Combat· Somalia Intervention (Op RESTORE HOPE)
Op UNITED SHIELD
Operation United Shield was the operation to cover the final withdrawal of United Nations forces from Somalia, mounted after the international intervention had soured and the decision was made to end the troubled mission.
Marines formed the core of the covering force that protected the departing UN troops as they pulled out through Mogadishu, screening the withdrawal against the threat from the armed factions who might harass the retreating forces. The operation drew on the Marine Corps' amphibious expertise, the force coming from the sea to secure the evacuation and then withdrawing itself once the last UN troops were safely out. United Shield was conducted as a deliberate covering operation rather than a battle, the Marines using their presence and readiness to deter interference and ensure an orderly departure. It marked the end of the long and ultimately frustrating international effort in Somalia, the Marines providing the secure exit for a mission that had begun with humanitarian promise and ended in disillusion.
Record no. 817