Two senior international officers attending the recent DIILS “Peacekeeping: Latest Developments” course will soon have the opportunity to directly apply what they’ve learned to a real-world peacekeeping mission.
Brigadier General Robert Koroma, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, and Brigadier General Samuel Williams, Joint Force Commander, Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, are currently preparing a company for deployment in support of UNAMID, the joint African Union/United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur. This initial deployment will be followed by an additional company, and potentially a battalion in 2010.
For Brigadier General Williams, the PKLD course served as excellent preparation for Sierra Leone’s  efforts to support UNAMID. General Williams commented that “The case study on Darfur provided me with insight on peacekeeping operations in-theatre.”
The two-week DIILS “Peacekeeping: Latest Developments” (PKLD) course concentrates on the latest legal and organizational developments in the field of peacekeeping. PKLD students experience direct interaction with officials from the United Nations, peacekeeping partner nations, and U.S. subject matter experts in peacekeeping operations. The program is intended for senior civilian officials, faculty members of national peacekeeping training centers or war colleges, staff military legal advisors, and those who have a need to be current in trends and developments in preparation for impending assignments in peacekeeping operations. The course includes a 4-day New York City trip highlighted by a visit to the United Nations and meetings with country missions.