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The 'Military Staff Committee' ('MSC') is the United Nations Security Council subsidiary body whose role, as defined by the United Nations Charter, is to plan UN military operations^[1] and assist in the regulation of armaments^[2].
The greatest purpose of the MSC, arising from Article 45 of the UN Charter, was intended to be providing command staff for a set of air-force contingents.^[1] These contingents, provided by the Permanent 5 members (P5) of the Security Council (the People's Republic of China,
France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) to be held at ready for the discretionary use of the United Nations.

Contents

History

Establishment of the MSC

"Failure" and Dormancy of the MSC

Organisation of the MSC

The Current MSC Representatives

Chairmanship of the MSC

A dormant body

References

History

Establishment of the MSC

Though the Military Staff Committee is referred to in the Charter prior to its formal establishment, including in Article 26 and earlier Articles in Chapter 7, it is actually established by Article 47^[1]. The MSC is the only subsidiary body of the Security Council named in the Charter, and by far the longest-standing subsidiary council of the UN. The MSC remains active in the UN as a cadre of military advisors to their government's diplomats and peacekeeping.

"Failure" and Dormancy of the MSC

As the Cold War began in the wake of World War II many of the the intended functions of the UN were degraded or set aside, as evidenced by the rarity of binding actions taken during that period. One of the other results of this period was that no member nation ever made the promised forces ready, despite their commitment to do so in the charter^[1]. Consequently, both Article 45 and the MSC are often considered to be a "dormant" part of the United Nations structure.

Organisation of the MSC

The MSC consists of army, naval and air force representatives from the P5 who meet every 14 days at the headquarters building of the UN in New York. Additional United Nation members are included in meetings regarding peacekeeping operations in which their country's forces are deployed.

The Current MSC Representatives

As of November 2006 the current MSC Representatives (Chairman in 'bold') are:

★ ''People's Republic of China'': Major General Liu Pei[1]

★ ''France'': Brigadier General Dominique Trinquand^[6]

★ ''Russian Federation'': Lieutenant General Nikolai Uvarov^[7]

★ ''United Kingdom'': Colonel Jonathan S. Lloyd

★ ''United States'': Colonel Jeffrey M. Hewlett, United States Marine Corps^[8]

Chairmanship of the MSC

The chairmanship of the MSC rotates in alphabetical order (by country name) at the beginning of each month through the representatives of the P5 members.

A dormant body

Though its role is to plan UN military operations, in practice this power was nipped in the bud shortly after the development of the UN due to the tensions of the Cold War and the subsequent lack of cooperation between the NATO and Warsaw Pact nations. The MSC has therefore had very limited activity in the past 50 years of its existence. The Military Staff Committee was therefore perhaps accurately described by British naval historian, Dr. Eric Grove, as "''a sterile monument to the faded hopes of the founders of the UN''".

References

1. http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/chapter7.htm
2. http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/chapter5.htm
3. http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/chapter7.htm
4. http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/chapter7.htm
5. http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/chapter7.htm
6. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sc8846.doc.htm
7. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sc8862.doc.htm
8. http://www.un.int/usa/msc.htm