Formal Mediation and Negotiation Training, Providing Greater Skills for Commanders in Bosnia

摘要

U.S. Army units have been conducting peace operations in Bosnia since December 1995. There, the environment evolved from being one characterized by peace enforcement operations to one characterized by peacekeeping operations. As part of pre-deployment training and certification requirements, commanders and their units still train for peace operations. However, the training is not optimized for the environment that they will encounter. The Bosnia environment requires battalion and brigade commanders to possess and utilize mediation and negotiation skills. These skills enable consensus and cooperation building among former warring faction (FWF) leaders, other militaries, non governmental organizations (NOOs), and other national and international agencies as they continue to implement the General Framework of Peace (OFAP) in Bosnia. If the U. S. Army followed U.S. policy, joint, and service doctrine, commanders would be better prepared for peace operations in Bosnia.