Observing the observers – Research on UNMOC 1/26

The first UNMOC of 2026 is under way and the training is progressing as usual, but something is a bit different this time. There have been cameras and microphones in classrooms, exercise grounds, and patrol cars, recording the students’ every move and – most importantly – every word. These recordings are being made for research purposes and will be used as data for analysing the students’ teamwork and communication during the various activities on the course.

FINCENT has been collaborating with interaction researchers from the University of Oulu since 2017, and this is the fourth UNMOC where research activities have taken place. The first recordings were made on both courses of 2019 and once again in 2021, in connection to the PeaceTalk project, which studied talk and interaction in multinational crisis management training. Now, after five years, Assistant Professor Antti Kamunen from the University of Oulu’s SafeEarth research programme is making new recordings for his project SkillSETS, which investigates how people from different backgrounds share their previous experiences and expertise with each other.

Results from the earlier research have already been developed into learning resources and training materials: Since 2023, UNMOC has included an interaction workshop at the end of the course where the students discuss and reflect on their own patrol interaction with the help of hand-picked video recordings from previous courses. This year, a whole new lesson on good and effective patrol team interaction was also added into the course programme. Later this summer, a research-based interaction guide for both military and civilian crisis management trainees and professionals – developed in collaboration between the PeaceTalk project, FINCENT, and CMC Finland – will be published and ready to be used on future courses.

This kind of participation in research activities with partner organizations works towards FINCENT’s vision of being the forerunner and expert in crisis management education and training and enables us to develop and improve our activities with the support of scientific findings. The research conducted on the current UNMOC will also be used to further develop our understanding of how effective interaction can enhance teamwork, and how good communication skills can also help to keep UNMOs safe in their future line of work.