The United States of America today exerts unprecedented influence over international events as the world 's only remaining superpower. Since the end of the Cold War, the frequency of American foreign intervention and operational tempo of American military forces has increased greatly. The size of the United States military and of the Army in particular during this same period has dramatically decreased. Political leaders in the United States have used military force with increasing frequency to achieve policy objectives during the past decade. The majority of these operations fall into the category of military operations other than war, or stability and support operations. This monograph explores theory, history, and doctrine in order to determine if past experience in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the United States more recent experience in Iraq offer insights and lessons applicable to the future Army and its involvement in nation building and occupation. The monograph proposes recommendations as to how the United States Army can best shape its forces for the future. This report includes two case studies, Bosnia-Herzegovina (1995 until present) and Iraq (2003 until present). The case studies examine the events leading up to the conflicts, the introduction of the American military forces, and the major lessons learned about stability and support operations. The research revealed that there are reoccurring themes and lessons of nation building and occupation. First, that nation building and occupation are protracted operations. Second, that a secure environment is of utmost importance. Third, that unity of effort is vital for success in these types of operations. Lastly, that the level of national commitment on the part of the United States is usually the determining factor of success. There are several requirements for the future force that can be derived from these lessons: the active engagement of the population, native speaking language specialists, trained cultural an
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