2RHPZ
06-01-2005, 04:44 PM
Somalia: Soldiers in SOSO
Robert C. Blackstone
The Army's experience in Somalia in 1993 demonstrated that combat-trained soldiers imbued with a warrior ethos can move rapidly between political and combat missions in SOSO.
“Every soldier is a diplomat,” we hear
time and again. Such is the nature of stability op-
erations and support operations (SOSO). So, what
does history teach about SOSO and the U.S.
soldier’s ability to succeed in such complicated op-
erations?
For over 200 years, U.S. Armed Forces have un-
dertaken operations now called SOSO, but the 1992
to 1994 intervention in Somalia is the most instruc-
tive. Soldiers in Somalia often moved rapidly be-
tween peaceful and combat missions. Thus, the U.S.
experience in Somalia provides fertile ground for
studying U.S. soldiers’ reactions across the SOSO
spectrum
...............................
Working with local authorities meant accepting
local justice. In HRS Sector Oddur, French soldiers
captured a notorious bandit called “the Worm.” They
promptly turned him over to local elders for a quick
trial and conviction. When the criminal protested his
sentence, the elders reconvened to hear his appeal.
The result? “The elder issued his ruling. The first
punishment was too lenient and the Worm must be
executed! The guards immediately dragged the of-
fender outside, there was a short burst of gunfire,
and that was the end of the Worm.”
Although Somali justice might offend Western sensibilities,
circumventing the elders was undesirable; politics re-
quired coalition forces to show faith in Somali
systems.
www.leavenworth.army.mil/milrev/download/English/MarApr05/blackstone.pdf+Somalia:+Soldiers+in+SOSO&hl=en]Online (http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:IFDGO1rTCi8J:[url) cache Google[/url]
Download (http://www.leavenworth.army.mil/milrev/download/English/MarApr05/blackstone.pdf) (.pdf - 350KB - leavenworth.army.mil)
Robert C. Blackstone
The Army's experience in Somalia in 1993 demonstrated that combat-trained soldiers imbued with a warrior ethos can move rapidly between political and combat missions in SOSO.
“Every soldier is a diplomat,” we hear
time and again. Such is the nature of stability op-
erations and support operations (SOSO). So, what
does history teach about SOSO and the U.S.
soldier’s ability to succeed in such complicated op-
erations?
For over 200 years, U.S. Armed Forces have un-
dertaken operations now called SOSO, but the 1992
to 1994 intervention in Somalia is the most instruc-
tive. Soldiers in Somalia often moved rapidly be-
tween peaceful and combat missions. Thus, the U.S.
experience in Somalia provides fertile ground for
studying U.S. soldiers’ reactions across the SOSO
spectrum
...............................
Working with local authorities meant accepting
local justice. In HRS Sector Oddur, French soldiers
captured a notorious bandit called “the Worm.” They
promptly turned him over to local elders for a quick
trial and conviction. When the criminal protested his
sentence, the elders reconvened to hear his appeal.
The result? “The elder issued his ruling. The first
punishment was too lenient and the Worm must be
executed! The guards immediately dragged the of-
fender outside, there was a short burst of gunfire,
and that was the end of the Worm.”
Although Somali justice might offend Western sensibilities,
circumventing the elders was undesirable; politics re-
quired coalition forces to show faith in Somali
systems.
www.leavenworth.army.mil/milrev/download/English/MarApr05/blackstone.pdf+Somalia:+Soldiers+in+SOSO&hl=en]Online (http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:IFDGO1rTCi8J:[url) cache Google[/url]
Download (http://www.leavenworth.army.mil/milrev/download/English/MarApr05/blackstone.pdf) (.pdf - 350KB - leavenworth.army.mil)