Warriors in Peace Operations - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army

Baumholder, Germany. This operation was a great success
for two reasons. One, I designated a highly capable captain,
Grant Goldsmith, for the job. Second, we talked about the
job daily, and I empowered him to make major decisions.
Captain Goldsmith prepared and deployed almost 200
replacement soldiers, and processed at least that many out
of country back to the United States. He coordinated efforts
to deploy and redeploy all soldiers and equipment, assisted
in storage for privately owned vehicles and personal
property, provided continuous support to installation
support activities and families, turned in over $11 million in
excess equipment, reorganized battalion living and working
areas, and, in short, took care of all business, treating people
with dignity and respect.
Other battalions in Baumholder were nowhere as
successful in the rear because battalion commanders failed
to leave behind a quality leader, or attempted to rotate the
rear detachment commander. Neither of these options
worked. Life continued back in Germany, and family
members expected their needs to be consistently met
without abrupt change. When the FSG faltered, my rear
detachment commander took care of business. Other than
with my wife, I worked more closely with my rear detachment
commander than anyone else.
SECTION TWO: KEY LESSONS LEARNED
Most of the key lessons learned have already been
discussed in this paper. Such lessons are more likely to be
principles and standards that were reinforced or
complemented during this peace enforcement experience.
In summation, I recommend future or current Field
Artillery battalion commanders consider the following
when planning for a peace enforcement operation:
• Make the FSG a priority and ensure advisors to family
members can communicate with the majority of your
population. Battery commanders’ wives tend to
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