Peacekeeping Operations Center

Following the end of the war in the former Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav Army and the Army of Serbia and Montenegro joined multinational operations in 2002. They participated in UNMISET in East Timor and ONUB in Burundi. In these multinational operations, the officers were individually deployed as military observers.

Deploying individual officers requires the existence of an organizational unit to coordinate activities in selecting staff, logistics, preparing for specific duties and resolving their status.

Since 2002 peacekeeping missions in the military were coordinated by the Section for International Integration and Peace Operations from the Operational Department of the General Staff of the Army of Serbia and Montenegro. On October 14, 2003, this section became the National Center for Peacekeeping Missions, subordinated to the Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Army of Serbia and Montenegro.

The Peacekeeping Operations Center, as the legal successor of the National Center for Peacekeeping Missions, was established on January 1, 2005. Thereafter, it was subordinated to the Joint Operations Command of the General Staff.[1] The Peacekeeping Operations Center celebrates its Day on November 17 in memory of the day when, in 1956, the precursor of the YPA Detachment was sent to the UN Emergency Force (UNEF) in Sinai.

The center has various duties including:

• Selection, training and preparation of personnel and participation in training and preparation
• Monitoring, coordination and control
• Planning, organization, and transport of individuals, units, weapons and equipment
• Planning, organization and execution of national and international courses, seminars and lectures
• Development of criteria for manning units and key staff
• Proposing individuals for training in the country and abroad
• Participate in the selection and development of unit training
• Coordination of the preparation of forces with the organizational units of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff and the relevant entities in the Republic of Serbia and other international entities and organizations.
• Proposing the costs of preparing and deploying individuals and units to participate
• Participate in the assessment of the capabilities of the units for deployment
• Preparation of the Memorandum of Understanding and technical agreements for the deployment of members of the Serbian Armed Forces
• Drafting and amending the normative and legal framework
• Cooperation with peace-support operations, training centers and international organizations
• Cooperation with the MoD and the General Staff in charge of international military cooperation and training.
• Cooperation with international entities for the exchange of ideas and experiences from multinational operations

The center's organizational structure consists of four other departments and one group:

• Department of Human Resources
• Department for Operations and Staff Affairs
• Department for Training
• Department of Support
• Finance Group

1. "Peacekeeping Operations Center (PKOC)". Vojska Srbije (in Serbian).
2. "White Book of Defence" (PDF). Ministarstvo odbrane (in Serbian).
3. "Defence Act". Narodna Skupština (in Serbian).
4. "Serbian Armed Forces Act". Narodna Skupština (in Serbian).
5. "Act on use of Serbian Armed Forces and other defence forces on foreign soil" (PDF). Narodna Skupština (in Serbian).
6. "Regulation on guidelines of internal structure and systematization of formative positions". Vlada Srbije (in Serbian).