Bosnia Air Drop Study
Abstract
This paper examines the U.S. military's humanitarian air drop operations to besieged civilian populations in Bosnia, conducted as part of Operation Provide Promise in 1993-94. These airdrops - one of largest such operations ever attempted - took place within an extraordinarily complex political-military situation, in a high threat environment, in the midst of a multi-sided conflict. This paper attempts to provide a clear understanding of what happened during the Bosnia air drops, including the organizations involved; requirements determination; assembly and preparation of supplies to meet the requirements; supplies dropped; phases of the mission; locations; tonnage; budget; liaison with civilian organizations; and other operational factors. The paper analyzes the mission's effectiveness, examining the impact on the local population; assessing the delivery process; reviewing political-military effects of the air drops; and listing problems encountered. The study also examines other recent humanitarian air drop operations in Somalia, northern Iraq and southern Sudan, summarizing similarities to and differences from Operation Provide Promise. This paper makes recommendations to the Department of Defense on procedures that DoD might utilize when considering future humanitarian air drop operations, and provides analytical frameworks to guide policy makers and military planners.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA368790
Entities
People
- A. M. Lidy
- David Arthur
- James Kunder
- Samuel H. Packer
Organizations
- Institute for Defense Analyses