The Standby High-Readiness Brigade (SHIRBRIG) was a Danish-led initiative associated with the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

that aimed to create a standby force ready for peacekeeping. It was formed largely as a result of the genocide in Rwanda and other atrocities. Its permanent headquarters were in Garderkasernen (Garder barracks), Høvelte 30 kilometres north of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. It was declared ready for operations on January 1, 2000, and deployed to the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

in November 2000 to form the core of the UN Mission in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

and

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

(

UNMEE The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) was established by the United Nations Security Council in July 2000 to monitor a ceasefire in the border war that began in 1998 between Ethiopia and Eritrea. First military troops Nethe ...

) under the command of

Royal Netherlands Marine Corps The Netherlands Marine Corps ( nl, Korps Mariniers) is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The marines trace their origins back to the establishment of the on 10 December 1665, by the then grand pensionary of the Dutc ...

Major General

Patrick Cammaert Major General Patrick Cammaert (, born April 11, 1950, Nijmegen) is a retired

. The Brigade returned from that mission six months later and began a training cycle. It announced that it would again be ready for action as of January 1, 2002. Cammaert's appointment expired in November, 2002, but was extended at least once. Later commanders included Brig. Gen. Sten Edholm (Sweden), and Brig Gen Greg Mitchell (Canada).Robin Hughes, 'New commander for SHIRBRIG,' Jane's Defence Weekly, 7 January 2004, p.7 The Brigade comprised a number of troops varying between four and five thousand, drawn from units pledged by eleven countries:

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. The nations that contributed to SHIRBRIG had the right to opt out of any operation. For example, when the UNMEE was formed,

and

opted out for financial reasons. The Brigade expected to operate independently at a considerable distance from support for up to 60 days. It stood ready for deployment from point of embarkation at 15 to 30 days' notice. Its deployment will be limited to six months duration, after which the mission will either be terminated or other forces will replace the Brigade. Other operations the Brigade took part in were planning ECOWAS's operation in

Cote d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

, and forming the Interim Headquarters of the

United Nations Mission in Liberia The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was a peacekeeping operation established in September 2003 to monitor a ceasefire agreement in Liberia following the resignation of President Charles Taylor and the conclusion of the Second Liberia ...

. The Brigade ceased all operational activities on June 30, 2009 and closed down the organization. The Brigade's files were given to the U.S. Army's Peacekeeping & Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI) at Carlisle Barracks, PA and are located at the adjacent Army Heritage Education Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA. Interview, Dr. Karen Finkenbinder, PKSOI, Director of Research in 2009.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official websiteTen Years of SHIRBRIG-Research PaperSHIRBRIG: The Future of Canada's Contribution to UN Peace Operations?
Canadian Forces Journal, 8, 2.

Multinational army units and formations Military units and formations established in the 2000s Military units and formations disestablished in 2009 Military units involved in UN peacekeeping missions