Operation Restore Hope: Summary Report

In December 1992, the U.S. Central Command formed Joint Task Force (JTF) Somalia to conduct military operations in southern Somalia. The purpose of the operation, designated Operation RESTORE HOPE, was to establish a secure environment for Humanitarian Relief Organizations (HROs) to provide famine relief services. From November 1992 through March 1993, six analysts from the Center for Naval Analyses provided analytic support to JTF Somalia. Five analysts were on-scene in Somalia at various times. At the request of the CJTF, the analysts studied planning, the execution of the JTF concept, logistics, the transition to the UN-led operation, and certain aspects of operations, including rules of engagement and interactions between the military and the HROs. Documentation of these analyses is contained in a series of research memoranda. This summary report draws together some of the results of the individual analyses and puts them in the context of the overall operation. Its scope is limited by the issues addressed by the on-scene representatives. Thus, neither our study nor this summary report purports to be a comprehensive compilation of the military operations conducted during RESTORE HOPE, or of the lessons that the military has learned from the operation. See also CRMs 93-96, 93-114, 93-148, 93-126, 93-120, and 93-140.