Blue Shield and the armed forces

A key part of the work of Blue Shield is assisting armed forces to understand why heritage protection is important and not just "nice to have".

​A NATO SPS Report, NATO and Cultural Property: Embracing New Challenges in the Era of Identity Wars​ (2017, P30) found

“While geopolitics, national borders, critical infrastructure and military installations constitute the physical geography of conventional warfare, CP [cultural property] constitutes critical elements of the human domain of its geography. If this holds true, and if culture and identity politics do remain at the center of armed conflicts, we can expect CP to play an increasing role in conflict geographies.
A strong argument can thus be made for placing CP broadly viewed – including historical buildings, sites of worships, monuments – at the heart of the human domain concept, and thus the Special Operations doctrine.”
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Blue Shield is working with armed forces and heritage professionals to develop understanding of the responsibilities of both parties under International Law. Cultural property protection in armed conflict and following environmental disasters can only be effective when there is a true partnership between heritage professionals, governments, and those deployed. Armed forces across the world are becoming increasingly aware of the role of cultural property in conflicts, both in terms of its loss, but also its potential to prolong the fighting, evidenced in a number of military publications.
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Blue Shield is an independent, impartial, neutral NGO - our mission is the protection of heritage. We will assist any genuine initiative by any nation state or warring faction, whether it is a legal conflict (under a UN Security Council mandate), or illegal conflict (for example, an internal civil war), or whether it is fought well and in accordance with the Laws of Armed Conflict, to achieve the goal of protecting cultural property, in line with the principles of international humanitarian law under which we operate. The same principles apply during complex or other emergencies.

​Cultural property protection is increasingly seen as what the armed forces refer to as a ‘force multiplier’: protecting it may not lead to mission success, but failure to protect it can make a mission more difficult. Blue Shield has identified several important reasons armed forces should protect cultural property. 

•    Legal Obligations
•    Cultural/Political Associations
•    Opposition Funding
•    Economic Stability
•    Post-Conflict Social Stability
•    Community Support

© BSUK

British Army "flash": the insignia worn by a member of a Cultural Property Protection Unit, according to the 1954 Hague Convention, which calls on states to "establish in peace-time, within their armed forces, services or specialist personnel whose purpose will be to secure respect for cultural property" (Article 7.2) and who may be identified by the emblem of the Convention (Article 17).

LEGAL OBLIGATIONS

Cultural property protection is mandated under international law, and in particular the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, and its two Protocols (1954/1999) (all ratified by the UK). The armed forces of countries that have ratified laws like the 1954 Hague Convention and the 1998 Rome Statute  (also ratified by the UK) have direct legal responsibilities under International Humanitarian Law. However, even the armed forces of those countries that are not party to international Conventions have obligations regarding cultural property protection under customary international law – common practice regarded as legally binding. This includes taking measures to limit the destruction of cultural property in military actions. Unnecessary destruction may be a war crime.

​Cultural/Political Associations

Cultural property can become a direct target on the battlefield because of its cultural associations. For example, many sites were deliberately targeted in the Balkans Wars, and some of those responsible were prosecuted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia. Understanding these relationships – or failing to understand them- can have direct impact on mission success. 

Politically significant cultural property, such as Nelson's Pillar in Dublin, can become targets. Built in 1809, a prominent city centre monument honouring an Englishman rankled as Irish nationalist sentiment grew, and throughout the 19th century there were calls for it to be removed, or replaced with a memorial to an Irish hero. In 1966 it was blown up in a terrorist bombing.
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Opposition funding & Organised Crime

The looting of cultural (and civilian) property during conflict may provide funding for parties involved in conflicts and contributes to organised crime, which destabilises security. By restricting looting, the armed forces can choke-off a strand of funding for the opposition and potentially save lives and shorten the conflict.

The British Cultural Property Protection Unit support training in preventing looting - for example, they contributed to the Royal Navy exercise BALTOPS - a large multinational exercise designed to improve maritime security in the region through partnership and to enhance cooperation among the Baltic states. As well as protection of maritime cultural property, the exercise included looting of protected underwater shipwrecks and how to deal with it.

From the front page of the Irish Times on Tuesday, 8 March 1966: "The top of Nelson Pillar, in O'Connell street, Dublin, was blown off by a tremendous explosion at 1.32 o'clock this morning and the Nelson statue and tons of rubble poured down into the roadway. By a miracle, nobody was injured, though there were a number of people in the area at the time."
NLI Ref.: WALK138A, National Library of Ireland on The Commons, no restrictions via Wikimedia Commons

Economic Stability

Post-conflict social stability

community support

​Cultural property frequently has value to local and national economies, and can contribute to economic stability. Tourism is one of the world’s fastest growing industries. A desire to see other people’s culture and heritage is a major element of tourism and in many countries is a large part of a tourism industry that provides a significant proportion of the national economy. The World Bank called tourism and cultural heritage “drivers of poverty reduction and shared prosperity“. If it is damaged and destroyed unnecessarily, then a key facet of economic stability may be removed, undermining political agendas and, in certain circumstances, requiring the military to remain deployed for longer.

​When cultural heritage is deliberately targeted, this can inflame social tensions, and prolong, and even intensify, the conflict. Such activity may require an occupying or peacekeeping force to remain deployed for longer than anticipated or desired.

British soldiers first deployed to Bosnia in 1992 during the country's civil war. Initially tasked with protecting aid convoys, they have remained there on peacekeeping duties ever since. UK troops are still part of the NATO KFOR deployment, whose remit includes protection of heritage sites such as monasteries.

Unfortunately, there are recent examples of armed forces in conflict, or troops deployed to help following environmental disasters, failing to protect cultural property or, worse, unintentionally damaging it. Such actions can alienate the local community and can have serious, negative implications for the military mission. In some cases, this has led directly or indirectly to mission problems, bad publicity, and, in extremis, to an escalation of hostilities and casualties.

​​NATO are working on the so-called 'unfixing process' in Kosovo: the gradual transfer of security for religious and cultural heritage sites under KFOR protection to Kosovo Police responsibility. By the end of 2013, KFOR had unfixed eight previously protected properties: the Gazimestan Monument, Gracanica Monastery, Zociste Monastery, Budisavci Monastery, Gorioc Monastery, the Archangel site, Devic Monastery, and the Pec Patriarchate. ​Only one designated site – the Decani Monastery – currently remains under fixed KFOR protection.

Decani Monastery. ​Amer Miftari, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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In UK Armed Forces Doctrine, cultural property protection is part of Human Security.
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​The concept of HS [Human Security] integrates three freedoms: ‘Freedom from Fear’ (denoting violent threats to populations), ‘Freedom from Want’ (meaning poverty and absence of basic needs) and ‘Freedom from Indignity’ (which includes human rights abuses and limits on democratic participation). These have been developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to include all threats to the wellbeing of human beings and everything that affects the security of human beings. HS is an approach to national and international security which places emphasis on human beings, rather than the traditional focus on the security of the state. Moving the security agenda beyond state security does not mean replacing it. Instead, it complements and builds on it. (p1)

Joint Service Publication 985 (Human security in Defence) (JSP 985) provides direction on incorporating a Human Security approach into military operations.

Cultural Property Protection (CPP). The devastating effects of armed conflict on cultural heritage are well documented. Cultural property (CP) is the tangible, visual and totemic cultural expression of a community, a society, a nation and, ultimately, of humankind. It is an expression of cultural identity and emblematic of rights of cultural self determination and community cohesion. It is a reality that armed conflict may result in the destruction of cultural heritage. The protection of CP will preserve and enhance our reputation locally and globally, maintain our ability to influence those amongst whom we operate and contribute to our force protection and freedom of manoeuvre. 

The HN [host nation], if a functioning sovereign state, is responsible for the safeguarding of all CP in its territory. If a HN is unable to fulfil its obligations for CPP, it may request assistance.

The law obliges UK Defence to conduct CPP during armed conflict and (belligerent) occupation. UK Defence aims to deliver the same standards of CPP during counterinsurgency, stabilisation and disaster relief operations. 

It continues with further details of the UK approach to CPP. 

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Blue Shield UK provides support to its armed forces and military in line with International Humanitarian Law.

• We also have a specific Working Group dedicated to Conflict and Military Activity. 
• Other Working Groups are also providing support, for example the Intangible Heritage Working Group is looking at how to provide military training on dealing with and protecting intangible cultural heritage in military operations.

Examples of military cultural property protection training support by BSUK in the UK, and in Lebanon in partnership with Blue Shield International and the UNESCO Regional Office-Beirut. © BSUK

You can find out more about many of these and our actions to tackle the problems and support armed forces on
our Threats to Heritage page.

Read more about the laws protecting cultural property on the BSI website. 

Learn about the British Army in Bosnia from the National Army Museum, or on the NATO website for the NATO KFOR Deployment.

Learn more about the value of cultural heritage in our Importance of Cultural Heritage page. 

Learn more about many of these topics in the Document Library on the BSI website.