Start of the 33rd International Military Observer Course
Szöveg: Ilona Kelemen | 2017. május 30. 9:00With the participation of twenty students from six countries, the 33rd International Military Observer Course (IMOC) has started at the Hungarian Defence Forces Peace Support Training Centre (HDF PSTC) in Szolnok. The training was opened by HDF PSTC Commander Col. László Drót.
Besides Hungarians, the twenty participants of the three-week course include students from Egypt, France, Israel, Macedonia and Germany. The program of the course has been prepared in accordance with the guidelines and training materials issued by the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UN DPKO), so it conforms to the strict UN training standards and requirements in all respects.
In the first week of the course, the training audience primarily attends classroom lessons on patrolling, investigative procedures and information gathering, which provide a solid basis for the successful conduct of subsequent practical sessions and exercises. Among other things, the students are introduced to the fundamental principles of UN peacekeeping, the process of establishing missions and the task systems of different organizations participating in peacekeeping operations. As the military observers are unarmed, special attention is paid to negotiation techniques, the use of language assistants and cultural awareness.
The practical exercises include voice procedures in English for radio communication, observation post duty, mine awareness session, complex patrol activity and air recce by helicopter. At the end of the training, the students take part in a final exercise to demonstrate the knowledge gained.
On completion of the course, the career and contract officers of the Hungarian Defence Forces will be given opportunities to serve abroad in military observer missions led by the UN, the OSCE, the EU and other international organizations, or in other peace support operations.
After the opening of the IMOC, Lt.-Col. Attila Selmeczi (HDF Joint Force Command) spoke about the military career path of former course instructor Posthumous Lt.-Col. Róbert Kiss, and then the participants laid a wreath by the lieutenant-colonel’s memorial site. On 23 May 2006, the training chief of the HDF 1st EOD and Warship Regiment lost his life in a bomb disposal accident while making preparations for a mine awareness training session during the 13th International Military Observer Course at the HDF PSTC.
Photos: Tünde Sebők and the author
