Military Staff Committee
Encyclopedia
The Military Staff Committee (MSC) is the United Nations
Security Council
subsidiary body whose role, as defined by the United Nations Charter
, is to plan UN military operations and assist in the regulation of armaments.
The greatest purpose of the MSC, arising from Article 45 of the UN Charter, was intended to be providing command staff for a set of air-force contingents. These contingents, provided by the Permanent 5 members (P5) of the Security Council (the People's Republic of China
,
France
, Russia
, the United Kingdom
, and the United States
) to be held at ready for the discretionary use of the United Nations.
, it is actually established by Article 47, which defines the membership of the Committee as "the Chiefs of Staff of the permanent members of the Security Council or their representatives". It is also referred to in the first United Nations Security Council resolution
. The MSC is the only subsidiary body of the Security Council
named in the Charter, and by far the longest-standing subsidiary council of the UN. The MSC remains active in the UN as a cadre of military advisors to their government's diplomats and peacekeeping
.
began in the wake of World War II
many of the then intended functions of the UN were degraded or set aside, as evidenced by the rarity of binding actions taken during that period. States became paralyzed in taking concrete actions for peace, as they were increasingly concerned about controlling their "spheres of influence". Containment of Communism became the focus of the USA, while Europe was locked into a stalement with an "iron curtain" closing off East from West.
One of the other results of this period was that no member nation ever made the promised forces ready, despite their commitment to do so in the charter. Consequently, both Article 45 and the MSC are often considered to be a "dormant" part of the United Nations structure.
, naval
and air force
representatives from the P5 who meet every 14 days at the headquarters building of the UN in New York
. Additional United Nation members are included in meetings regarding peacekeeping operations in which their country's forces are deployed.
and the subsequent lack of cooperation between the NATO and Warsaw Pact
nations. The MSC has therefore had very limited activity in the past 50 years of its existence. The Military Staff Committee was therefore perhaps accurately described by British naval historian, Dr. Eric Grove
, as "a sterile monument to the faded hopes of the founders of the UN". Proposals for reviving the Military Staff Committee have been presented, often in relation to the larger issue of UN reform.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
subsidiary body whose role, as defined by the United Nations Charter
United Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
, is to plan UN military operations and assist in the regulation of armaments.
The greatest purpose of the MSC, arising from Article 45 of the UN Charter, was intended to be providing command staff for a set of air-force contingents. These contingents, provided by the Permanent 5 members (P5) of the Security Council (the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
,
France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) to be held at ready for the discretionary use of the United Nations.
Establishment of the MSC
Though the Military Staff Committee is referred to in the Charter prior to its formal establishment, including in Article 26 and earlier Articles in Chapter 7Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace...
, it is actually established by Article 47, which defines the membership of the Committee as "the Chiefs of Staff of the permanent members of the Security Council or their representatives". It is also referred to in the first United Nations Security Council resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1, adopted without a vote on January 25, 1946, called for the Military Staff Committee to meet for the first time in London on February 1, 1946. The Committee was to be composed of the Chiefs of Staff of the military organizations of the five permanent...
. The MSC is the only subsidiary body of the Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
named in the Charter, and by far the longest-standing subsidiary council of the UN. The MSC remains active in the UN as a cadre of military advisors to their government's diplomats and peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
.
"Failure" and Dormancy of the MSC
As the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
began in the wake of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
many of the then intended functions of the UN were degraded or set aside, as evidenced by the rarity of binding actions taken during that period. States became paralyzed in taking concrete actions for peace, as they were increasingly concerned about controlling their "spheres of influence". Containment of Communism became the focus of the USA, while Europe was locked into a stalement with an "iron curtain" closing off East from West.
One of the other results of this period was that no member nation ever made the promised forces ready, despite their commitment to do so in the charter. Consequently, both Article 45 and the MSC are often considered to be a "dormant" part of the United Nations structure.
Organisation of the MSC
The MSC consists of armyArmy
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, naval
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
and air force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
representatives from the P5 who meet every 14 days at the headquarters building of the UN in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Additional United Nation members are included in meetings regarding peacekeeping operations in which their country's forces are deployed.
The Current MSC Representatives
the current MSC Representatives are:- People's Republic of China: Major GeneralMajor GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Liu Pei - France: Brigadier GeneralBrigadier GeneralBrigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Dominique Trinquand - Russian Federation: Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Nikolai M. Ivanov, Russian Federation Armed Forces - United Kingdom: Major GeneralMajor GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Peter Gilchrist, British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England... - United States: Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
John F. SattlerJohn F. SattlerLieutenant General John F. Sattler, United States Marine Corps, was the Director of Strategic Plans and Policy, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was also concurrently the United States' representative to the Military Staff Committee of the United Nations....
, United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Chairmanship of the MSC
The chairmanship of the MSC rotates in alphabetical order (by country name) at the beginning of each month through the representatives of the P5 members.A dormant body
Though its role is to plan UN military operations, in practice this power was nipped in the bud shortly after the development of the UN due to the tensions of the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and the subsequent lack of cooperation between the NATO and Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
nations. The MSC has therefore had very limited activity in the past 50 years of its existence. The Military Staff Committee was therefore perhaps accurately described by British naval historian, Dr. Eric Grove
Eric Grove
Eric Grove is a British naval historian and defence analyst who teaches at the University of Salford in Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom.-Biography:...
, as "a sterile monument to the faded hopes of the founders of the UN". Proposals for reviving the Military Staff Committee have been presented, often in relation to the larger issue of UN reform.
External links
- http://www.gmu.edu/academic/pcs/moller.htm
- http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/peacekpg/reform/2001/msc.htm
- http://pksoi.army.mil/PKM/publications/perspective/perspectivereview.cfm?perspectiveID=5