Introduction
The aim of this essay is to evaluate the effectiveness of military force in relation to Operation Gothic Serpent, which occurred in 1993 in Somalia. This essay will argue through the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu or “Black Hawk Down”, that the operation was a failure. As a first step, this essay will detail the background of the operation. As a second step, the Battle of Mogadishu will be outlined. The essay will then examine the factors which contributed to the Operation’s failure. These factors are political and military objectives, command and leadership and intelligence. The current situation in Somalia will then be detailed. As a final step, the lessons that political and military leaders should learn from the Operation will be explained; the most notable being importance of the decisions made by commanders and human intelligence during the execution of operations. Background
In 1992, Somalia was devastated by civil war and famine, as a consequence of the ousting of Dictator Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991 (Somalia, 1992–1993, n.d.). …show more content…
This was to be achieved through “nation-building”. “Nation -building” is defined as establishing civil order and government in a state (Pan, 2005). This objective was not achieved, as the U.S. forces were unable to create an entity which secured the state by having the capacity to protect Somali citizens and promote civil order and control (Marra and Pierce, 2013). Without civil order and control; developing infrastructure and the formation of a government that is a fundamental element of “nation-building” cannot occur. Consequently, the establishment of a stable government entity as the main objective, followed by “nation- building” would have increased the probability of the US achieving their political objectives (Marra and Pierce,
The aim of this essay is to evaluate the effectiveness of military force in relation to Operation Gothic Serpent, which occurred in 1993 in Somalia. This essay will argue through the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu or “Black Hawk Down”, that the operation was a failure. As a first step, this essay will detail the background of the operation. As a second step, the Battle of Mogadishu will be outlined. The essay will then examine the factors which contributed to the Operation’s failure. These factors are political and military objectives, command and leadership and intelligence. The current situation in Somalia will then be detailed. As a final step, the lessons that political and military leaders should learn from the Operation will be explained; the most notable being importance of the decisions made by commanders and human intelligence during the execution of operations. Background
In 1992, Somalia was devastated by civil war and famine, as a consequence of the ousting of Dictator Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991 (Somalia, 1992–1993, n.d.). …show more content…
This was to be achieved through “nation-building”. “Nation -building” is defined as establishing civil order and government in a state (Pan, 2005). This objective was not achieved, as the U.S. forces were unable to create an entity which secured the state by having the capacity to protect Somali citizens and promote civil order and control (Marra and Pierce, 2013). Without civil order and control; developing infrastructure and the formation of a government that is a fundamental element of “nation-building” cannot occur. Consequently, the establishment of a stable government entity as the main objective, followed by “nation- building” would have increased the probability of the US achieving their political objectives (Marra and Pierce,