Peacekeeping and Related Stability Operations: Issues of U.S. Military Involvement

Abstract

SUMMARY For over a decade, some Members of Congress have expressed reservations about - U.S. military involvement in peacekeeping. The Bush Administration s decision to reduce the commitment of U.S. troops to international peacekeeping seems to reflect a major concern: that peacekeeping duties are detrimental to military readiness, i.e., the ability of U.S. troops to defend the nations. Others, however, view peacekeeping and related stability operations as a necessary feature of the United States current and possible future U.S. military activities. With the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, often referred to as a stabilization and reconstruction operation (which manifests some characteristics of a peace operation), concerns about whether U.S. forces are large enough and appropriately configured to carry out that operation over several years dominate that debate. These concerns were heightened by the 9/11 Commission report, which cited Afghanistan, where the Administration has limited U.S. involvement in peacekeeping and nationbuilding, as a sanctuary for terrorists and pointed to the dangers of allowing actual and potential terrorist sanctuaries to exist. Thousands of U.S. military personnel currently serve in or support peacekeeping operations. The number of troops serving in U.N. operations has decreased dramatically since the mid-1990s. About 28 U.S. servicemembers are serving in five operations under U.N. control. About 3,500 are serving full-time in the Balkans with less than 1,000 in the NATO Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia and some 1,500 with the NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR). About 30,000 more serve in or support peacekeeping operations in South Korea, and roughly 700 serve in the Sinai. A few of the 2,000 serving in a U.S.-led multinational operation in Haiti remained after the U.N. took over command of the operation on June 1, 2004.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 04, 2004
Accession Number
ADA480361

Entities

People

  • Nina M. Serafino

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Army Personnel
  • Combat Operations
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of State
  • Governments
  • Humanitarian Assistance
  • International Organizations
  • Joint Military Activities
  • Military Operations
  • Military Personnel
  • National Governments
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychological Operations
  • Stability Operations
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.