Peacekeeping in Somalia

The U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 794 on December 3, 1992. The Resolution state that the situation in Somalia constitutes a threat to international peace security and authorized Member States to use all necessary means to establish a secure environment for humanitarian relief. During the same month, the United States deployed troops assigned to the 10th Mountain Division Light Infantry to Somalia. This report describes findings from questionnaires and interviews involving 518 Somalia veterans at Fort Drum, New York. The Somalia peacekeeping mission is unique because it started as a humanitarian mission and evolved into combat. Information gathered about the mission may afford valuable opportunities to improve the effectiveness of future peacekeeping doctrine, force development and training. Results of individual interviews and questionnaires show general discontent with the mission, although most soldiers expressed the opinion that the U.S. Army performed well in Somalia. The soldiers gave high ratings to the performance of their leaders, from battalion levels to unit levels.