Operation Deliberate Force
By
SSG Barker, Russell J.
ALC Class 018-14
SFC Franklin
Barker, Russell J. 13F ALC Class 018-14 14 March 2014
Operation Deliberate Force
The idea of a humanitarian war or going to war in pursuit of a humanitarian effort is an ambiguous idea. From an outsider’s point of view it can seem like a self-serving mission or even some crazy form of moral or immoral self-deception. Yet, in war strategies, humanitarian efforts are widely distributed through all aspects of our art of war such as the Geneva conventions. In operation deliberate force the theory of air strikes came to be the most humane effort in that of shortening the war as well as bringing the amount of innocent suffering to a minimum.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in the south east region of Europe, in the Balkan Peninsula. It borders with the Republic of Croatia in the north, west and southwest and with Serbia and Montenegro in the east and south. The Ivan Sedlo saddle (much like a valley) found between the mountains Bitovnje and Bjelašnica connects the two major wholes of the country, the more populated and abundant in forests and land, Bosnia in the north and the smaller, rocky Herzegovina in the south. There is a natural border of mountains between Bosnia and Herzegovina. Herzegovina is actually quite small barely making up ten percent of the population of the entire country. Most of Bosnia is hilly and mountainous and there is almost no area less than one hundred and fifty meters above sea level. Bosnia is not a country abundant in many different water sources; it contains a few large rivers and only few lakes.
Of the countries making up the former Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzego...
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There were many sides to this Bosnian civil war; each of the three cultures in this territorial conflict had their own justifiable reasoning behind the events that took place throughout the long ordeal. Yet it was easily brought to an end once NATO and the United Nations decided to take a more aggressive role with their presence. The Serbians who were the main antagonist throughout this war thought they were much more militarily inclined than they actually were therefore when just a small amount of air strikes were implemented by NATO it occurred to them that they should probably quit while they still could. Operation Deliberate Force in my opinion, proves how effective air support can be, and how efficient it is at bringing all things conflict related to an end much quicker than ground battle, and with much less casualties, both civilian and military, at that.
In Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Iraqi forces fired 93 Scud missiles at coalition forces in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. (Rostker) Air Defense Artillery (ADA) played an immensely significant role in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm with units from 11th Brigade Air Defense Artillery and the 32d Air Defense Command rapidly deploying into theater. The effectiveness of the units and their roles in fighting this war proved that Air Defense Artillery was critical to the success of the campaign. Although Patriot Batteries placed strategically throughout Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Israel played a tremendous tactical role in these wars, High-Medium Air Defense (HIMAD) was not the only type of surface to air missile system in place to protect ground forces and valuable military assets. Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) units also deployed with the air defense units. These weapon systems, integrated with ground forces, provided air defense to dominate against aircraft and Tactical Ballistic Missiles (TBM) on the front lines.
The 1990s were a period of extreme ethnic conflict in the former nation of Yugoslavia. In 1992, Bosnia-Herzegovina passed a referendum for independence, which was not met with an equal enthusiasm amongst the republic's population. The group most against this independence was the Serbian minority, who were convinced by leaders such as Slobodan Milosovic and psychiatrist Jovan Raskovic in the idea of a "greater Serbia." Serbs were told they needed to dominate the surrounding Croats and Muslims based on their psychological superiority. Serb fighters carried out vicious campaigns of ethnic cleansing, killing over 100,000 people with another 1.5 million being forced from their homes to created predominantly Serbian areas. In 1995 Bosnia Croatia and Serbia signed the Dayton peace accords and focus shifted towards Kosovo, where discord had been emerging between the Albanians and the Serbs.
Unfortunately this upset the native Bosnian people. So, although the United States feels obligated to help the Bosnian Cause, they may be worsening the situation with their involvement, both there and in the U.S There are two sides to this story. The first is the opinion that the United States should completely withdraw from Bosnia. The other opinion is that the United States should go headlong and give Bosnia their full support, and commit more troops and more supplies to the Bosnian Cause. There are some positive things done by the United States in Bosnia. The presence of U.S troops did bring temporary peace to the area. Although the peace is purely an act, it does give leaders time to talk and plan without worrying about their people dying. Also, the United States presence in Bosnia helped to eradicate the most horrific problem in Bosnia, large Serbian concentration camps and mass Albanian genocide.
“It was raining moderately at the time. We were taken back to the compound, being pushed and hurried along the way and forced to put our hands above our heads and then marched to the Embassy residence. After arriving at the residence I had my hands tied behind my back so tightly with nylon cord that circulation was cut off.” This is an actual diary entry from an Iranian hostage, Robert Odee. The hostages were held captive for 444 days. They were held captive by Iranian students.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, located just west of Serbia, is a European country with a current population of approximately 3,834,000 people. In 1992, the population estimate was 4,113,000, but by the end of the genocide in 1995, it dropped to 3,521,000 citizens. The main languages are Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian. Bosnia’s main religions that make up the country are: Islam - with the largest percentile of the population at 40%, followed by 31% Christian Orthodox, Roman Catholics at 15%, and other religions which make up a total of 14% of the population. The capital is Sarajevo, which was also meant to be a safe haven for Muslims who were in fear during the genocide and war. Fellow cities Gordaze and Srebrenica were were two of the other safe havens (there were 5 total). However, these cities were not only sieged, but the markings for massacres and bloodshed within a nation.
Humanitarian intervention can be defined as the right or duty of the international community to intervene in states with certain causes. The causes can be that the state has suffered a large scale loss of life or genocide due to intentional actions by its government or even because of the collapse of governance (Baylis, Owens, Smith 480). One of the main arguments in the article was president Obamas decision not to bomb Syria after many of his Allies and people believed he would’ve after making so many plans and decision to carry out the bombing. Obamas decision can be expressing in some of the key objections to humanitarian intervention. For example, the first key is that states do not intervene for primarily humanitarian reasons. This means that humanitarian intervention would be unwise if it does not serve the states national interests. President Obama did not want to risk taking a shot while there were United Nations inspectors on the ground completing work (Goldberg
In 1993 the United Nation declared Srebrenica, a protected area with no military. The Serbian forces did not accept this ‘’protected area’’, so they kept sending in forces to block off resources for the Bosnian muslims.
“ Humanitarianism aspire to relief victims of human-made and natural disaster, but for many it does not end with the termination of emergency. Many aspire to transform the structures that endanger populations” (Fassin
Bosnia is a country in Europe and its capital is a city called Sarajevo. Bosnia is bordered by Serbia and Croatia. In this genocide, between 1992 and 1995, the Serbians wanted to pursue genocide against the Muslims of Bosnia. After World War 1, a country called Yugoslavia was created in 1918. It was created out of the Austria-Hungary empire that lost the war and lost its land. Serbians, Croatians, Slovenes, and Bosnian Serbians and Muslims lived all in one country. The problem was the people didn't get along and each republic wanted to take control of the country. This went on until after WWII, when the Soviet Union took power and control over the country. Joseph Broz (Tito) was leader of Yugoslavia until the 6 republics separated. Then in 1992, Bosnia declared its independence from Yugoslavia. Soon after, the Bosnian
The concept of humanitarian intervention is highly contested but it is defined by Wise to be the threat or use of force across state borders by a state (or a group of states) aimed at preventing widespread and grave violations of fundamental human rights of individuals other than its own citizens, without the permission of the state within whose territory force is applied.
The United Nations tried to have six safe areas, which included Srebrenica and Sarajevo, but it did not happen. The peacekeepers did not have the power to protect the people who were looking for shelter and Sarajevo fell under the Serbs control. In July 1995, the Serb forces went to the town of Srebrenica and began bombing it. During this moment, they were only protected by 450 Dutch peacekeepers armed with not too much fuel and expired ammunition. Their force was so weak that the Dutch commander said that they were no longer military approved. The peacekeepers asked for support from the NATO, but they were denied. The Srebrenica fell to the Serbs in one day.
The war that happened in Bosnia was a terrible crime. The Serbs took over land and killed innocent civilians. All the Bosnians wanted was the right to have freedom, and the Serbs took that away from them. Many were affected by this cruel war, which has changed people’s perspectives on things. “Television and newspapers show us the pictures: the destruction, the injured survivors, the dead.We rarely get glimpses of survivors st...
Croatia and Bosnia, previous allies, began open warfare. Croatia and Serbia both wanted control of Bosnia. Bosnia was also largely Muslim. Acts of genocide were reported by all sides during the Yugoslavian conflicts. However, at this time genocide became more common. Serbian military groups engaged in widespread genocide against the Muslim Bosnians. This sparked the increased involvement of the United Nations and NATO. In 1994, the United States brokered peace between Croatia and Bosnia. Despite the fact that both Croatia and Serbia were invading Bosnia, conflict continued between Croatia and Serbia in what is known as Croatia-Krajina War. Then in 1995, NATO began airstrikes against Serbia, forcing them to negotiate for peace. At the end of 1995, the Dayton agreement was signed ending the conflict. It also granted the Serbians inside of Bosnia and mostly autonomous region, called Republika Srpska, inside of
One of most crucial aspects of humanitarian intervention is the lack of proper motives. As noted by Bush, Martiniello, and Mercer, in the case of Libya and Côte d’Ivoire the Western nations were pursuing their own economic imperial interests under the guise of humanitarian intervention (Bush). The lack of pure motives to help decrease crimes against humanity resulted in an increased number of human rights violations in both Libya and Côte d’Ivoire (Bush). In order
Humanitarian Intervention Hypothesis: That despite the incidents where humanitarian interventions have proved seemingly unsuccessful, they are, nonetheless, a vital tool in alleviating the human suffering that so plagues contemporary society. The post-Cold war world is one that has been riddled with conflict, suffering and war. In the face of such times, the issue of humanitarian intervention and about who, when and how it should be employed, has become hotly debated. While some critics declare this kind of intervention to be a violation of national sovereignty, others believe that relief efforts aimed at ending human suffering are perfectly justifiable. 7.