Military operations other than war (MOOTW) focus on deterring war, resolving conflict, promoting peace, and supporting civil authorities in response to domestic crises. The phrase and acronym were coined by the United States military during the 1990s, but it has since fallen out of use. The UK military has crafted an equivalent or alternate term, ''peace support operations'' (PSO). Both MOOTW and PSO encompass peacekeeping, peacemaking, peace enforcement and peace building. The
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
developed a similar concept based on MOOTW, known as "Non-War Military Activities," which expanded on MOOTW and includes a range of activities characterized as "Confrontational," "Law Enforcement," "Aid & Rescue," or "Cooperative" in nature.
MOOTW not involving the use or threat of force include humanitarian assistance and
disaster response. Special agreements exist which facilitate fire support operations within NATO and the ABCA quadripartite working group, which includes American, British, Canadian and Australian military contingents. Cooperation is organized in advance with NATO standardisation agreements (STANAGs) and quadripartite standardisation agreements (QSTAGs). Many countries which need disaster support relief have no bilateral agreements already in place; and action may be required, based on the situation, to establish such agreements.
MOOTW also involves
arms control
Arms control is a term for international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. Arms control is typically exercised through th ...
and
peacekeeping
Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare.
Within the United ...
.
The United Nations (UN) recognises the vulnerability of civilians in armed conflict. Security Council resolution 1674 (2006) on the protection of civilians in armed conflict enhances international focused attention on the protection of civilians in UN and other peace operations. The implementation of paragraph 16 anticipates that peacekeeping missions are provided with clear guidelines regarding what missions can and should do to achieve protection goals; that the protection of civilians is given priority in decisions about the use of resources; and that protection mandates are implemented.
[Australia, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade]
Peacekeeping and Related Peace Operations
Overview
MOOTW purposes may include deterring potential aggressors, protecting national interests and support the United Nations (UN) objectives.
Peacetime and conflict represent two states of the range of military operations.
* Peacetime is a state in which diplomatic, economic, informational, and military powers are employed in combination with each other to achieve national objectives.
* Conflict is a unique environment in which the military works closely with diplomatic leaders to control hostilities; and the national objective is focused on the goal of returning to peacetime conditions.
Planners are challenged to find ways to resolve or work around unique arrays of inter-related constraints, e.g., issues related to budgeting, training and force structure. The uncertainties which are inherent or implied include the varying political aspects which are likely to affect unanticipated MOOTW.
[Taw, Jennifer Morris]
"Planning for Military Operations Other Than War: Lessons from US Army Efforts,"
''Australian Defence Force Journal'', No. 134, January/February 1999. pp. 57–68.
Australia
The Australian Defence Forces has turned attention to the study and understanding of a changing geo-strategic environment. MOOTW becomes more important where the options for traditional application of military instruments are growing more limited.
Australian participation in UN peacekeeping operations began in 1947.
Select Australian deployments
* 1947
UN Consular Commission to Indonesia
* 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake ("
Operation Sumatra Assist"): Emergency relief and medical assistance.
Current Australian deployments include the
UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA); the
UN Assistance Mission for Iraq
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) was formed on 14 August 2003 by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1500 at the request of the Iraqi government to support national development efforts.
UNAMI's mandate includes ...
(UNAMI); the
UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP); the
UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO); the
UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT); the
UN Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS); and the
UN–African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).
Canada
The curriculum of Canada's military training programs includes MOOTW. Canadian peacekeeping is well publicised in Canada.
Select Canadian deployments
* Cyprus, 1960s
* Congo, 1960s
China
The non-traditional missions of the Chinese armed forces have evolved as an increasingly used tool of statecraft.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) established specialized forces for military operations other than war. In the 2013 Science of Military Strategy, PLA writers articulated a Non-War Military Activities (NWMA) concept based on MOOTW which emphasizes "Confrontational," "Law Enforcement," "Aid & Rescue," and "Cooperative" military activities as a source of military strength alongside traditional deterrence and warfighting.
Select Chinese deployments
* Somali pirates, 2009: Naval escort missions in waters off Somalia.
Japan
The military in Japan is affected by Japan's pacifist post-war constitution. This affects classification of the
''Hyūga'' class helicopter carriers, which are ships of the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). The missions of these ships are limited to "military operations other than war."
Select Japanese deployments
*
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror
, image ...
("Operation Enduring Freedom"), 2003–2009: Ground Self-Defense Forces, water purification near Basra; Air Self-Defence Forces, cargo and personnel transport; Maritime Self-Defence Forces, supply ships servicing the international flotilla.
United Kingdom
The prescience of Sir
Julian Corbett (1854–1922) and his strategic point of view are reflected in contemporary applications of MOOTW, which extend and reinvigorate Corbettian formulations.
The evolution of British tactics in the
Malayan Emergency (1948–1960) illustrates lessons learned the hard way. The British developed a strategy with elements similar to "military operations other than warfare." Lieutenant General Sir
Harold Briggs proposed "two key goals to accomplish in order to end the insurgency—first, to protect the population, and second to isolate them from the guerrillas."
[Hamby, Joel E]
"Civil-military operations: joint doctrine and the Malayan Emergency,"
''Joint Force Quarterly'', Autumn 2002.
British peacekeeping troops in Bosnia in the late 1990s attended to similar objectives in a process of re-establishing "normalcy."
[Brady, Pamela J]
"Joint Endeavor—The Role of Civil Affairs."
''Joint Force Quarterly.'' Summer 1997.
Selected British deployments
* 1948–1960
Malayan Emergency.
* 1995 post-
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...
("Operation Deliberate Force").
United States
In
United States military
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...
doctrine
Doctrine (from la, Wikt:doctrina, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification (law), codification of beliefs or a body of teacher, teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given ...
, military operations other than war include the use of military capabilities across a range of operations that fall short of war. Because of political considerations, MOOTW operations normally have more restrictive
rules of engagement (ROE) than in war.
Although the MOOTW acronym is new, the concepts are not. The
RAND database identifies 846 military operations other than war between 1916 and 1996 in which the US Air Force or its predecessors played a noteworthy role.
Select American deployments
*
2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake: Emergency relief and medical assistance.
* 1990–1994 Operation Promote Liberty: Occupation and peacekeeping mission in Panama after the 1989
United States invasion of Panama.
* 1991
Operation Eastern Exit: Noncombatant evacuation operation to evacuate diplomatic staff and civilians, from the US and 29 other countries, from the
US Embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia as the city plunged into near-anarchy during the
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War ( so, Dagaalkii Sokeeye ee Soomaaliya; ar, الحرب الأهلية الصومالية ) is an ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta which was led by Siad Ba ...
.
* 2001–2014
Operation Enduring Freedom: Bush Doctrine continuous operation across numerous countries, mainly Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
*
2011 military intervention in Libya: UN-authorized no-fly zone enforcement in defense of rebel factions in Libya.
Singapore
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) anticipates a continuing need for conventional military competence into the foreseeable future, but missions in which the use of minimal force is the rule rather than the exception are expected to grow in importance. Proficiency in MOOTW requires a much greater and somewhat different set of skill sets than traditional war-fighting. In this context, the SAF is developing new training programmes for small unit leaders. The process of educating and preparing a professional SAF capable of handling a wide spectrum of operations anticipates an increase in MOOTW.
These men will need to ready to become "peacekeepers, goodwill ambassadors and winners of hearts and minds."
[Weichong, Ong]
"More than Warfighters: Role of 'Strategic Corporals' in the SAF,"
''RSIS Commentaries'' (S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore). 12 January 2009.
In 1999, the Singapore contingent of UN peacekeepers in
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-we ...
was the most extensive MOOTW mission attempted by the SAF. The commitment included three landing ship tanks (LSTs), medical teams, C-130s, military observers and logistics support.
[Ho, Joshua and Manjeet S. Pardesi]
"Singapore's Security Challenges: How Does the RMA Fit In?"
''RSIS Commentaries.'' 23 July 2004.
Select Singapore deployments
*
United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor, 1999–2002. Peacekeeping, medical assistance, logistical support.
* 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami, Aceh Province, Sumatra, Indonesia ("Operation Flying Eagle" or OFE): Emergency relief, medical assistance and temporary relocation of victims.
Sweden
Select Swedish deployments
* Swedish Armed Forces conducted supporting operations during the
Forest fires of 2014 and 2018.
*
Operation Gloria
Operation Gloria was a Swedish military operation conducted in support of handling the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden.
Background
Sweden's first case of COVID-19 was discovered in January 2020. The 11th of March, the Swedish Public Health Agenc ...
, 2020–''ongoing''. Supporting Swedish civil authorities during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden.
India
The
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four ...
is tasked with many operations other than war such as
Operation Sadbhavana (Goodwill) in
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory
* Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
and Operation Samaritan in
north-east India. Operation Sadbhavana aims to limit the alienation faced by the population and infrastructure destruction in Jammu and Kashmir in areas where the government administration has not been successful due to insurgency. Welfare initiatives include
Army Goodwill Schools
The Army Goodwill Schools is a system of schools in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in India, which is run by Indian Army. There are 45 schools established by the Indian Army, as a part of goodwill initiative in Jammu and Kashmir.
Currently, the N ...
, educational and motivational tours, health camps, women and youth empowerment and infrastructure development.
The Indian defence forces also takes part in various
UN Peacekeeping missions.
See also
*
Counter-insurgency
Counterinsurgency (COIN) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionar ...
*
Fourth-generation warfare
*
Low intensity conflict
*
Grey-zone (international relations)
Notes
References
* Bonn, Keith E. and Anthony E Baker. (2000). ''Guide to Military Operations Other than War: Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Stability and Support operations, Domestic and International.'' Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. ;
* Frantzen, Henning-A. (2005). ''NATO and peace support operations, 1991–1999: policies and doctrines.'' London:
Routledge
Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, ...
.
* Segal, Hugh. (2005). ''Geopolitical Integrity''.
Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP). ;
"U.S. Joint Doctrine, Joint Force Employment Briefing Modules."* Vick, Allen, John William Stillion and Abram N. Shulsky. (1997). ''Preparing the U.S. Air Force for Operations Other than War.'' Santa Monica, California: RAND. ;
{{Use British English, date=July 2015
Military terminology