UN Peacekeeping

For nearly 80 years, UN peacekeeping has been one of the most important tools for mitigating conflict and promoting peace and security around the globe.

At one-eighth the cost of U.S. military operations, UN peacekeeping provides stability in crisis zones key to U.S. national interests but often out of the public eye. Today’s peacekeepers are called upon for a range of responsibilities. They maintain peace and security, protect civilians, assist in disarmament of combatants and democratic efforts like elections and help restore rule of law.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council with veto power and unique political capital, the U.S. has an outsized voice in globally shaping every UN mission on the ground while paying a fraction of the cost – roughly equivalent to what the U.S. spends on the defense of Guam each year.

Download the 2025 UN, Explained Brief on Peacekeeping

UN peacekeeping missions are one-eighth the cost of comparable U.S. deployments, without putting American troops on the ground.

11 PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS

There are currently 11 peacekeeping operations deployed across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

60K UN PEACEKEEPERS

UN peacekeeping is made up of about 60,000 field personnel, with 121 countries contributing troops, police and civilian personnel, including several dozen peacekeepers from the U.S.

8x MORE COST EFFECTIVE

According to two reports by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, it is eight times more cost effective for the U.S. to financially support a peacekeeping mission than to deploy U.S. military forces.

43% Women

In 2022, women made up 43% of justice and corrections government-provided personnel in peacekeeping missions.

2M TOTAL PEACEKEEPERS

In the history of peacekeeping, more than two million men and women from 125 countries have served in 71 peacekeeping missions worldwide.

U.S. LEADERSHIP

As a veto-wielding member of the Security Council, no UN peacekeeping operation can be authorized, deployed or withdrawn without U.S. support.

The Value of UN Peacekeeping

While the U.S. itself provides very few troops to these missions, our seat on the Security Council ensures we play a decisive role in every decision regarding peacekeeping missions and mandates.

Explore a few of the benefits of peacekeeping.

Peacekeepers save lives and reduce conflict.

Helping countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace, UN peacekeeping’s advantages include unmatched international legitimacy, singular force generation and deployment capacities with personnel from around the globe, experience conducting joint military, police and civilian activities, and flexible financial systems that work both for rapid start-up and sustained efforts to advance multi-dimensional missions and reduce civilian deaths. The presence of peacekeeping forces has been shown to significantly reduce mass displacement and those seeking asylum.
Peacekeeping missions are cost-effective.

According to multiple studies from the Government Accountability Office, peacekeeping missions are one-eighth the cost of traditional U.S. military engagement – and without U.S. troops on the ground. The UN also has an established package of accountability and compliance mechanisms for its peace operations that are peerless in the multilateral world.
Peacekeeping promotes burden-sharing.

The UN has no standing army; instead, it depends on UN Member States to voluntarily contribute troops and police to peacekeeping operations. As a permanent member of the Security Council, the U.S. plays a central role in deciding to deploy peacekeepers but provides just a few dozen of the 60,000 uniformed personnel.