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Attack Helicopters: Key Enablers for Peace Enforcement and the Protection of Civilians

2023; Springer International Publishing; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/978-3-031-38596-4_4

2752-857X

A. Walter Dorn,

Global Peace and Security Dynamics

In the twenty-first century, the multidimensional peace operations of the United Nations have been mandated to protect civilians under imminent threat of attack, with the usual caveat of “within mission capabilities and areas of deployment.” Too often, however, UN operations do not have sufficient capabilities to respond to threats and impending attacks. In particular, stopping an attack that is imminent or underway requires robust forces and special equipment, as well as a means for rapid transit and precise movement. In theory, air power provides such capacities but it is under-used and under-evaluated, especially systems like attack helicopters. This chapter presents a case study from the mission in the Central African Republic to highlight the actual use of attack helicopters. In 2017, these UN helicopters from Senegal stopped armed attacks on Bambari and, in an impartial manner, helped defuse a threatening situation within the town. The chapter demonstrates how attack helicopters have proven very useful, while also identifying key shortcomings and pitfalls. It draws upon interviews with UN leaders and field visits, in addition to UN documents and the academic/practitioner literature. This case shows how air power can help future UN peace operations apply force effectively to achieve the appropriate balance between peacekeeping and peace enforcement for the protection of civilians.