and the National Defense University facilitated U.S. and UN discussions. This informal forum has allowed for candid and frank discussions of how the Department of Defense, Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development together can help address and support the challenges of UN peacekeeping. Recommendations include providing additional resources and personnel, establishing a Deputy-level position at the National Security Council (NSC) to ensure senior level coordinated policy and tasking of U.S. support to UN peacekeeping, and creating a Clearing House to help fill UN gaps by tracking needs and capabilities. The recent operation in Haiti underscored the need for greater transparency in information sharing, striving to keep documents unclassified where feasible, and the use of online accessible social networking for information sharing. |