Warrior as Diplomat: Peace Operations in the Post-Cold War World.
Abstract
War is politics by other means. In conventional war, the operational commander must be attuned to national political objectives. His operational strategy must seek to achieve them. In short, the operational commander exercises not only military but political judgment in formulating strategy. But some wars are more 'political' than others. And a convincing case can be made that the most political intervention of all is not war, but rather 'peace' operations. When the American commander finds himself in such an operation, particularly one which involves ethnic conflict, he must possess strong 'political' skills across the board. As always, he must understand national political objectives in articulating his military OOTW strategy. But this is not all that tests his political acumen. Command and control are perennial problems in peace operations, particularly UN multinational enforcement operations. The American commander, as UN Force Commander (or U.S.-led coalition leader) of a multinational force must display considerable 'political' skill in forging unity of effort among culturally diverse national contingents where unity of command simply does not exist. But the American commander must also be attuned to broader Washington politics, and to the role intense media scrutiny can play in influencing national policy and thus his mission. He must be acutely aware that issues of restraint, ROE, and American casualties can assume even greater importance than in conventional conflict when placed under the media microscope that accompanies peace operations. In the glare of the media spotlight, saturation coverage of a single event (like the Ranger tragedy in Somalia) can force a major reappraisal and even reversal of U.S. policy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 14, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA311684
Entities
People
- D. P. Delly
Organizations
- Naval War College