ABSTRACT
Transit operations are at the heart of expeditionary diplomacy, aid and reconstruction projects, and most humanitarian initiatives. The majority of personnel injured, victimized, or killed while participating in country team
operations overseas suffer their fates while underway. The casualty events range
from random crimes of opportunity by bandits to well-orchestrated attacks
by insurgent and terrorist groups. Whereas in past years an emblem from an
aid or humanitarian relief organization was a shield that could help protect
personnel, that shield has since become a target. Kidnappings for ransom,
grisly attacks for shock and media value, revenge killings of aid personnel as a
political statement or to avenge some perceived wrong by the host nation have
become so common as to rarely be reported by the international media. The
majority of such targeted crimes, from robberies to rapes to torture and homi-
cide, go unpunished. In many cases, arrests that are made are either politically
motivated or done for public show. Successful prosecution or imprisonment
is a rare outcome.
