Together with other actors, land forces act to the benefit of populations when it comes to restoring certain vital functions locally or dealing with emergency and distress. Through their action on the ground, they contribute to the return of a stable social and political system.

Land forces shall participate in the implementation or support of specific actions that contribute to the stabilisation of the environment. As progress is made in the field of general safety, they shall extend their scope of action to other actors and in other areas. It is often in the success or failure of this support that the a posteriori legitimacy of the operation is built up, or on the contrary disintegrated.

1 - DS DISARMAMENT OF COMBATANTS

The disarmament of combatants can take place very early in the operation or can be the result of a long and delicate process, the progress of which remains linked to the development of the political situation or agreements between the parties. It is always an essential step in bringing peace and is therefore often at the heart of the operation.

The formalization of this disarmament is the DDR process - disarmament, demobilization and reintegration - which, in a pattern tested by the United Nations, is becoming widespread in many conflicts, particularly in Africa. It requires significant resources, particularly financial resources, and is supported by international and non-governmental institutions and organizations. It is developed with all the parties concerned and implements aspects as diverse as security, social reintegration, training, employment and health.

DDR is multidisciplinary in nature. It primarily concerns land forces, although in different ways depending on the theatre and mandate. They act alongside other actors with whom they must develop a dialogue as far upstream as possible. They must be familiar with the process and be able to structure themselves, at least partially, with a view to this mission.

Disarming combatants is always an essentialstep in bringing peace. It concerns the land forces, which must adopt an organisation adapted to this mission and develop dialogue with the other actors with whom they act.

2 - FORMER LOCAL FORCES

Sometimes in line with the DDR process, but on many occasions also independently, the training or upgrading of local defence and security forces is an indispensable aspect of the country's return to the rule of law, which can only be supported by forces (army and police) responsible for the enforcement of law, order and security. This is a particular area of expertise for the land forces, which may be responsible for all or part of the training of cadres (training of non-commissioned officers, captains' courses, staff diploma) or the training of entire units (companies, battalions). They sometimes also have the task of supporting these new armies by involving them in current operations and then transferring the missions they perform to them over time. As the rotation of the force can only really come from local forces, the task of bringing them up to the level of their mission is an essential aspect for stabilization forces.

The training of local defence and security forces is an indispensable aspect of the country's return to the rule of law. Land forces are heavily involved in this. The quality of their action often depends on the ability of these indigenous forces to take over and , in part, to make the operation a success.

3 - SS RESTORATION OF THE'STATUS

Sometimes as early as the intervention phase, and often in the early stages of stabilisation, land forces act for the benefit of the population in coordination with other armies and services. In addition to civil-military actions whose aim is the acceptance of the force by the local population, this usually involves deploying minimum capabilities in order to re-establish certain basic functions for the population (health, water, energy) or to provide support to specialised international or non-governmental humanitarian organisations. The needs always exceed the capabilities of the Force, whose resources are primarily intended for its own support, and the Force acts above all as a catalyst for other actors. However, in certain special circumstances and pending the availability of specialised civilian assets, the forces are directly involved in supporting the population if distress so requires: it is simply a question of availability in the face of an emergency.

Other actions essential to the restoration of the state generally have to be carried out in conjunction with the assistance of the forces engaged in theatre. They may be the responsibility of a particular army (air or sea transport in regions with no infrastructure), a service (medical aid) or be of a joint nature (civil-military operations). Through their presence on the ground, land forces play a major role which can take the form of environmental control, security, transport support etc. The organisation of electoral consultations, the deployment of the administration, cooperation and development actions depending on diplomatic authorities, the fluidity of certain economic circuits are all part of it.

In all cases, in this area as in others, the command must define the scope of its action so as not to commit itself beyond the capabilities that the Force can provide and not to attempt to achieve what other actors can and know how to do, often better than the armed forces.