Description
Technology is an increasingly significant factor in the development of civil-military affairs. In particular, the attention for virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) as tools to more effectively train peacekeepers has recently gained traction. Where NATO is already using VR/AR to prepare air force personnel for flight operations, the UN just started to explore its usefulness for peace support operations. Although communication and human technology sciences have considered the use of VR/AR in relation to peacekeeping on a few occasions, it is still notably absent from the academic debate among international relations scholars. This paper serves as a starting point for a research project that will look into the precise benefits that the use of VR/AR may have in peace support operations, and in particular when used in the pre-deployment training of peacekeepers. Due to its exploratory nature, this paper will not present one argument, but aims to introduce fellow IR scholars to the current knowledge, usage and potential of VR/AR in the context of peace support operations. Rather than focusing on the technical aspects of VR/AR, it seeks to point at the relevance for the effectiveness of peace support operations.
In doing so, the paper will first explore the general benefits ascribed to using VR/AR in the (civil-)military context. It will then continue by placing the potential uses in the context of peace support operations and by considering how it could advance certain skills required to fulfil mandated tasks in a more effective manner. To illustrate this, reference will be made to an existing EU research project, ‘Gaming for Peace’, which looks into how VR/AR can be used in EU missions to develop soft kills in culturally (or gender) diverse environments. In addition to developing certain skills, VR/AR may also be a practical tool to develop a better understanding among peacekeepers of how they can abide by certain norms of human rights law and humanitarian law while carrying out their tasks in the field. This paper raises awareness among IR scholars about the relevance of VR/AR as a technological tool that has the potential to enhance peacekeeping practices.
