US Military mission in Haiti is ending, being replaced by Blue Helmets

[Farnan]

About 800 paratroopers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, have completed their mission in Haiti and will return to Fort Bragg, N.C., officials announced last week.

The soldiers, from 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, will begin returning to Fort Bragg “over the next several days,” according to the March 4 announcement.

They will join about 600 other soldiers from the brigade, most of them from 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, who returned from Haiti Feb. 25 and 26.

Soldiers from the cavalry squadron arrived in Haiti on Jan. 14, and soldiers from 1st Battalion, 325th Infantry, arrived Jan. 17 to provide humanitarian relief and security after a massive earthquake ripped through Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12.

The soldiers, along with the rest of 2nd BCT, are part of the Global Response Force, ready to deploy in a matter of hours if needed.

About 1,600 soldiers from the brigade remain in Haiti. Their return has not been announced.

In Haiti, the infantry battalion provided humanitarian aid in Cite Soleil, manning two food distribution points and providing much needed aid to local residents.

The troops distributed more than 250,000 liters of water, 345,000 meals and 12,000 tarps for shelter, and treated more than 7,000 patients. The soldiers also completed about 650 humanitarian missions.

The unit also supported several major aid missions, including assisting the World Food Program with the distribution of more than 3.5 million rations to Haitian citizens.

The soldiers are being replaced by Brazilian and Jordanian forces assigned to the United Nations.

Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry, provided security support for four food distribution points in Port-au-Prince’s Petionville area, enabling relief groups to distribute more than 5.5 million pounds of bulk food. The soldiers also distributed more than 45,000 meals and 250,000 liters of water. The medics treated more than 7,000 patients, medevaced more than 147 people and delivered 10,000 shelter kits. The soldiers also supported security operations across the capital.

The paratroopers are being replaced by Nepalese and Jordanian forces assigned to the U.N.

Information on the Web site for U.S. Southern Command, which is in charge of the U.S. military’s efforts in Haiti, said the redeployment of American troops is taking place as responsibilities transition to the U.N., non-governmental organizations and non-Defense Department agencies

“Redeployment of capabilities is not time-based,” Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, commander of Joint Task Force Haiti, said in a statement. “We will redeploy our forces as their functions are assumed by interagency or non-governmental organizations or the tasks are no longer required.”

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/0..._82nd_030710w/

Hopefully the Blue Helmets can be effective, and hopefully the mission of the US troops helped.

[Katsumoto]

So much for American imperialism.

[JP226]

Oh , there goes Haiti.

[xcorps]

Hopefully the Blue Helmets can be effective

They have such a stellar track record thus far.

[Farnan]

They have such a stellar track record thus far.

They've been effective when used correctly (where there is no active fighting and with a flexible mandate) but not when used incorrectly (during an active war with a strict mandate).

[Holger Danske]

They've been effective when used correctly (where there is no active fighting and with a flexible mandate) but not when used incorrectly (during an active war with a strict mandate).

Then there is the rare instance where blue helmet's kick ass, effectively.

[roy34543]

Then there is the rare instance where blue helmet's kick ass, effectively.

The danish military operating as a section of the UN is hardly the same as the blue helmets.
The blue helmets are mostly underpaid grunts recruited them under-average militaries from countries that dont really even remotely live up to the standard the UN demands of them, theres been lots of reports that the peacekeeping forces simply abuse their position when its peaceful to rape , whore and commit pedophilia and when its actually wartime they basically sit entrenched and do very little or nothing.
Of course here its just distributing food, so you have to hope it doesnt go too badly..

[mrmouth]

[QUOTE=roy34543;6920174
The blue helmets are mostly underpaid grunts recruited them under-average militaries from countries that dont really even remotely live up to the standard the UN demands of them[/QUOTE]

If a western military is involved, it can be a plenty competent fighting force, let alone policing force. The problem is more of leadership when that force is comprised of regional specific troops. Again, Africa comes to mind, numerous times...

In a place like Africa it take some forward thinking to be a factor in an any area, before it becomes as issue. Because that force is never going to be competent enough to prevent any significant violence once it has begun.

[hellheaven1987]

Then there is the rare instance where blue helmet's kick ass, effectively.

Congo, 1964.

A few mercenaries can beat Blue Helmets out of crap.

[motiv-8]

Looks like our attempt at colonizing Haiti failed.


That's what we were doing, right? Said so on the Internets.

[Farnan]

The Haitian Insurgency must have thrown us out...

[xcorps]

http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/p...idential_email

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org...nt.cfm?id=3230

"In its report published in December 1999, the Inquiry found that the failure by the United Nations to prevent, and subsequently, to stop the genocide in Rwanda was a failure by the United Nations system as a whole." http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/bri...ng/pkfocus.htm

[Burnum]

http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/p...idential_email

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org...nt.cfm?id=3230

"In its report published in December 1999, the Inquiry found that the failure by the United Nations to prevent, and subsequently, to stop the genocide in Rwanda was a failure by the United Nations system as a whole." http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/bri...ng/pkfocus.htm

America wasn't particularly willing involved, no one was, we shall blame in preventing the genocide of Rwanda.

[mrmouth]

Outside of Africa, most times it comes down to who leads them. They can be plenty effective if their isn't a half-wit in charge at every level. Being the UN, most times there are plenty of those making decisions.

I mean, lets put African blue helmets in areas of Africa where strong tribal BS is still the name of the game. That worked out beautifully...

[Big War Bird]

To all Hatians, hide your women.

[bushbush]

where is that angry french member who kept saying america was taking france's colony Haiti?

[Pontifex Maximus]

where is that angry french member who kept saying america was taking france's colony Haiti?

We tend to silence all the people who guess at our plots.

[hellheaven1987]

where is that angry french member who kept saying america was taking france's colony Haiti?

Lol, French suffered a Vietnam in Haiti during late 18th Century, which the people in Haiti beat French force out of crap using gureilla warfare.

[Farnan]

Lol, French suffered a Vietnam in Haiti during late 18th Century, which the people in Haiti beat French force out of crap using gureilla warfare.

Actually Field Marshal Malaria played a bigger role in that war.

[hellheaven1987]

Actually Field Marshal Malaria played a bigger role in that war.

Malaria was suffered by both sides, so no arguement about it.

And Haitians beat Napolean's Brother-in-law...