PSO1 (peace support operation)

PSO1 means peace support operation. In NATO usage, it is a non-Article 5 crisis-response operation, meaning an operation other than collective self-defence under Article 5. NATO describes it as a multifunctional operation that can address conflict prevention, peacemaking, peace enforcement, peacekeeping, peacebuilding or humanitarian needs, as set out on NATO's crisis management page.

The abbreviation PSO is the established shorthand for peace support operation in NATO operational terminology. It names a category of operation, not a single mission, so one PSO can look very different from another depending on its mandate, the parties involved and the activities required.

The NATO doctrinal definition

NATO doctrine defines a peace support operation as one that impartially uses diplomatic, civil and military means, normally in pursuit of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, to restore or maintain peace. The wording appears in the Allied joint doctrine for the conduct of operations, AJP-3(B).

Two features stand out. The first is impartiality: the operation is not framed around defeating a named adversary. The second is the mix of means. Military force is one tool alongside diplomatic and civil ones.

Activities a peace support operation can include

NATO lists six forms of activity that a PSO can involve:

• Conflict prevention
• Peacemaking
• Peace enforcement
• Peacekeeping
• Peacebuilding
• Humanitarian operations

NATO says these operations are generally multifunctional. They involve military forces working with diplomatic and humanitarian agencies, so the requirements on the ground go well beyond combat capability.

Mandates and partner organizations

A PSO may support a United Nations or OSCE mandate, or it may take place at the invitation of a sovereign government. NATO states that these operations are commonly conducted with, or in support of, internationally recognized organizations such as the UN or OSCE. NATO's own account of that relationship is on its page on relations with the United Nations.

Because mandates differ, the legal basis and the partners for each PSO are set by the specific operation rather than by the term itself.

Where PSOs sit in NATO crisis response

NATO places peace support operations within its non-Article 5 crisis-response operations. For the wider picture of how the Alliance describes its purpose and its current missions, see What is NATO and the NATO operations and missions overview. NATO's official terminology resource is NATOTerm, which holds non-classified military terminology and other terminology relevant to NATO.

What PSO1 means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

PSO is an operational term. It is not a procurement procedure, a contract type or a supplier certification requirement. A Canadian supplier who sees it in a solicitation, a statement of requirement or a defence planning document should read it as a description of the operating context: a non-Article 5, often multinational and multifunctional, mission.

Any obligations that come with the work are set by the solicitation itself. Bid teams should read the terms, evaluation criteria and technical requirements in the tender documents, and should not assume that the label PSO1 adds requirements beyond what those documents state.