A Peace Operation Course aimed at deepening awareness on global issues on the changing roles of the armed forces, which seeks to foster civil-military relations and enhance interest in national development, is underway in Accra. The three-week exercise is being organised by the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC). The Joint Peace Operation Course has a total of 100 participants from national and international militaries, middle-level directors, allied security services, governmental, non-governmental organisations and the media. The course seeks to provide personnel with skills and knowledge on operational level planning, coordination and conduct of peace operation. Speaking at the opening ceremony on Monday May 21, Commandant of the GAFCSC, Rear Admiral (R/ADM) Moses Kwadwo Beick-Baffuor, said the changing dynamics of armed conflict over the last two decades required an integrated approach to peace operations. Rear Admiral (R/ADM) Moses Kwadwo Beick-Baffuor He posited that, peace operations currently constituted a major intervention tool for the international community in the management and resolution of conflicts and the maintenance of peace and security. He indicated that the course would encompass a range of critical modules and topics that were critical to the development of personnel who find themselves in leadership positions. R/ADM Beick-Baffuor stated that the course would also broaden the knowledge of participants on advanced and critical understanding of peace operations. “This is particularly the case for the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organisations on the African continent, peace operations remain a key interventional tool for the management and resolution of conflicts by the African Union and regional economic activities,” he said. In his view, the course would also expose participants to the challenges that participation in peace operations pose to officers in command and staff positions. The Commandant urged the participants to make use of the opportunity and network with other officers to enable them to achieve the objectives of the course.