Civilians in Military Operations; The Case of Kfor HQ

Cooperation between civilian employees and military personnel can increasingly be found in military missions, in operations overseas. At KFOR HQ in Pristina, Kosovo, there are three categories of civilian personnel: international consultants, NATO international civilians and host-national hires (in particular for language mediation next to other hands-on activities). These three types of personnel and their interaction with the rotating military personnel will be described making use of indepth-interviews, a small survey-study, and observations on the spot. The focus will be on the typical HR-aspects of the civilian-military cooperation as well as on the question what it means to make a career as a host-national person in a NATO-mission that intends to solve the security problem in one's own home country.