About the S⁴ Initiative

Contingent-owned equipment (COE) in peace operations is an important source of lethal materiel, as well as components used in fabricating improvised explosive devices (IEDs), for many non-state armed groups. Weapons and ammunition management (WAM) practices in numerous missions are sub-optimal—not only for COE, but also for recovered materiel from negative forces. Policymakers and practitioners within the arms control and peace operations communities have undertaken efforts to improve on the status quo. Recognition of the problem is an important achievement, but gains made so far are modest.

The conflict in the Lake Chad Basin region underscores two important truths:
(1) focusing on peacekeepers within a mission to the exclusion of national armed forces personnel working alongside them undermines prospects for measurable improvements; and (2) engaging only the small arms and peace operations communities is insufficient.

The Safeguarding Security Sector Stockpiles (S⁴) Initiative provides evidence-based information and analysis on attacks on security forces—and government-supported community defence groups. It seeks to engage a wide range of policy makers and practitioners (e.g. those focused on arms control, counter-terrorism, development, humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping, and security sector governance).