Civil-Military operations course to be held at defense college in DR Congo

A "Key Leader Civil-Military Operations Course" will be taught this week at the College des Hautes Etudes de Stategie et de Defense (CHASD).

Sponsored by the United States Department of State, the course is taught by a team of retired U.S. senior military officers who have extensive civil-military operations (CMO) experience.

The purpose of CMO is to enhance the relations between the civilian population and the military, to strengthen good governance, and to increase the professionalism of the FARDC and create military forces that are responsive and accountable to citizens.

Among several CMO specific course topics are segments on human rights, the prevention of illicit trafficking (human, narcotics, weapons, and contraband), and the prevention of child soldiers.

Thirty senior level FARDC officers will participate in the course where they will also learn about CMO best practices and discuss successful and unsuccessful CMO case studies.

(With Inputs from APO)