Overview:

The U.S. military has maintained a constant presence in Haiti since “Operation Uphold Democracy” helped restore elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power in 1994. While U.S. combat and peacekeeping contingents have long since left Haiti, a U.S. “Support Group” based in Port-au-Prince has maintained the U.S. presence. This presence is scheduled to end in early 2000, as both the U.S. Southern Command (Southcom), which coordinates all U.S. military activities in the hemisphere, and Congress have called for its termination.

In March 1999 the commander-in-chief of Southcom, Gen. Charles Wilhelm, recommended that the Support Group be withdrawn for security reasons.

[A]t this point, I am more concerned about force protection than cash outlays. The unrest generated by political instability requires us to constantly reassess the safety and security environment in which our troops are living and working. I have recommended that we terminate our permanent military presence in Haiti, and conduct routine periodic engagement activities.¹

Congressional Republicans joined the call to bring troops out of Haiti, inserting Section 1232 into the 2000 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 106-65). Section 1232 prohibits the Department of Defense from funding any continuous presence of U.S. forces in Haiti as part of "Operation Uphold Democracy" after May 31, 2000. While it allows temporary deployments to take place after May 31, the new law requires the President to report it to Congress within 96 hours of its inception. The report must specify the purpose of the deployment and the date it is expected to end.

The Support Group handled logistics for a steady series of military Humanitarian Civic Assistance (HCA) activities. Chiefly construction projects and medical services, these activities occurred within the framework of Southcom’s region-wide “New Horizons” series of HCA exercises.

Between the Support Group and the HCA projects, an average of 496 U.S. military personnel were present in Haiti on an average day in 1998. The Southern Command estimates that the U.S. presence in Haiti cost the Defense Department $20,085,000 in 1998. The funding has been drawn from the military services’ operations and maintenance accounts.²

Other sites:

• Sgt. Seth M. McMullen, "Humanitarian Assistance Lending a Helping Hand for Haiti." Armylink News release, March 26, 1998.
• "Operations in South America." From U.S. Army Training and Operations Update, May 4, 1998. [Scroll down to read.]
• "Operations in South America." From U.S. Army Training and Operations Update, April 13, 1998. [Scroll down to read.]

Sources:

¹ United States, U.S. Southern Command, “Posture Statement Of General Charles E. Wilhelm, United States Marine Corps Commander In Chief, United States Southern Command Before The Senate Armed Services Committee,” March 4, 1999.

² U.S. Southern Command, March 4, 1999.