This endeavour depends upon a coalition of will and action on the part of multiple actors: the Security Council, in terms of setting mandates; the Member States, in their commitment of personnel and financial and material resources; the host countries, and their consent and cooperation; and the Secretariat and its own ability to stand up, support and sustain operations.

The Department of Field Support was headed by Mr. Atul Khare from 2 March 2015 to 31 December 2018, following the departure of Under-Secretary-General Ms. Ameerah Haq.

DFS provides support in the areas of security, finance, administration, human resources, logistics and technology.

The origins of the Field Service go back to the beginning of the history of the UN's peacekeeping operations in 1948 when the Security Council authorized the deployment of UN military observers to the Middle East.

The mission's role was to monitor the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbours – an operation which became known as the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO).