Replacing the 10th Mountain troops, who had been operating at an extremely high operations tempo since August 1994, provided the advantage of fresh soldiers who could better continue the hard work remaining in Haiti and give another unit valuable experience in peace operations. The 25th had undergone intensive peace operations training in the Joint Readiness Training Center in September 1994 and followed the 10th without a hitch. Many lessons had been learned by the UN since Somalia, and they were put to good use. They are not a part of the UN mission. The Future Haiti's future is not assured.
Many problems remain that no external force can resolve.
For the first time, however, there is some hope. In February 1996, a newly-elected president was inaugurated. What President Preval and his government do to move Haiti forward will be critical to the country's future. What the international community does to assist is also crucial. Failure to maintain progress in Haiti could negate the military success achieved during Uphold Democracy .