promoting the value of reservists

A-CR-007-000/ag-003 Alliance PROMOTING THE VALUE OF RESERVISTS
Canadian peacekeepers in Golan Heights
By Capt MARK PEEBLES
Task Force Middle East
The violence which has engulfed
Syria for the past year has affected the
lives of many in the region – including
Canadian Forces (CF) members deployed
on Operation JADE to observe
the ceasefire between Syria and Israel.
For the five CF members deployed
with Observer Group Golan (OGG) life
is tense, but they continue to ensure
peace alongside international partners.
They credit their training and previous
deployed experiences for their continued
success as the United Nations’ ‘eyes and
ears’ in the Golan Heights in spite of the
turbulence in Syria.
OGG is a detachment of the UN
Truce Supervision Organization
(UNTSO). UNTSO was set up in May
1948, as the first ever peacekeeping operation
and has been present on the Golan
Heights since 1967, despite the October
War of 1973.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sean Nashrudi,
as Commander of OGG lives in the Syrian
capital of Damascus, and commutes
to his workplace at Camp Faouar in the
Golan Heights. So does Lieutenant
(Navy) Travis Moore, another CF member
deployed on Operation JADE as a
UN Military Observer (UNMO) with
OGG.
Despite periods of conflict during
UNTSO’s history as the longest-running
UN mission, LCol Nashrudi says that
OGG was traditionally a relatively quiet
mission where UNMOs enjoyed liberal
freedom of movement within the Golan
Heights and the rest of Syria. Similarly,
the interaction with the Syrian Armed
Forces was a predictable affair if not
always easy.
www.cflc.forces.gc.ca
UN Observers meet challenges amid unrest in Syria
Now, that is no longer the case. In
addition to the growing level of armed
civil unrest and the threat of roadside
bombs, LCol Nashrudi and his fellow
CF members operating in the Golan
Heights find dealing with the Syrian
Armed Forces an increasingly unpredictable
experience.
LCol Nashrudi, a Reservist from the
Royal Montreal Regiment, himself has
dealt with harassment and threats from
Syrians officials who concentrate more
on the Canadian flag on his shoulder
than his blue beret. He says he has had
to remind and reassure local civilians
and government officials that he is there
working for the UN.
“It’s a very tense, very fluid environment
when dealing with the Syrian
Armed Forces,” he says. “You never
know how you will be received on the
(Syrian)-side. It’s challenging for unarmed
soldiers.”
The CF members working in Syria
have adjusted their operations as a result
of the changing security environment.
They have severely curtailed travel
within Syria, and have deemed highthreat
areas in and around Damascus
out-of-bounds indefinitely. CF members
were at one time temporarily relocated
to the UN installations in the Golan
Heights recently, as the security situation
within Damascus deteriorated. As
well, they now keep their personal protective
equipment an arm’s length away
everywhere they go.
The security situation in Syria is not
the only challenge that the Op JADE
members of OGG confront as they supervise
the ceasefire between Syria and
Israel. There is also the challenge of
working for two separate UN organizations
– UNTSO and the United Nations
Disengagement Observer Force
(UNDOF). UNTSO acts as the force
generator of UNMOs to the UN military
operations in the Middle East while UN-
DOF, acts as the force employer to observe
and inspect the compliance of the
ceasefire between Syria and Israel. The
multinational character of the UNMOs
from 26 different nationalities adds to
the challenge of leading OGG as a coherent
force.
Another challenge is the complexity
of operating across overlapping national
boundaries that include the sovereign
territories of Syria, Israel and the occupied
territories of the Golan Heights.
Each has their own peculiar situation
and cultural/ethnic quirks which, if ignored,
can yield disastrous consequences.
Other Op JADE members that serve
with the OGG include Maj Sam Perreault,
Maj Jeremy Watts and Capt John
Hooyer. Capt Adrian Bishop of Op
JADE is posted to UNTSO HQ in Jerusalem
as the personal Staff Officer to the
UNTSO Head of Mission. The last two
members of Op JADE, Maj Robert
Saunders and Capt Scott Stevens, serve
with the Observer Group Lebanon as the
Military Information officer and the
(Victor) Team Leader, respectively. Although
the long distance between the
members of the Op JADE creates command
and control challenges, it enables
the CF to contribute to the UNTSO operations
in a more holistic manner.
LCol Nashrudi is extremely proud of
the positive contribution of the Op
JADE team, particularly in the face of
these challenges. He points to the innovations
that the CF members have undertaken,
such as the initiative to update
the operational Standard Operating Pro-
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