Joint Doctrine and Post-Cold War Military Intervention
Abstract
Whereas for generations the primary threat facing the United States was confrontation with the Soviet Union, today there are two major concerns. First, in contrast to a monolithic adversary, current threats are multifaceted and require proficiency across a range of military operations other than war (MOOTW). Second, as overseas presence decreases, various operations will require that the Armed Forces deploy with the militaries of other nations. However, it is not clear that available joint doctrine provides sufficient guidance for multinational MOOTW. Although operations in Haiti have met with success, serious setbacks have occurred during U.S.-led collective interventions in Iraq, Somalia, and Bosnia. These have raised questions about the adequacy of joint doctrine for meeting the challenge of multinational operations. Despite much analysis, there is no consensus on whether past setbacks were caused by shortcomings in doctrine on MOOTW or the failure to adhere to established doctrine for multinational operations. This article seeks to address this issue by reviewing recent military operations within the context of the principles outlined in Joint Pub 3-0, Doctrine for Joint Operations. This is critical because it is certain that we will continue to conduct such operations. The deployment of 20,000 Americans to Bosnia as part of the Implementation Force was a case in point.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA528967
Entities
People
- Steven R. Drago
Organizations
- National Defense University