NATO Forces: A Credible Military Force in Out of Area Operations?
Abstract
To what extent, and under which conditions, have out-of-area deployments by NATO forces in theaters such as Afghanistan and Bosnia succeeded in fulfilling central mission objectives? NATO forces have been participating in "out of area" and peace support operations outside of NATO member territory since the deployment of NATO forces to Bosnia-Herzegovina in December of 1995. These NATO interventions are related to, if not founded on, the precepts of "coercive diplomacy or forceful persuasion," where the use of force is employed to achieve progress in negotiations between warring adversaries, encourage or compel the end of conflict, ensure that stabilization and security follow the cessation of conflict, and set the conditions for post-conflict state building. While the contributions of non-U.S. NATO forces to out-of-area peacekeeping operations are significant in the area of training of indigenous forces and host nation infrastructure and economic development, current indications are that most non-U.S. NATO forces in Afghanistan are not conducting any form of offensive combat operations except individual or small unit actions taken in extremely limited self-defense situations. Thus, the burden of conducting effective operations to reduce or eliminate the threats posed to the people of Afghanistan by the Taliban and Al Qaida, to secure and stabilize Afghanistan, and to truly bring peace to the people and Nation of Afghanistan falls almost exclusively to the U.S. military and a very limited number of non-U.S. military forces. This research project explores the NATO out-of-area operation in Bosnia to determine the scope, effectiveness, and types of missions and operations conducted during that deployment. Next, it examines NATO's conduct of operations in Afghanistan in support of the ISAF to compare, contrast, and assess the effectiveness of U.S. and non-U.S. NATO forces' respective efforts there to date.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 14, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA565063
Entities
People
- David L. Grosso
Organizations
- University of Denver