The Chilean Joint Peacekeeping Operations Centre ''(Spanish: Centro Conjunto para Operaciones de Paz de Chile)'', also known as CECOPAC (Centro Conjunto para Operaciones de Paz de Chile) is a peacekeeping force led by

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. It was the Chilean aid to the

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

. Led by

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Valentín Segura, the force was pre-set in many situations, including parts of the Afghanistan War.

Background

In 1935,

formed the Neutral Military Committee during the Boreal Chaco conflict between Bolivia and

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

. In 1949 to this day, Chile also joined in the

mission in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. As a part of the UN, Chile decided to send their troops in their events as peacekeepers, not soldiers. Chile served in several other "wars" as peacekeepers following the aftermath. They were also sent to countries that were hostile environments, like

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

, or recently wrecked countries like Haiti. They first really did fighting when in 2003 some of their men were hired as

Private security contractor A private military company (PMC) or private military and security company (PMSC) is a private company providing armed combat or security services for financial gain. PMCs refer to their personnel as "security contractors" or "private military ...

s. From then on, they have been continuing their work under command of

Valentín Segura, who took over the post of director in 2007. Segura, who led Operation Shua Polar I in the

Chilean Antarctic Territory The Chilean Antarctic Territory or Chilean Antarctica (Spanish: ''Territorio Chileno Antártico'', ''Antártica Chilena'') is the territory in Antarctica claimed by Chile. The Chilean Antarctic Territory ranges from 53° West to 90° West and f ...

, also served in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

CECOPAC today

Formed in 2002, CECOPAC replaced the Neutral Military Committee. It serves in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, and wherever else the

tend to launch their peacekeeping missions in.

References

{{Reflist United Nations peacekeeping Military operations other than war 2002 establishments in Chile Military of Chile Chilean Joint Peacekeeping Operations Center personnel