UNFICYP
In examining the possibilities for its contribution to United Nations peacekeeping, Slovenia was confronted with a constraint typical for a country of its size: relatively limited human and financial resources. These resources were already stretched due to numerous obligations of Slovenia in the field of international military cooperation, like the participation in the Partnership for Peace. Consequently, Slovenia turned to its neighbourhood, Central Europe, where the cluster of medium-sized and smaller countries would likely have similar constraints.
The first cooperation was developed with neighbouring Austria, a country with rich experience in training for and participating in UN peacekeeping. Other Central European countries, like Hungary, already had fruitful cooperation with Austria. In September 1997, Slovenia therefore deployed a contingent of ten men with the United Nations Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), as part of the multinational battalion consisting of Austrian, Hungarian and Slovenian troops.
Experience with this initial deployment was very positive, and in September 1998 the size of the Slovenian contingent was raised from the detachment level to the platoon level. Some of the 27 members of the Slovenian continget currently stationed on Cyprus are members of the 10th Battalion for International Cooperation of the Slovenian Army. Lessons learned from involvement in the UNFICYP operation are thus being applied to the preparations for Slovenian participation in other peacekeeping operations.
The experience of Slovenia in UNFICYP shows that multinational military units are not only a useful way for smaller Member States to contribute effectively to the UN peacekeeping, but are a United Nations in miniature, since they comprise troops from various nations. With due care, the issues of language diversity and differences in military doctrines and traditions can become an important asset, not hindrance, for such units and operations in which they take part.