Summary: As of April 1994, about 90 U.S. government personnel remained in Somalia, about 70 of them military personnel. The military mission is limited to providing security and assistance to the U.S. Liaison Office and contract administration assistance to U.N. forces. The United States plans to withdraw almost all military personnel, but a firm date for withdrawal has yet to be set. The United States has sold more than $44 million worth of equipment to the U.N. and leased other items for almost $4 million for use by military contingents attached to the U.N. force. Before the sale and lease of these items, the Army studied the impact of these transactions and concluded that they would not harm unit readiness. The U.N. forces in Somalia have replaced the logistics capability lost when the United States withdrew. Officials from the U.N., State Department, and the Pentagon are confident that the U.N. forces should be able to carry out their mandate at current troop levels, although Pentagon officials caution that an escalation in inter-clan fighting could undermine the success of the mission being performed by the U.N. forces in Somalia.
