The Forty Minute Boot Camp

Bob Stewart

March 1991: Command of an infantry battalion equipped with 50 Warrior armoured vehicles

Warrior: armed with Chain Gun and 30mm Cannon which can carry 10 soldiers

Warned for Operations in the Balkans but:

No Mission No Plan

No Location

Main Building, Ministry of Defence

The MOD reckoned casualties could be

one in four …

… and the Press warned thousands

would die regardlessTwo wounded soldiers in Bosnia January 1993

On 6th December 1982 I had lost 6 soldiers killed and 35 wounded out of 120 soldiers

in the Ballykelly Bomb, Northern Ireland

Ballykelly Bomb SiteMajor, NI, 1982

At MOD Briefing General Rupert Smith gave me this note …

Rupert Smith

The experience was to age me rapidly!

Bosnia February 1993Germany August 1992

Principal Guide was my own Mission To Save Lives

A refugee child carried across the front lines at Turbe in January 1993

Three Decision Making Tools

Talking to the Advance Party at Vitez in September 1992

Mission Analysis

1. What requires to be achieved?2. What tasks are crucial to that?3. What resources/constraints apply?

Ideas for Plan

Tool 1

The Estimate1. Mission

• What must I do? 2. Factors (for each factor ask ‘So What?’)

• Strategy/Politics • Opposition • Own Resources • Risks • Region • Timings • Costs

3. Courses Open• Assess ‘Advantages’ and ‘Disadvantages’ and select best one

4. Plan • Mission • Execution of Plan • Coordination

Tool 2

Risk AssessmentCapabilities x Intentions = Risk

Painting showing recovery of LCpl Wayne Edwards’ Warrior armoured vehicle after his

death in action

Tool 3

Operational Examples

Warriors operating in the mountains, Central Bosnia

Operational ExampleMortar Attack

Warrior armoured vehicles HQ British Forces

Vitez, Central Bosnia

Battalion HQ

Logistics Base

VITEZ

STARI VITEZ

1,000 metres

North

Sarajevo 2 hours

Battalion Headquarters and Logistics Base at Vitez

River Lasva

Battalion HQ

Logistics Base

VITEZ

STARI VITEZ

Early December 1992 Twice we came under mortar attack –

luckily only causing slight damage

Mortars arrive from high elevation and are indirect fire weapons

So far we were lucky but what if it happened again?

Before After

Rules of Engagement

Where was the mortar fired from?But anyway

Rules of Engagement disallowed me from

opening fire at mortars!

What could I do?Rules of Engagement were very difficult on this matter

Mission Analysis

1. What requires to be achieved?2. What tasks are crucial to that?3. What resources/constraints apply?

Ideas for Plan

5,600 metres

Medium mortars have a maximum range of about 5,600 metres.

The mortar location must be within that radius from the base.

STARI VITEZ

VITEZ

Logistics Base

Battalion HQ

Battalion HQ

5,600 metres

My Intelligence Section confirmed the presence of

three mortar locations close to the base

STARI VITEZ

VITEZ

Logistics Base

Battalion HQ

I visited each mortar position and warned that if they fired again at my camp I would take

effective action against them………

STARI VITEZ

VITEZ

Logistics Base

Battalion HQ

…. and then placed covert observation patrols close to each mortar so that I knew when they fired!

STARI VITEZ

VITEZ

Logistics Base

Mortar base plate photographed covertly

Battalion HQ

Two days later we were attacked again … but this time I knew which mortar

position had fired!

STARI VITEZ

VITEZ

Logistics Base

Immediately I left with two Warrior vehicles

My Warrior – ‘Juliet’

Battalion HQ

….driving directly to the offending mortar base plate position …

STARI VITEZ

VITEZ

Logistics Base

Battalion HQ

… and squashed the mortar tubes by driving over them with my Warrior!

Splat!!

STARI VITEZ

VITEZ

Logistics Base

Result No Rule of Engagement broken

No more mortars landed at the base

Replenishment in the Field

Operational ExampleEthics under Fire

An elderly couple in the back of an armoured vehicle – an ‘illegal’ UN activity!

February 1993

Moving into the fighting in the Lasva Valley

Tactical HQ and Logistics Base

A truck bomb 400 metres from our Logistics Base killed many people

It was rotten workOur mass grave contained over 100 bodies

I had no mandate to stop the fighting!

A platoon commander trying to stop the fighting

I had already lost Lance Corporal Wayne Edwards

Honours being paid where Wayne Edwards died

Bosnian Muslims pleaded for protection at the gates of my logistics base

The Logistics Base at Vitez

Garage and Vehicle Park

Tac HQ

Front Lines

Several hundred Bosnian Muslim civilians

River L

asva

Main Road

Stari Vitez

North

400 metres

The Situation at our Garage Logistics Base on 12 Feb 93

Pressure from directly conflicting orders

Meeting with the Prime Minister in Bosnia

Even more pressure - people were dying

Civilians begging for help outside the Logistics Base

How it’s done nowStrategy

Tactics

Constraints

Challenging the Status Quo

Can the strategy be revised? Not immediately. No entry to Camps

Can it be done another way? Yes – if I interpret ‘Camp’ loosely

What is immutable? What is not? Immutable – no civilians allowed in Camps But ‘Protected Area’ is not a ‘Camp’ is it?

We protected civilians with a wall of armour

We used armour to form a wall like this

We patrolled aggressively –shooting two snipers

Patrolling in the Battle – Vitez, February 1993

We brought in shelter, food and blankets

Area calmed and civilians back to their homes within hours

Operational Example Helping Refugees to escape from Srebrenica

March 1993 The Bosnian Serb Army surrounds Srebrenica in

Eastern Bosnia and shells the people

Croatia

Serbia

Vitez

Gornji Vakuf

Banja Luka

BihacTuzla

Srebrenica

Gorazde

Sarajevo

Mostar

Split

Bosnia

British UN Area Bosnia 1992 - 93 50 kilometres

North

Tomaslavgrad

Brcko

Vitez

Zenica

Tuzla

Maglaj

Front Line

Front Line

Croatia

Zagreb

Dubrovnik

Main Supply Route

Gornji Vakuf

Rugged countryside around TuzlaWe had opened a line crossing East of the City

Major Alan Abraham, OC B Squadron 9/12th Lancers, given Mission of getting to Srebrenica

B Squadron Scimitar moving in Bosnian Serb territory

Overnight stop in mountains Bosnian Serb territory

Major Alan Abraham took three days to traverse Bosnian Serb territory to Srebrenica area

Mission Analysis in PUMA helicopter going to Tuzla13 March 1993

Writing Mission Analysis in PUMA helicopter flying to Tuzla Base on 13 Mar 93

Our land route

Request for British helicopters to go into Srebrenica -rejected by MOD – too dangerous and well out of area

MOD not happy about Risk

British UN Puma Helicopter in Bosnia

B Squadron 9/12th Lancers near Srebrenica March 1993

B Squadron were in very dangerous position close to Srebrenica

The need was great Spoke on radio to General Philippe Morillon

French UN Commander

The French sent helicopters

The BBC helped - saying what was happening…

then we had British helicopter support too

The UNHCR evacuated people through the land route

Between 2,000 – 3,000 people were evacuated to safety in Tuzla

At Ahmici Massacre Site with RSM Stevens on

22nd April 1993

Operational Example Ahmici

Thursday 22nd April 1993

Battle between Croats and Muslims broke out in Central Bosnia during April 1993

Ethnic Cleansing in operation Vitez, April 1993

Vitez

Battalion HQ

Dubravica

River Lasva

Kaonik

Approximate Position of Front Lines

North

1 Kilometre

To Sarajevo 2 hours

Mountain Road to Zenica

To Gornji Vakuf2 hours

Bosnian Muslim Forces

Bosnian Croat Forces

Bosnian Croat Checkpoint

The Intelligence Situation in the Lasva Valley on 22nd April 1993

Logistics Base

Jean-Pierre Thebault, Ambassador European Community Monitoring Mission,

formally requested that I personally get the battles stopped

Jean-Pierre Thebault

How could I approach front line positions quickly? What degree of risk was acceptable?

Muslim Front Lines Dubravica

Bosnian Croat Forces

Bosnian Muslim Forces Dubravica

Checkpoint

Checkpoint

Ahmici

STANDARD WAY TO APPROACH FRONT LINESSlowly and by Negotiation from the Rear

Normal – Long Process – Safe – Weapons not Pointing at us

Bosnian Croat Forces

Bosnian Muslim ForcesDubravica

Checkpoint

Checkpoint

Ahmici

RISKY NEW APPROACH Use No-Man’s-Land

Arrive from front and parallel to defensive positions in enfiladeQuick – Highly Visible –Vulnerable to Attack - Risky

Risk Analysis for 21 April 1993 (from Operational Notebook)

Mission AnalysisWhat requires to be achieved?What tasks are crucial to that?

What resources/constraints apply?

Plan

Mission Analysis for 22nd April 1993

Vitez

Battalion HQ

Dubravica

River Lasva

Kaonik

North

1 Kilometre

Bosnian Muslim Forces

Bosnian Croat Forces

Bosnian Croat Checkpoint

Approximate Position of Front Lines

Planned Route: out and back through Bosnian

Croat Checkpoint

Leaving Battalion Headquarters at 0900hrs

Vitez

Battalion HQ

Dubravica

River Lasva

Kaonik

North

1 Kilometre

Bosnian Muslim Forces

Bosnian Croat Forces

Bosnian Croat Checkpoint

Ahmici

Approximate Position of Front Lines

Attacked

Actions until 1130hrs

Approaching the Muslim Front Line Positions

The Muslim Front Lines were on the high ground and dominating the valley

Stopped amongst the Muslim Front Line Positions

Being told by the Muslims that many women and children had been massacred at Ahmici

Vitez

Battalion HQ

Dubravica

River Lasva

Kaonik

North

1 Kilometre

Bosnian Muslim Forces

Bosnian Croat Forces

Bosnian Croat Checkpoint

Ahmici

Approximate Position of Front Lines

Attacked

Actions from 1130 – 1430hrs

Mosque

Arriving in Ahmici 22nd April 1993

Main Road

Vitez 200 metres

Attacked Fire and Manoeuvre

Houses

The tumbled minaret of the Ahmici Mosque became a symbol of genocide in Bosnia

right across the World

Arriving at the far end of Ahmici Village I ordered a sweep through all houses

Ahmici 22 April 1993

Mosque

Ahmici Operation 1500 – 1900hrs 22nd April 1993

Main Road

200 metres

First bodies discovered

Command PostEstablished

Start Line

Attacked

What we found at Ahmici devasted us

But what could I do?

Ahmici; 22nd April 1993

Mission Analysis

Briefing the international media on what had happened and who I thought to be responsible

Speaking to BBC, ITV, SKY, CBS and CNN journalists

… thus publicising what was happening to the

World - against my explicit instructions.

………..

But the Geneva Conventions are the highest legal/moral

imperative and above all other requirements

for an officer.

Establishing a ceasefire took 3 more days of work on the battlefields.

Under fire again at Ahmici a few days later

SummaryIn Bosnia nobody starved, froze or failed to

receive medical supplies in our area. But we lost 3 people and about 20 others wounded

Leadership involves risks, well understood objectives and careful planning.

For use of the three tools was vital

The Army taught that nobody but a qualified engineer should clear mines – but we had to do it or fail!