[From UN Iseek Website] On 1 July 2010, the Strategic Military Cell (SMC) of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) handed over its responsibility for UNIFIL to the Office of Military Affairs (OMA) in accordance with General Assembly resolution A/RES/62/265 of 28 July 2008.
At a farewell reception held at the UN Headquarters in New York on 22 June, Alain Le Roy, Under-Secretary-General for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations thanked the SMC military officers for their commitment and good work. He praised the contribution of the past SMC Directors (from Italy, France and Spain) and the present Director, Major General Zahari Siregar from Indonesia.
The SMC was created on 12 September 2006 when the force of UNIFIL was increased from 2000 to 15,000 troops after the Israeli-Lebanese war. At the request of major European Troop Contributing Countries, the Secretary-General identified the need to strengthen DPKO’s military component in New York with an additional entity to effectively support the scope and complexity of UNIFIL’s military tasks.
Immediately after its inception, SMC contributed to the initial response and handling of the crisis by implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The SMC ensured the rapid deployment of forces. In record time, units – both land and maritime forces – were operational in South Lebanon. The Maritime Task Force in UNIFIL is unique to UN peacekeeping operations and the SMC included specialised naval officers to handle this responsibility.
During the past six months, OMA has worked closely with the SMC to ensure a seamless hand-over. The recruitment of specialised naval officers to take charge of the maritime responsibilities is one example of how the Office of Military Affairs is taking over the mandated tasks and ensuring continuous support for UNIFIL’s military activities.
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