Nation Building: The Effectiveness of US Forces in Bosnia (1995-2000)
Abstract
Although the deadline for US forces returning stateside kept expanding and NATO's Implementation Forces and Stabilization Forces mission objectives under the Dayton Peace Accord evolved toward providing more military support to the civilian aspects of nation building than anticipated, the US forces remained focused on achieving the desired end state of a peaceful coexistence of multi-ethnic groups in Bosnia. Exercising ingenuity and flexibility, while adapting to new technologies and working closely with 30 coalition partners and numerous non-governmental organizations, presented tremendous challenges in avoiding mission creep and human casualties. US force involvement in this peace enforcing operation, when closely examined, provides excellent lessons learned for future US force participation in future peace enforcing operations conducted in the twenty-first century and beyond. This paper outlines Bosnia's history and the events that preceded US troops in Bosnia. It identifies lessons learned from US force participation in arresting war criminals, psychological operations, civil affairs, public affairs as well as the challenges related to force protection, communications interoperability, intelligence exchanges, and training. Finally, the paper makes some recommendations and draws some conclusions regarding US force participation in peace operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 16, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA463989
Entities
People
- Ronda S. Zander
Organizations
- Naval War College