Stuck in the Middle: The Operational Art of Peace Enforcement.

Abstract : The post-cold war era has seen a significant rise in the number of intra-state conflicts. At the same time the United Nations remains committed to operations that prevent, limit, or reduce the damage and suffering caused by such conflicts. As the sole remaining super-power the United States fully supports the United Nations in these efforts. As such the military may find itself drawn into various peace operations unfamiliar to the operational planner. This monograph looks at one such operation, peace enforcement, and at those particularities that the operational planner must understand. Unfortunately, the doctrine available on peace enforcement is limited at best. This paper seeks to supplement this missing doctrine and to offer some possible solutions to the planner of such an operation. This monograph draws upon the British experience in Northern Ireland to highlight specific nuances that are important for the planner to consider. It takes the elements of operational design and illustrates how they may be applied to a campaign plan for peace enforcement. This paper is not designed to be a "how-to" manual, nor is it designed to replace current doctrine; rather its purpose is to cause further thinking on peace enforcement operations and to thereby provide the operational planner with some insights into what peace operations involve in terms of complexity and scope.