We’ve seen this movie before

As a thirty-four-year veteran of the United States Navy, I unfortunately have seen first-hand the good, the bad, and the ugly of the execution of America’s foreign policy, in many cases altruistic by design but either poorly executed or impacted by outside forces that caused the loss of many American servicemen and women’s lives.

The 1983 Bombing of the Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut Lebanon  is a prime example of good intentions where America’s policy makers placed American’s in harms way in an untenable situation.  Consequently two truck bombs struck buildings in Beirut, Lebanon, housing American and French service members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF), a military peacekeeping operation during the Lebanese Civil War. The attack killed 307 people: 241 U.S. and 58 French military personnel, six civilians, and two attackers and ultimately lead to the untimely withdrawal of the MNF. End result — peacekeepers died in vain, and peace was not achieved.

As the Commanding Officer of USS Rushmore (LSD 47) I participated directly in Operation Restore Hope which consisted of a Unified Task Force (UNITAF) — a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational force which operated in Somalia from December 1992 until May 1993. UNITAF was charged with carrying out United Nations Security Council Resolution 794 to create a protected environment for conducting humanitarian operations in the southern half of the country. Although altruistic in nature, the operation turned south as Somali warlords competed for relief supplies in their effort to maintain leverage over the populace. Unfortunately, things turned ugly, resulting in the Battle of Mogadishu in which 18 American soldiers were killed in action and another 48 wounded. Like Beirut in 1983  America withdrew her forces without achieving the desired end state.

Fast forward to 2024 where the Biden Administration attempted to  provide humanitarian supplies to the people of Gaza by air drop which resulted in the death of civilians on the ground. We have now learned that the next phase if to provide relief supplies by sea which will necessitate the deployment of DoD’s Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability, or JLOTS.

Again, another concept that may be easier to plan on paper than to execute in a war zone where food is used as a weapon by Hamas to maintain power over its citizens.  I am sure that, as in the examples cited above, there may be unintended consequences resulting in the loss of American lives.

Yes, we have seen this movie before, and it has not ended well. However, let’s hope that this one is different, but based on our experience at Abbey Gate during out botched withdrawal from Afghanistan I suspect the ending may be the same.

Image: USAF