During a ceremony at the Italian Embassy in Washington DC, senior officials from Italy and the U.S. signed an agreement to facilitate training in support of peace and stability operations. Brig. Gen. Giovanni Pietro Barbano, Director of the Italian Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU), and Col. Jay Liddick, Director of the US Army’s Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI), represented the two countries in signing the Joint Statement of Cooperation.
“PKSOI has a long, proud history of working with Allies and Partners around the world to address peacekeeping and stabilization challenges,” Liddick said. “I’m honored and humbled by the opportunity to be part of this day, where we recognize and celebrate the great teamwork between the Italian Carabinieri and PKSOI. There is much work to do and we will continue to work hard together.”
Training in support of peace and stability operations is focused on establishing civil security, civil control, rule of law and protection of civilians. The partnership is also intended to develop doctrine and training that will expand the mutual knowledge base of both organizations.
This event formalized an already longstanding relationship between PKSOI and CoESPU that dates back to 2014, when the two organizations first worked together to develop combined training and education activities.
“PKSOI and CoESPU are niche organizations with overlapping mandates that enhance combat capabilities while also ensuring that forces are able to conduct transitional public security as operations transition from combat or conflict to local governance,” Liddick said. He explained that PKSOI and CoESPU share the same goal in preparing national and coalition forces to accomplish the stability activities associated with re-establishing local governance. “Key to this is governance, rule of law, and public safety.”
PKSOI and CoESPU are internationally recognized for United Nations peace operations doctrinal development and multinational peacekeeping operations education and training. CoESPU serves as a hub for advanced studies and provides training for peacekeepers to prepare them through the Carabinieri methodology. PKSOI falls under the US Army Combined Arms Center and serves as the Lead Agent for Joint Proponency for Peace and Stability Operations.
“Our enduring partnership with CoESPU enables the United States to draw on Italy’s deep knowledge and robust experience in the area of stability policing, complementing and expanding the peacekeeping capacity-building assistance the United States provides through our institutions and personnel,” said Jen Pullman, the U.S. State Department’s Peace Operations Capacity Building Division Chief.
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