AH Challenge: UN Armed Forces by present day

[Emperor Qianlong]

A phenomenon I noticed, a fair number of anime films and series from the 1980s and 1990s, all set in OTL's near past to near future (broadly 1990s to 2030s) feature an interesting concept: UN armed forces. Did the Japanese imagine this as a way of circumvening their self-defense clause and seeing some combat action for their military? I don't know.

Anyways, the challenge is to establish UN armed forces by present day, ideally already immediately after the end of the Cold War. How would this come to existence? Is there any plausible POD for making this work?

What would be the consequences of the existence of such a permanent UN military force?

 

[Gridley]

Difficult at best. The UN is largely composed of kleptocrats and dictators. The major powers know this, and are unlikely to hand anyone a stick big enough to hurt themselves with.

I think your first step would be to get the UN dominated by a single power block that wanted a convenient political shield for military actions:

"WE'RE not invading you. Goodness no. It is the UN that is invading you - we are just one of many members. So we happened to contribute 60% of the troops and 90% of the equipment... oh, and 80% of the funding, 70% of the transport... really, it is the UN invading you, not us. We'd never do such a thing."

 

[Paladin]

Like Korea?

 

[Corbell Mark IV]

Difficult at best. The UN is largely composed of kleptocrats and dictators. The major powers know this, and are unlikely to hand anyone a stick big enough to hurt themselves with.

I think your first step would be to get the UN dominated by a single power block that wanted a convenient political shield for military actions:

"WE'RE not invading you. Goodness no. It is the UN that is invading you - we are just one of many members. So we happened to contribute 60% of the troops and 90% of the equipment... oh, and 80% of the funding, 70% of the transport... really, it is the UN invading you, not us. We'd never do such a thing."

You would need all the Permanent Security Council basically on the same side. Perhaps if you have the best case senerio of Russian liberalization leading to NATO membership, while China has goes democratic-ish and more friendly.


Europe refuses to expand NATO beyond Europe, so the UN rules are tightened up and presto chango, significant NATO forces and infrastructure are seconed to UN "control".

Hell, might be a response to Chinese chaos...

 

[Gridley]

Like Korea?

Note that only happened because China abstained. After that vote, China stopped abstaining.

Also note that while it was a "UN operation" the forces remained national forces, under the control of their own officers (and generally, their own chain of command).

To meet the OP, you need troops wearing UN uniforms, under UN officers, using UN equipment with a UN chain of command. Korea is not an example of this.

 

[Xavier]

Note that only happened because China abstained. After that vote, China stopped abstaining.

Also note that while it was a "UN operation" the forces remained national forces, under the control of their own officers (and generally, their own chain of command).

To meet the OP, you need troops wearing UN uniforms, under UN officers, using UN equipment with a UN chain of command. Korea is not an example of this.

The USSR, not China, especially not as it was the ROC that held China's seat at the time, not the PRC.

 

[Gridley]

The USSR, not China, especially not as it was the ROC that held China's seat at the time, not the PRC.

Sorry, yes, you are correct.

 

[Alexius]

I could see a "UN navy" happening, and possibly an air force (only transport aircraft). Many countries that contribute troops to the UN aren't really able to project power, so possibly you could have the UN own and operate a fleet of amphibious landing ships for both humanitarian operations and peacekeeping. A similar thing might happen with small patrol boats for piracy enforcement.

 

[Ariosto]

An idea that I had floated, but never sent to Congress, was the establishment of a group known as the "Green Helmets", I had no better name. The premise would be similar to the "Blue Helmets", in that they are to serve in a peace-keeping role. However, the exceptions would be that they are under United States command, they are trained in Asymmetrical and Urban Warfare, they may protect themselves and those they are sent to protect, with force if necessary. Should be a two hundred thousand man force, with fifty thousand active in peacetime and deployed to hot zones around the globe. Crazy idea, sure, but at least we would be better prepared to nation-building operations when they come around again, something our main Army is simply not trained for.

 

[Workable Goblin]

The easiest POD would be something like CalBear's Anglo-American/Nazi War TL, where after WWII there is effectively only one major power block left (ie., we reach the "hyperpower" situation earlier). In that case, to give themselves a veneer of legitimacy for international interventions, the victorious power(s) might set up a UN-type organization and actually give it significant, permanent forces for various purposes. Since such a UN would be dominated completely by the victorious powers, there would be little chance of them being used contrary to their will.

In effect, it would be like a combination of the UN (insofar as this organization has a broad mandate to intervene if desired) and NATO (insofar as this organization has signficant military forces directly at its disposal, although it might require higher-level political movement for it to be able to use them). Over time, it might evolve to something like an actual UN military, but in the short run it would at least be rather stronger than current.

 

[Dan Reilly The Great]

The UN as it is set up IOTL would never work for this. However I would imagine that this is where Calbears TL is going, since there is no other major power bloc other than the western democracies, the UN would be able to at least somewhat effectively run a military force of some kind. It would also help to get rid of the UNSC veto setup, and merely have just a majority vote in stead.

 

[Beedok]

Perhaps a less stable world results in more peacekeepers, some end up being kept undeployed but with a strong enough airforce and navy to respond to any outbreaks quickly?

 

[Emperor Qianlong]

So... you're basically suggesting the POD should be in WWII, or at least sufficiently early? I was kind of hoping for a rather late POD, but you are probably right, it probably wouldn't work out otherwise...