The Canadian Airborne Regiment In Somalia

This study examines one possible socio-cultural explanation for the events which took place in Somalia in early 1993, asking to what extent military culture (particularly the culture of the Canadian Airborne Regiment) affected the behaviour of Canadian soldiers there. The study methodology included examination of visual and written records as well as extensive interviews with Canadian Forces personnel involved in those events. The study is organized into sections reflecting the factors affecting the events discussed: contradictions within the military establishment, the culture and organization of the Airborne combat unit, and the situational contingencies that arose from the external environment in Somalia (physical, social, and cultural).

Their entries include concise biographies from James Wolfe to Louis Riel to Rick Hillier; key military-political issues like the conscription crises, war finance, and Canada-US relations; lesser-known conflicts such as the Pig War and the Aroostook War; and more recent issues facing the Canadian Forces, including sexual harassment and post-traumatic stress disorder. We see Canada through an international lens as a war fighter and a peacekeeper-and as a participant in some darker moments.

The March 1993 beating to death of a young Somali in Canadian Airborne Regiment custody led to establishment of an independent inquiry into the conduct of the Canadian Forces peacekeeping mission to Somalia, December 1992 to June 1993. This report details the background and conduct of the inquiry and presents its findings. Matters examined included the chain of command system in the Canadian Forces, leadership, discipline, operations, and actions and decisions of the Canadian Forces and the Dept. of National Defence in respect of the Somalia operation; and specific matters relating to pre-deployment, in-theatre, and post-theatre phases of the operation, such as the suitability and operational readiness of the Canadian Airborne Regiment for the peacekeeping operation, the composition and organization of the Somalia task force, the effect of cultural differences on the conduct of operations, attitudes of all ranks toward conduct of operations, and the manner in which the task force conducted its mission and tasks in theatre and responses to the operational, disciplinary, and administrative problems encountered, including allegations of cover-up and destruction of evidence. Volume 1 reviews the background to the inquiry and the report, concluding with description of the events and actions in Somalia that defined the issues warranting investigation. Volume 2 focuses on military operations and conduct, including leadership, training, discipline, rules of engagement, and operational readiness. Volume 3 is devoted to a case study of the mission planning process for the Somalia deployment. Volume 4 presents findings with respect to individual misconduct on the part of Canadian Forces officers. Volume 5 contains additional findings on important topics such as military justice, the role of the military in Canadian society and its civilian control, and the disclosure of documents, and includes a thorough analysis of the March 1993 incident. This final volume also includes a summary of the recommendations found throughout the report as well as appendices of background information.

Grant Dawson's analysis of political, diplomatic, and military decision making avoids a narrow focus on the shocking offences of a few Canadian soldiers, deftly investigating the broader context of the deployment in Somalia. He shows how media pressure, government optimism about the United Nations, and the Canadian traditions of multilateralism and peacekeeping all helped to determine the level, length, and tenor of the country's operations. His findings will undoubtedly play a seminal role in informing scholarly debate about this important period in Canadian diplomacy and military engagement.