Book excerpt: This monograph examines force protection and how it affects maneuver in SASO. In recent deployments around the world commanders have stated that force protection is their number one concern. Therefore this monograph examines how force protection affects maneuver and ultimately mission accomplishment. The monograph first reviews what force protection is, as defined by the National Command Authority (NCA), U.S.Congress, and Joint and U.S. Army doctrine. This section as found that there is not a clear definition of force protection. Commanders have interpreted force protection to mean defensive action to protect friendly troops instead of offensive action to prevent enemy interference to the desired end-state. The next section reviews what success is in SASO operations, using the characteristics of peace operations found in Field Manual (FM) 100-23, Peace Operations. This section shows how the tenets of Army operations determine success in SASO. Without the tenets of versatility, initiative, agility, depth, and synchronization, the SASO force cannot have freedom of maneuver and ultimately achieve mission accomplishment. The monograph then examines the U.S. involvement in Operations Restore Hope and Uphold Democracy to determine the specific force protection measures used in those operations. Operations Restore Hope and Uphold Democracy both had major force protection influences that affected mission accomplishment. In Somalia the siege mentality prevented U.N. forces from operating after dark, allowing the Somali warlords to freely intervene to counter UNOSOM II missions. The monograph concludes by answering the research question of that force protection does influences freedom of maneuver and mission accomplishment in SASO. The author then gives recommendations that force protection should include both offensive and defensive action, and focus more on preventing enemy action and less on friendly protection. --Abstract.