The collective security system embodied in the UN Charter has never functioned as intended. Article 43 “special agreements” were never concluded, and so when military forces are deployed by the United Nations, they do so on a voluntary basis. As far back as 1948, Secretary-General Trygvie Lie proposed a UN Guard of 5,000 to perform limited functions. Other proposals since then range from a large International Peace Force of 800,000 to a more modest UN Emergency Peace Service of 13,500. This chapter argues that the time is right to begin discussing the creation of an International Standing Civilian Protection Service of 2,400 personnel, deployable in small modular Joint Protection Teams. Such a service would meet an immediate need of providing a rapidly deployable, multidimensional capacity for civilian protection that is tailored to a particular conflict. Equally important, it could lay the foundation for more far-reaching reforms, such as revitalisation of Article 43 agreements. Even these more ambitious proposals are not a full response to the challenges posed by rising geopolitical tensions and conflict. But if addressed with a sense of urgency, incremental steps of the sort proposed here can change the normative and political climate, thereby opening the door to deeper reforms that currently seem out of reach.