UNDERSTAND TO PREVENT #2 (U2P2) Multinational Capability Development Campaign (MCDC) 15-16 UNDERSTAND TO PREVENT #2 (U2P2) Project Lead Contributors Observer WHO IS PARTICIPATING? WHAT IS THE MULTINATIONAL CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT CAMPAIGN? The MCDC series is a multinational force development initiative that focuses on collaboratively developing concepts and capabilities to address the challenges associated with conducting coalition and multinational operations. It contributes to multinational capability development by identifying and evaluating potential solutions to coalition and multinational capability gaps. One of the main focus areas in the MCDC 2015-16 cycle of Building and Maintaining Regional Security is ‘Awareness and Understanding’. It is common for actors involved in ‘upstream’ efforts to prevent violent conflict to have no shared understanding of the problems facing them. U2P2 is the follow-on phase of the 2013-14 U2P project that is exploring how military forces can contribute to the upstream (early) prevention of violent conflict and how the relevant actors might forge a common approach. U2P2 - DESIRED OUTCOME Building on the prevention concepts developed in the academic field of peace and conflict studies and how they might be applied by military forces – as outlined in the U2P 2013-14 think piece – U2P2 aims to produce a handbook that will help military personnel (i.e. strategic and operational planners) develop the responses to the violent conflict they are seeking to prevent. These responses are then intended to be integrated in to the comprehensive solution as a military contribution, as required, from the outset. Through a common and complementary understanding of the problem, and the possible military contribution to the solution, the desired outcome is to achieve greater success in the prevention of violent conflict. Approach U2P suggests a sequence for upstream engagement in prevention to help actors develop a common understanding, leading to a common approach: Understand-Engage-Act-Endure-Assess. By firstly consulting widely with non-military actors, and then considering an extensive list of principles and themes and their appropriate application by the military, a handbook will be developed. Principles and themes that cut across all understanding and planning will include conflict transformation, ‘do no harm’ and conflict sensitivity, gender, human security, legitimacy, political will/primacy and the protection of civilians. Case studies will also be referenced to help the mission planning team to conceptualise the potential and/or apparent conflict. The handbook will be tested in a variety of training exercise environments, including peer review. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS The U2P2 project time line extends from May 15 to Dec 16, including the following events: Workshop #1 (23-26 Jun 15, Shrivenham/UK) Workshop #2 (6-8 Oct 15, Riga/LAT) Workshop #3 (26-28 Jan 16, Paris/FRA) LOE – Ex CJSE16 (Apr 16, Enköping/SWE) Workshop #4 (Jun 16, Kingston/CAN) Workshop #5 (Sep 16 TBC, Location TBD) WHAT IS THE BASIS FOR THE U2P2 PLANNING HANDBOOK? The idea of pre-emption or preventing future violent conflict as an upstream activity in which militaries could be involved is being taken more seriously. Many non-military partners are already active in this field. But any military contribution is often too late and misdirected through a lack of understanding of each others abilities. U2P2 provides the opportunity to examine how to reach a common understanding, what military capabilities could be applied while avoiding duplication, at what stage of the process, and how the military reputation across government for conflict management can be enhanced. U2P has laid the theoretical foundation for this evolution, while U2P2 will offer the practical understanding and guidelines of how it might be done. Primary Points of Contact: Lt Col Tom Mallinson ( DCDC-ConceptsLand2@mod.uk ) Mr Eddy Canfor-Dumas ( ecdumas@engi.org.uk ) Further Information Directed to:  MCDC_SECRETARIAT@APAN.ORG Reproduction of this document and unlimited distribution of copies is authorized for personal and non-commercial use only. The use of this work for commercial purposes is prohibited; its translation into other languages and adaptation/modification requires prior written permission. Last updated 22 OCT 2015