Security through Law and Order
Law and order are the essence of security and a prerequisite of military and political legitimacy. Where civilian law enforcement agencies cannot provide security US forces must be prepared to enforce basic standards of justice, including the protection of human rights, through the rule of law.
When providing law and order, the military must act with the same restraint as police officers. Excessive force undermines both military and political legitimacy.The failure to plan for civilian security can jeopardize military legitimacy, as it did in Just Cause:
One result of the general lack of attention to the civil aspects of the operation [Just Cause] was a breakdown of law and order in Panama in the course of the US military operation... One of the basic functions of CA is law enforcement, and proper use of CA planning would have foreseen the problem and prepared actions to preclude the collapse of law and order in Panama.19
Somalia provided examples of how the lack of security can be as fatal to legitimacy as the lack of restraint. Feuding warlords kept UN forces barricaded and of little use as roving bandits terrorized the country. Among the lessons learned in Somalia is that peacekeeping cannot occur where there is no peace to keep, and that combat forces should not be deployed unless the standards of the Weinberger Doctrine and PDD 25 can be met.
In the Haitian refugee camp at Guantanimo Naval Base (GITMO) there were rules but no uniform enforcement procedures; and before suitable enforcement procedures could be implemented several riots occurred. Control measures required personal identification with photo identification cards, and fingerprinting for those causing trouble. Weapons control required a separate permitting process. Reliable refugees were used as enforcement officers to the extent possible to minimize resistance to security measures.
The difficulty of maintaining a balance between restraint and security was evident in operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti. Special Forces troops were charged with providing a 'safe and secure environment' and worked closely with local public officials to provide a security system to fill the vacuum after General Cedras and his cronies were ousted. But unrealistic public expectations frustrated the troopers with incessant demands for security that could not be met. One exasperated team commander complained he was 'sick and tired of being in the (expletive) police biz, and I'm just about ready to let the Haitian soldiers loose and beat the (expletive) out of everybody like they used to do'.20