the process of security sector reform - ISAC Fund

George Katsirdakis SECURITY SECTOR REFORM FROM A NATO VIEWPOINT
George Katsirdakis SECURITY SECTOR REFORM FROM A NATO VIEWPOINT
Reserve Forces
These forces, where they exist, are meant to be forces which have been trained
and prepared for action, although they are not active forces. Their role, if they
are called up to action, is to augment the active forces in cases of emergency.
Local Security Units
These are forces for internal security such as the Home Guard, and are either
part of the Armed Forces, or special units, many times under the control of the
Ministry of Interior.
CIVIL MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT BODIES
An indispensable requirement for the smooth functioning of the security sector
is the active presence, management and oversight of the various organisations
authorised to use force. Without their active involvement there is the danger
that the sector could go out of control and could lead to totalitarian regimes
and not to a democratic state. The system of checks and balances is a necessary
characteristic of a democratic state.
A very important role in this respect is played by the Office of the Head of State.
In some countries the Head of State has increased responsibilities, and in a few,
like in the United States, the Head of State is the actual Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces. In other countries, the Head of State has a more ceremonial
role and although the Head of State may still be the Commander-in-Chief, he
or she does not exercise any real command. The actual command authority in
these cases is either in the hands of the Government or directly in the hands of
the security sector organisations.
In most democratic states, the democratically elected Government, from the
Prime Minister, to the related Ministers and the various Government advisory
bodies, are heavily involved in the management and oversight of all the
various organisations of the security sector that are authorised to use force.
The government bodies involved in these functions normally are the Prime
Minister’s Office, the National Security and Defence Advisory Bodies, the
National Security Councils, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Interior,
the Ministry of Public Order, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of
National Economy, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry
of Transports and Communications and other government bodies, as the case
may be for individual countries. All these are considered bodies that have some
direct or indirect role in the security sector.
Another important oversight component of the security sector is the Parliament
which normally exercises oversight through passing legislation related to the
security sector, through special committees, special parliamentary hearings
and debates, and through the process of approval of the budgets of the various
organisations of the security sector. Extremely important in this respect is to have
parliamentarians that have good knowledge and understanding of the structure,
the functions and the requirements of the various actors of the security sector. It is
also very important for the parliamentarians to have staffers who are well versed
on security-sector-related issues and who can support the parliamentarians in
their consideration of those issues.
Finally, another important oversight and management actor of the security
sector is the Judiciary authority. It is through them that action can be taken to
penalise security sector organisations which are not fully in line with the laws
and regulations of the state. The presence of the Judiciary and the relentless
insistence on respect of the state legislation acts as an important deterrent for
those organisations of the security sector that may be considering taking action
not totally compatible with the state legislation.
CIVIL SOCIETY ACTORS
In addition to the state-related actors already discussed, another very important
actor in the field of the security sector is the set of the civil society actors which
in a democratic state has a key role in the context of questioning the way the
various state-related actors operate and on the way the tax-payers money is
spent to maintain and run the various organisations of the security sector.
This category usually includes bodies such as professional organisations, nongovernmental
organisations (NGO’s), advocacy organisations, the media,
various religious organisations and various groups of concerned public.
In a well governed democratic state the state-related actors should be open and
transparent on their structure, missions, functions and budget utilisation without
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