When we think of war, most imagine deadly weapons, destruction, and death. Often times the media only shares these stories and images, and fails to inform the public of the humanitarian aid that the military provides.
Stability and Support Operations (SASO), assists with stability operations where the “goal is to meet the immediate needs of designated groups and to transfer responsibility quickly and efficiently to appropriate civilian authorities.” They are responsible for organizing efforts to allow organizations such as the Red Cross to provide aid and assistance. It is important to note that, SASO’s job doesn’t just involve war devastation but also trauma that comes from catastrophes such as the recent earthquakes in Haiti.
SASOs program is two-fold. The purpose of the support activities often consists of humanitarian and environmental assistance. This includes:
- Saving lives
- Reducing suffering
- Recovering essential infrastructure
- Improving quality of life
- Restoring normalcy
The other half of their duties is stability operations which uses military power to influence the political and civil environment. This includes:
- Facilitating diplomacy
- Interrupting specified illegal activities
- Reassuring allies, friendly governments, and agencies
- Encouraging a weak or faltering government
- Stabilizing a restless area
- Maintaining/restoring order
- Enforcing agreements and policies
Just reading a brief article did not do justice to the scope and importance of SASO’s impact. Therefore I delved into this topic deeper and found an individual here on Furman’s campus to help me gain a deeper insight into what exactly SASO’s goals and duties are. In my next post, experienced active duty Army officer, Major Michael Roddey, who spent time in Afghanistan during 2006 and 2007 with SASO will give his first-hand knowledge of SASO.
