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Peace Support Brigade

Sandwiched between two military powers and with no illusions about countering an invasion or attack by either, the Mongolian Armed Forces' (MAF) raison d'etre is not entirely clear to outside observers. However, the Mongolians have astutely used their participation in Coalition and UN peace support operations to increase their international recognition and improve their reputation as a partner in regional stability. This increased recognition has helped counterbalance the enormous economic dependence on Russia and China. The MAF are in the midst of an ambitious defense reform program to transform its Soviet-legacy military into a modern, Western-style, expedition-capable armed force interoperable with US and UN partners.

Just as in the case of the Gurkhas, the famed Nepalese soldiers, there are historical experiences, features, and characteristics unique to Mongolian culture that enable military personnel to be effective peacekeepers. While historically, Mongolian nomads exhibited the classical warrior spirit, they were also known for their adaptability to any environment and climate. More importantly, contemporary Mongolia has good relations with most other nations around the world. Thus, the warrior spirit, adaptability and Mongolia’s neutrality are unique characteristics associated with Mongolia’s military that afford them many opportunities to contribute to international peace support operations.

The centerpiece of Mongolia's military reform effort is the ongoing development of a 2,500-soldier Peace Support Brigade. A newly built professional infantry battalion, known as an “Armed Forces unit 150,” was selected for the preparation for peacekeeping missions, and the battalion started conducting intensive peacekeeping operations training. Peacekeeping permits Mongolia to modernize its 7,000-man armed forces and bring them up to international inter-operability standards. It also enables Mongolia to develop a modest national security force that is non-threatening to its neighbors yet capable of securing Mongolia's borders against terrorism and transnational crime.

In August 2002 Mongolia provided two officers to serve as Military Observers in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the time, there were just over 44,000 United Nations troops deployed worldwide. Just five years later, the United Nations had over 81,000 troops and Mongolia’s over 260 troops ranked it 47th among the 114 countries that provide troops. By 2008 about 2,500 Mongolian military personnel had served in UN and Coalition peace support operations. This number means a lot for the small Armed Forces of Mongolia. Due to its varied field experience, about 50 percent of the officers and enlisted personnel of the MAF have obtained some kind of peacekeeping experience in coalition or UN military operations.

The most significant MAF restructuring completed by 2006 was the restructuring efforts for participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations and expansion of peacekeeping training. In addition to deploying peacekeepers to United Nations missions, the Mongolian Armed Forces established a Department for Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). The Department capitalizes on international opportunities, coordinates training, and develops and teaches doctrine at all of Mongolia's combat arms units.

Military unit #150, the "Elite Battalion" was assigned to the Peacekeeping Operations Department in 2002. The Elite Battalion was established in 1997 as a special motorized rifle unit. Initially, it has a hybrid structure comprised of both light infantry and heavy mechanized7 companies similar to that of the US Army, combat support battery, and logistic supply elements. This unit underwent structural changes in 2004 in order to meet the requirements of UN PKO and is now considered a light infantry unit. A second PKO unit, #330 of the MAF, was established in Darkhan in 2006. By 2008, this unit, along with unit #150, was on its way to becoming a fully equipped unit, when it addressed its shortfalls in manpower.

Playing a key role in Mongolia's initiative was the annual multinational peacekeeping exercise Khaan Quest. This multi-part exercise, which began as a Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC) bilateral exercise with the Mongolian Armed Forces, has grown into a regional exercise drawing participants from as far away as India, Nepal, and Indonesia. South Korea participated for the first time in 2009. This exercise included in 2009 an expanded UN Peacekeeping Staff Officers Course, a U.S.-Mongolian humanitarian civic action project, a medical readiness exercise, and a battalion staff operations training course to assist in readying Mongolian peacekeeping battalions for upcoming deployments. Observers from other nations attend the exercise, which is normally opened by the President of Mongolia. The exercise is one of several peacekeeping exercises supported globally under the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) auspices, and has been a significant factor in raising Mongolia's regional and international profile as a quality provider of peacekeeping forces.

Once the sole domain of the U.S.-Mongolia defense cooperation program, the peace support concept -- as well as the rest of the MAF -- has seen a surge in Russian interest and assistance, with a five-year $120 million assistance program underway. A 450-man Russian contingent of maintenance troops came to Mongolia in the fall of 2008 for Exercise Darkhan One -- the first such entry by a sizeable contingent since the Russian departure in the early 1990s. Russian personnel taught and performed maintenance on legacy military systems, improving the operational readiness rate of the MAF main line forces considerably. A second Darkhan exercise was conducted in the fall of 2009. Russia's steps to reestablish a presence in Mongolian security affairs illustrated that while US-Mongolian security ties remain strong, there was no guarantee that the US would continue to play a singular role in Mongolian defense reform.

Mongolian troops have earned a strong reputation providing Coalition and UN support since their first deployment in 2003. Five years' worth of ten consecutive deployments to Iraq ended in October 2008. Mongolia also provided a 21-soldier artillery training team to Afghanistan, an effort it temporarily discontinued late last summer due to multiple soldier deployments by these specialized personnel. Mongolia had an ongoing 250-soldier deployment under the UN flag in Sierra Leone, which concluded at the end of 2009. This deployment represented a major success for U.S. policy, as there had been virtually no U.S. involvement in the effort. Helping the Mongolians prepare for expeditionary missions was a longstanding priority for the United States.

After a SECDEF request, Mongolia deployed approximately 200 personnel to Afghanistan: 130 personnel will support the United States with fixed site security at Camp Eggers; 23 personnel to provide artillery training with the United States for the Afghan National Army; and about 40 personnel to support the German contingent under ISAF command in the North. Foreign Minister Batbold underscored Mongolia's commitment to deploying troops to Afghanistan during his 09 June 2009 meeting with Secretary Clinton in Washington.

Earlier decisions to provide more limited support were overcome by Mongolia's commitment to sending an 800 strong battalion of peacekeepers to support the UN mission in northeastern Chad, to be deployed by the end of 2009. Mongolia's government can use the revenue from the deployment to Chad to offset the cost of supporting OEF and ISAF deployments in Afghanistan. This was Mongolia's most ambitious overseas military deployment ever attempted in modern times and is fully in line with the goals of U.S. support to the Mongolian Armed Forces peacekeeping efforts. While the provision of Coalition support incurred considerable cost to the cash-strapped Mongolian government, Mongolia clearly understood the value of accumulating political capital.

The multifaceted Development Plan of the Armed Forces' Establishment till 2015 or Mongolian Armed Forces-2015 (MAF-2015) program was approved by Mongolia's Presidential Decree number 304 on October 11,2006. One section of this MAF-2015 program contains a plan for the development of the peacekeeping capability of the MAF. A well-trained and well-equipped peacekeeping brigade will be the PKO force of the MAF. According to the program, MAF-2015, the PKO force of the MAF will be fully established and ready by 2015. This means that Mongolia will be able to provide a fully-equipped and trained battalion to UN peacekeeping and other international operations. This brigade will have about 2,500 personnel and will fully meet the requirements of the UN PKO. The core of the brigade will be three light infantry battalions with a support battalion.