The Salmo scenario is the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre’s flagship peace operation scenario.
Peace operations defy conventional military thinking and conventional military solutions. The origins of a conflict, and therefore the keys to its resolution, may be political, cultural, religious, linguistic, military or economic. The separation between warring factions and civil populations will frequently be blurred. Therefore, extensive cooperation between military, police and civilian organizations at all levels are paramount to ensure success.
Training for this “fog of peace” requires exposure to peace operations in all their complexity. The PPC’s exercises require organizations to assess complex situations and to interact with other key players in order to achieve their mission objectives. In doing so, the scenario presents the opportunity to develop and practice team and individual skills as part of an organization’s preparation for potential deployments.
The region of Salmo – with its seven fictitious countries – was written to represent a complex and unstable region of the world. The crises in the region encompass all of the elements of complex and realistic contemporary conflicts, including civilian, military and police dimensions. The scenario is based on an amalgam of various peace operations since the Cold War including aspects of Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, and the former Yugoslavia.
Organizations that work in high-risk environments, or whose members are expected to go in harm’s way recognize the importance of realistic and demanding training before they do the real thing. We can tailor this scenario to prepare any audience in the world to face the complexity of a modern day peace operation.