CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii -- U.S. Indo-Pacific Command hosted military officers from Bangladesh and Nepal for its first Operational Risk Management (ORM) training course from Dec. 5-16, 2022 at Marine Corps Base Hawaii as part of the U.S. Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI).

The purpose of the ORM training course is to certify trainers from participating nations to subsequently train their military members in their home countries to enhance operational safety while deployed in UN peace operations.

The ORM training course supports mission readiness by preparing personnel to employ the risk management process along with critical thinking to make informed and deliberate decisions to provide the best outcome under difficult conditions.

“By identifying risks and creating plans to mitigate these risks, peacekeeping contingents will perform their missions in a safe manner,” said Peter Evans, deputy director of installation safety at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

The training is designed to utilize risk mitigation strategies to identify and mitigate hazards, reduce accidents to personnel and equipment, and enhance operational readiness.

Through collaboration with partners and Allies, Operational Risk Management training supports a safety mindset, providing tools to help identify and manage risk in the operational environment.

“Not only does it help our partners and Allies, but we also benefit from insights and experiences that our partners provide,” said Evans. “These insights, along with diversity in culture, helps us all operate more effectively when we consider techniques and plans to reduce risk.”

Through an interactive classroom setting along with hands on practical applications throughout the two-week course, the students see not only how to perform safety processes but also why.

Students take back to their home countries a unique perspective on how to integrate risk management and ground safety into high risk activities.

According to student Lt Col Mohammad Tariq Hossain, Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT), Bangladesh Army, “(This training) will help partners to work on the modalities of preparing required training curriculum in the context of UN Peacekeeping Operations.”

Students also take back methods that will enhance the safety of their operations, and an understanding of Operational Risk Management to be used during deployments.

“This training opportunity is the cornerstone that develops safety practioners who can increase awareness amongst their peers and subordinates, provide user level safety training and risk assessment/management tools to their respective Peacekeeping Centers and deployed contingents in UN Missions,” said Steven T. Takekoshi, multinational programs specialist, UNINDOPACOM J712 (GPOI) office.

“Once these personnel are developed and trained, we expect to see a ‘culture of safety’ emerge that should lead to the development of a forum for sharing information on Operational Risk Management and Safety best practices between regional or worldwide GPOI partners,” said Takekoshi.

GPOI is a U.S. Government-funded security assistance program intended to enhance international capacity to effectively conduct United Nations and regional peace support operations (PSOs) by building partner country capabilities to train and sustain peacekeeping proficiencies.