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

esponsibilities. This first meeting was very positive and
reflected the effective working relationship that developed
during the operation.
On the November 26, I met an Air Force Officer from
AFSOUTH who had recently visited the Tuzla Airfield.
Colonel Steve Bryan had a wealth of information concerning
the physical layout of the airfield, the condition of the
perimeter fence, as well as the daily environment. In
particular, he stated that the locals entered and departed
the base through gaps in the perimeter fence, and that theft
was the biggest problem at the base. He told us that large
generators had been pulled through the perimeter fence at
night without alerting the U.N. security force at the base.
His insights refined our plan and helped guide my personal
reconnaissance of the airfield later in November.
LEADERS’ RECONNAISSANCE
I was one of the ten leaders from TF EAGLE who
conducted a reconnaissance of the Tuzla Airbase and the
U.S. sector between November 28-December 3, 1995.
Colonel Brown, the 1st Armored Division Chief of Staff, led
the party. This was an exceptional experience that paid
significant dividends throughout the deployment in Bosnia.
The means of entry and the route we took to and from
Tuzla were nearly as important as the opportunity to
reconnoiter the airbase. We departed Ramstein Airfield in a
C-21 aircraft on November 28 enroute to Split, Croatia.
Departing Split in U.N. 4-wheel drive vehicles, we drove
along the Adriatic coast to Ploce and then turned north
through Mostar and Konjic, arriving at Kiseljak just prior to
midnight (Figure 1). We stayed overnight at the U.N.
compound in Kiseljak. Early the next morning, we loaded
Swedish APCs for the second and more dangerous leg of our
journey to Tuzla. Recently, U.N. vehicles had been
ambushed. In fact, a U.N. captain was slain and his vehicle
stolen near Tuzla the day prior to our departure. Therefore,
our escort was a Swedish mechanized platoon.
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