Essay --

OPERATION JUST CAUSE Introduction On December 20, 1989 the United States military launched a full scale invasion of Panama, code named Operation Just Cause. Operation Just Cause was also known as Operation Blue Spoon but was later changed for political reasons. This invasion occurred during the presidency of George H. W. Bush. The goal of Operation Just Cause was to capture General Manuel Antonio Noriega who was the commander of the Panama Defense Forces (PDF). Noriega was wanted for drug trafficking, money laundering and other illegal activities. At the time, President Bush wanted to put an end to drug trafficking. By capturing Noriega, the amount of drugs coming into the United States from South America would be reduced. â€Å"Just Cause was extraordinarily complex, involving the deployment of thousands of personnel and equipment† from across multiple military instillations and branches. Within the first twenty-four hours, over two dozen objectives were to be been secured.1 These victories would place the U .S. in a position to continue influencing operations for the remainder of the invasion. Planning and preparation helped U.S. forces minimize casualties and excessive collateral damage during the invasion. â€Å"Within seventy-two hours of the outbreak of hostilities, all major combat operations ended† and shifted the role of American forces from that of â€Å"war fighters to that of peacekeepers†. The success of the operation was the result of well thought out objectives, detailed planning, excellent leadership, and dedicated training.2 The operation lasted only a few weeks and concluded on January 31, 1990. History President George Bush defended the invasion with a number of reasons as to why the U.S. military was sent into Panama ... ...an agencies were given little warning about their upcoming role in supporting the post combat mission. With the lack of warning and proper time to prepare, the transition from military to civilian operations became very complex in the time following Operation Just Cause. 17 This led to improvements made in the planning process where several military and civilian governmental organizations now come together to discuss upcoming operations and how the post process will be carried out by all parties. Working together allows for multiple ideas to be brought forth and all strengths and weaknesses can be taken into account. Civilian agencies such as the State Department, Justice Department, and the U.S. Agency for International Development must be given the necessary time to plan for post combat phases so that their assistance is of a great value to the military. 18