December 14, 1995
Web posted at: 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT)
From Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- NATO troops are moving into Bosnia heavily armed, not only with the latest weapons of war, but also with rules of engagement that will allow them to use the weapons effectively.
Under the rules for Operation Joint Endeavour, NATO troops may use deadly force -- including pre-emptive attacks -- to protect themselves and carry out their mission. In other words, they can shoot first, ask questions later.
U.S. President Bill Clinton made that clear last month amid concerns that NATO troops would become helpless targets in the Balkan conflict. "We'll fight fire with fire and then some," he said when he announced the mission.
The biggest chore for the 60,000 NATO troops will be separating bitter enemies in Bosnia by establishing DMZs, or demilitarized zones, to keep them apart, and supervising the territory exchange outlined in the peace agreement signed in Paris Thursday. Disputes can be settled by force, if necessary.
"We want to give the tactical commander the authority and the flexibility to implement that the way he thinks is best for that time and for that region and for the circumstances," U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry said earlier this month.
The United States is using a number of high-tech systems to keep a sharp eye on potential threats. "Unmanned aerial vehicles," pilotless spy planes like the Predator, will transmit live pictures of the ground while surveillance planes will use the latest radar to track troops and vehicles.
If shelled by mortars, U.S. troops can use artillery-locating radar that can immediately track the source of the shot and fire back.
"You don't know where that line of hostility may be drawn, and we have to be absolutely capable of responding and demonstrating the combat power this task force is capable of generating," said Gen. William Crouch, commander of the U.S. Army in Europe.
Some conventional weapons will be put to unconventional uses. Apache helicopters, for instance, will train thermal targeting sensors downward to find any freshly laid mines. Avenger anti-aircraft systems will target snipers using a 50-caliber gun normally used for sending tracer rounds against planes.
"It has a thermal scope on it, very high power. And it will give you a signature of heat -- a person, a body that may be shooting at you as a sniper. We can pick him up, take him out if necessary with little or no collateral damage," said U.S. Army Col. Dean Cash.
But for all its high tech advantage, the United States is pegging its success on its people -- particularly its teams of special forces.
In Haiti, A-teams effectively took over towns and ran them, bringing local officials in line and winning over the populace.
Bosnia has much deeper animosities than Haiti, but U.S. military planners are counting on the special forces units to be the glue that keeps the mission together.
Even with all of the tools at its disposal, the Pentagon won't guarantee the NATO mission will bring lasting peace to Bosnia. The only promise is that it should provide a year's breathing space. The hope is that will break the cycle of war.
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