Reply #7: It was certainly very useful...

[JHB]

...in forestalling substantial "peace dividend" cuts to the military budget. Can't make cuts that would make a difference while our guys are in a live fire zone, right?

Don't know if that was the only reason. During the humanitarian aid phase weeks or months before the commitment of forces was announced, I saw a guy on CNN doing his standard "from the tarmac" stand-up report. What made it memorable was the name on the transport plane taxiing behind him: "Souther Air Transport" (yes, the CIA proprietary of Iran-Contra fame). Don't know if they were up to something, or if that sort of job is just what that sort of company does when it's acting "legit".

Whatever the case, the Somalia mission was much more effective at supporting some domestic political ends than it was in its stated mission.