YouSaid · the spoken record

Major General Serra

lines on the record
13
first
2012-06-20
most recent
2012-06-20
sittings or episodes
1
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un-security-council

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  1. “It will therefore be vital to take advantage of the window of opportunity that UNIFIL's presence has created, to make progress towards the establishment of a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution. Very soon, the Council will discuss the extension of UNIFIL's mandate. As Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNIFIL, I count on the continued support of the Security Council in maintaining the Force's ability to discharge its mandated tasks, consistent with the priorities identified by the strategic review. Being optimistic about the future is inspiring; the rest is knowledge, resources, goodwill and hard work.”

    2012-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6789 (2012) · source

  2. “Nearly six years since the adoption of resolution 1701 (2006), we are witnessing the calmest period in southern Lebanon in many years. That is largely due to UNIFIL's deterrent presence and close collaboration with the Lebanese Armed Forces, the Government and the people of South Lebanon. The Lebanese Armed Forces have proved to be a reliable institution, able to bring together all of Lebanon's confessional groups. Cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces remains at the core of UNIFIL's mandate, with a View to improving their capabilities to eventually take over the tasks mandated in resolution 1701 (2006). However, notwithstanding the success of military operations, ultimate success is contingent upon effectively addressing the roots of the conflict through a political process.”

    2012-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6789 (2012) · source

  3. “As concerns interoperability, the effectiveness of the maritime component depends on clearly identified capabilities, equipment and training. Due to the fact that troop contributors have different types of equipment and procedures in communications, the Maritime Task Force has no common means for data exchange and uses commercial satellites as a primary means to meet minimum military requirements. In conclusion, multinationality can be a factor of strength for United Nations peace operations and will work as a force multiplier if certain conditions are met. The key words are unity of command and synergy of efforts. At this point, please allow me to convey to members how greatly the Mission has benefited from the unwavering support it has received over the years from the Council.”

    2012-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6789 (2012) · source

  4. “Multinationality below that level is recommended only for specific tasks, such as in the case of the Slovenian "human terrain" detachment, consisting of 11 troops, together with the Italian brigades, or the Timor-Leste team, also composed of 11 troops, dealing with logistic support within the Portuguese engineer company. A final challenge relates to the UNIFIL Maritime Task Force, which currently comprises nine ships from six different countries, supported by two helicopters. The rotation periods of ships differ by country, ranging from one month to two years. To improve efficiency and institutional knowledge, it will be useful to standardize the rotation cycle of maritime units to a minimum level of from four to six months.”

    2012-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6789 (2012) · source

  5. “Currently, UNIFIL land forces consist of nine manoeuvre battalions, seven of which belong to a single troop-contributing country and two of which can be considered multinational, namely, the Irish-Finnish battalion and the Spanish battalion with a small unit from El Salvador. Based on experience gained on the ground, I can say that the ideal solution would be to have homogeneous battalions. But a multinational battalion with different nationality sub-units, at the company level of around 150 troops, would also be manageable and very effective.”

    2012-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6789 (2012) · source

  6. “As was highlighted in the recently conducted strategic review, a third challenge lies in the integration of the civilian and military components, both within the Mission and in securing better integration of efforts among UNIFIL, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon and the United Nations country team. In order to strengthen and institutionalize the relationship between the political and military leadership of UNIFIL, a civilian has been appointed as Deputy Head of Mission and a comprehensive and integrated Mission planning mechanism is being instituted. For that purpose, an integrated Mission planning team led by the newly appointed Deputy Head of Mission has been established. Fourthly, it is essential to accommodate multinationality in the composition of land forces.”

    2012-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6789 (2012) · source

  7. “The United Nations generic infantry battalion manual, recently developed by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations - a battalion being an infantry unit with manpower of about 750 troops - provides an essential tool for troop contributors, both during predeployment preparations and in operational employment. Secondly, in building multinational forces, a capability-driven approach to generating resources is essential. Our focus in UNIFIL will be on quality-oriented strategies, instead of quantity. Interoperability of material and equipment is required to maximize operational efficiency. Clear operational standards would also help new contributor counties to develop national capacities in order to serve in UNIFIL or similar United Nations peacekeeping operations.”

    2012-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6789 (2012) · source

  8. “It is a testimony to the concerted efforts of nations to promote stability in southern Lebanon. In order to ensure interoperability and sound cooperation among military personnel, it is important to ensure that members of the Force are able to communicate among themselves - in our case in English. Also, the diverse backgrounds and varying approaches that troops bring from their past national, regional or non-UnitedNations multinational operational experiences tend to bear on the way they tackle operational challenges. That reality has highlighted the need for a comprehensive doctrinal body, comprising manuals, policies and standard operating procedures.”

    2012-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6789 (2012) · source

  9. “UNIFIL also continues to work closely with the Lebanese Armed Forces through the strategic dialogue, with a View to increasing the capacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces to assume effective and sustainable security control of the UNIFIL area of operations and Lebanese territorial waters. The focus remains on leveraging all those initiatives towards achieving a move to a permanent ceasefire. I shall now turn to the specific challenges ofleading a composite force towards common operational goals. First, I would like to reflect on the multinational nature of UNIFIL and some of the key lessons learned in that regard. Surely, there are challenges in leading and coordinating troops from 39 different countries from the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, Central America and South America. Above all, however, multinationality is an added value.”

    2012-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6789 (2012) · source

  10. “As members are aware, in an effort to ensure that the Mission is configured more appropriately to fulfil its mandated tasks, UNIFIL is in the process of implementing the recommendations of the strategic review that was conducted by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations pursuant to resolution 2004 (2011). In implementing the military capability study conducted from 27 November to 7 December 2011, UNIFIL is reviewing the possibility of troop adjustments, in coordination with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, with a view to having leaner but no less capable forces, while ensuring that the Force's ability to discharge its mandated tasks is preserved and consistent with the priorities identified by the strategic review.”

    2012-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6789 (2012) · source

  11. “The UNIFIL area of operations can be considered very small - 64 kilometres in width and 40 kilometres in depth, totalling 1,026 square kilometers - and bordered by the l20-kilometre-long Blue Line to the south and south-east. The Litani River, in the north, and a 34-kilometre-long coastline along the Mediterranean Sea, in the west, define the shape of the area of operations. With the exception of the Plain of Tyre, the terrain is undulating, with a series of steep hills and deep valleys, making it an area very difficult to control. The area of maritime operations extends 110 nautical miles from north to south along the Lebanese coastline, and approximately 45 nautical miles east to- est, for a total size of 5,000 square miles.”

    2012-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6789 (2012) · source

  12. “UNIFIL also has an important, albeit small, civilian component, consisting of about 1,000 civilian staff, including approximately 660 national civilian staff members. In addition, I can also count on capabilities provided by the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization Observer Group Lebanon, which is composed of 48 military observers. Both military and civilian components work closely together in implementing the Mission's mandate under resolution 1701 (2006). It is also important to mention that, in addition to ensuring close collaboration among the different components, the Force works in close cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces, carrying out an average of 10 to 12 per cent of operational activities jointly every day.”

    2012-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6789 (2012) · source

  13. “Major General Serra: It is an honour for me, as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), to be given this opportunity to address the Security Council today on the challenges of leading a composite force towards common operational goals. I shall elaborate on the subject of my presentation by first outlining aspects of the complexity of UNIFIL. I shall then turn to some of the key challenges inherent in a composite force, how those may impact the implementation of UNIFIL's mandate, and possible ways to address them. Let me first underline the complexity of the Mission. As of June, the total military strength of UNIFIL stood at approximately 12,000 soldiers, from 39 troop- contributing countries.”

    2012-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6789 (2012) · source