Landpower and Crises: Army Roles and Missions in Smaller-Scale Contingencies During the 1990s

Prior to World War II, the majority of instances where American armed forces were used abroad involved Marine or Navy actions to protect U.S. citizens or promote national interests. The use of American military forces (especially the Army) expanded considerably with the advent of the Cold War and America's ascension to superpower status.2 Since the end of the Cold War, there has been another significant increase in the use of military forces (with special emphasis again on the Army) by American political leaders to achieve policy objectives. Except for the major theater war of Operation DESERT STORM, these deployments have fallen under the broad heading of smaller-scale contingencies (SSCs). While this overall increase in theater military operations began in the aftermath of Operation DESERT STORM, it stabilized at a high level during the first full year of the Clinton administration. Since mid-1993, American military forces have engaged in 170 separate SSCs...