NATO bombing of Republika Srpska
Encyclopedia
The 1995 NATO bombing in Bosnia and Herzegovina (code-named by NATO Operation Deliberate Force) was a sustained air campaign
conducted by the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization to undermine the military
capability of the Army of the Republika Srpska (, VRS) which threatened and attacked UN-designated "safe areas
" in Bosnia
during the Bosnian war
. The operation was carried out between 30 August and 20 September 1995, involving 400 aircrafts and 5,000 personnel from 15 nations. The operation was commanded by Admiral
Leighton W. Smith.
The bombing campaign was also roughly conterminous in time with Operation Mistral
, two linked military offensives of the Croatian Army, Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
, and the Croatian Defence Council
launched in Western Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
which authorized states to use measures "to ensure compliance" with the no-fly zone
over Bosnia. In response, on April 12 1993, NATO initiated Operation Deny Flight
which was tasked with enforcing the no-fly zone, using fighter aircraft based in the region. On 4 June 1993, the United Nations Security Council
passed Resolution 836
authorized the use of force by UNPROFOR in the protection of specially designated safe zones. On 15 June 1993, Operation Sharp Guard
, a naval blockade in the Adriatic Sea
by NATO and the Western European Union
, began after being approved at a joint session of NATO and the WEU on 8 June.
On 9 February 1994, the North Atlantic Council, responding to a request by the UN Secretary General, authorised the Commander of Allied Forces Southern Europe (CINCSOUTH), U.S. Admiral Jeremy Boorda, to launch air strikes – at the request of the UN – against artillery and mortar positions in or around Sarajevo determined by UNPROFOR to be responsible for attacks against civilian targets in that city.
On 28 February 28 1994, the scope of NATO involvement in Bosnia increased dramatically. In an incident near Banja Luka
, NATO F-16 fighter jets operating under Deny Flight shot down four Serb fighter jets for violating a no-fly zone. This was the first combat operation in the history of NATO and opened the door for a steadily growing NATO role in Bosnia.
On 12 March 1994, the United Nations Protection Force
(UNPROFOR) made its first request for NATO air support, but close air support was not deployed, however, owing to a number of delays associated with the approval process. On 10 and 11 April 1994, UNPROFOR called in air strikes to protect the Goražde
safe area, resulting in the bombing of a Serbian military command outpost near Goražde by 2 American F-16 jets. This was the first time in NATO's history it had ever done so. This resulted in the taking of 150 U.N. personnel hostage on 14 April. On 16 April, a British Sea Harrier was shot down over Goražde by Serb forces. Around 29 April, a Danish contingent (Nordbat 2) on peacekeeping duty in Bosnia
, as part of UNPROFOR's Nordic battalion located in Tuzla
, was ambushed when trying to relieve a Swedish observation post (Tango 2) that was under heavy artillery fire by the Bosnian Serb Šekovići
brigade at the village of Kalesija
, but the ambush was dispersed when the UN forces retaliated with heavy fire in what would be known as Operation Bøllebank
.
On 5 August 1994, two American A-10 Thunderbolts located and strafed a Bosnian Serb anti-tank vehicle near Sarajevo
after the Serbs tested NATO's resolve by seizing weapons that had been impounded by UN troops and attacking a UN helicopter. Afterwards, the Serbs agreed to return remaining heavy weapons. On 22 September 1994, NATO aircraft carried out an air strike against a Bosnian Serb tank at the request of UNPROFOR.
After violations of the Exclusion Zones and the shelling of Safe Areas, NATO forces carried out air strikes on 25 and 26 May 1995 against Bosnian Serb ammunition depots in Pale. Some 370 UN peacekeepers in Bosnia were taken hostage and subsequently used as human shields at potential targets in a bid to prevent further air strikes.
On 2 June 1995, two U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets, attached to the 555th Fighter Squadron
, was sent on patrol over Bosnia in support of Operation Deny Flight. While on patrol, one F-16 piloted by Captain Scott O'Grady
was shot down by a Bosnian Serb SA-6 surface-to-air missile and was forced to eject from his aircraft. Six days later, Grady was rescued by U.S. Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
based on the USS Kearsarge
. The event would come to be known as the Mrkonjić Grad incident
.
On 11 July 1995, NATO aircraft attacked targets in the Srebrenica
area of Bosnia-Herzegovina as identified by, and under the control of, the United Nations
. This was in response to Bosnian Serb forces advancing on the UN-declared Safe Area of Srebrenica. On 25 July, the North Atlantic Council authorized military planning aimed at deterring an attack on the Safe Area of Gorazde, and the use of NATO air power if this Safe Area was threatened or attacked. On 1 August, the Council took similar decisions aimed at deterring attacks on the Safe Areas of Sarajevo, Bihac and Tuzla. On 4 August, NATO aircraft conducted air strikes against Croatian Serb air defence radars near Udbina airfield and Knin in Croatia.
Although planned and approved by the North Atlantic Council
in July 1995, the operation was triggered in direct response to the second wave of Markale massacres
on 28 August 1995.
During the campaign, a total of 3515 sorties were flown against 338 individual targets. The aircraft involved in the campaign operated from Aviano Air Base
, in Italy, and from the U.S. aircraft carriers USS Theodore Roosevelt
and USS America
. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of the ordnance used in this campaign were precision-guided munition
s. The VRS integrated air defence network, comprising aircraft and surface-to-air missile
s (SAMs), presented a high-threat environment to the allied air operations. A French Mirage 2000
was shot down by a Serbia
n shoulder-fired SAM on 30 August 1995 near Pale. On the night of 10 September, the Ticonderoga class cruiser
USS Normandy
launched a Tomahawk missile
strike from the central Adriatic Sea
against a key air defense radio relay
tower at Lisina, near Banja Luka
, while U.S. Air Force F-15E and U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter-bomber
s hit the same targets with about a dozen precision-guided bombs, and F-16 jets attacked with Maverick missiles.
The German Luftwaffe
saw action for first time since 1945 during Operation Deliberate Force. Six interdictor-strike (IDS) version Tornados
, equipped with infrared recce devices
and escorted by 8 ECR Tornados, pinpointed Serb targets for NATO's artillery units around Sarajevo. The artillery group was part of a Rapid Reaction Force deployed on Mount Igman
to support the task of NATO's aircraft by pounding Serb artillery positions. The Force was commanded by British Lieutenant General
Dick Applegate
.
The air campaign was key to pressure on Milošević
’s Yugoslavia to take part in negotiations that resulted in the Dayton Peace Agreement
reached in November 1995.
Military campaign
In the military sciences, the term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...
conducted by the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization to undermine the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
capability of the Army of the Republika Srpska (, VRS) which threatened and attacked UN-designated "safe areas
United Nations Safe Areas
United Nations Safe Areas were areas established in 1993 in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War by a resolution of the United Nations Security Council....
" in Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
during the Bosnian war
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
. The operation was carried out between 30 August and 20 September 1995, involving 400 aircrafts and 5,000 personnel from 15 nations. The operation was commanded by Admiral
Admiral (United States)
In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral is a four-star flag officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health...
Leighton W. Smith.
The bombing campaign was also roughly conterminous in time with Operation Mistral
Operation Mistral
Operation Mistral were two linked military offensives of the Croatian Army, Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Croatian Defence Council launched in Western Bosnia and Herzegovina during September 1995 as part of the Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War...
, two linked military offensives of the Croatian Army, Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina established by the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992 following the outbreak of the Bosnian War...
, and the Croatian Defence Council
Croatian Defence Council
The Croatian Defence Council was a military formation of the self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia during the Bosnian War.-History:...
launched in Western Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
.
Background
On March 31 1993, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 816United Nations Security Council Resolution 816
United Nations Security Council Resolution 816, adopted on March 31, 1993, after reaffirming resolutions 781 , 786 concerning a ban on military flights over Bosnia and Herzegovina and recognising the current situation in the region, the Council, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations...
which authorized states to use measures "to ensure compliance" with the no-fly zone
No-fly zone
A no-fly zone is a territory or an area over which aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in a military context, somewhat like a demilitarized zone in the sky, and usually prohibit military aircraft of a belligerent nation from operating in the region.-Iraq,...
over Bosnia. In response, on April 12 1993, NATO initiated Operation Deny Flight
Operation Deny Flight
Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization operation that began on April 12, 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina...
which was tasked with enforcing the no-fly zone, using fighter aircraft based in the region. On 4 June 1993, the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
passed Resolution 836
United Nations Security Council Resolution 836
United Nations Security Council Resolution 836, adopted on June 4, 1993, after reaffirming Resolution 713 and all subsequent resolutions on the situation in the former Yugoslavia, the Council expressed its alarm at the continuing situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and decided to expand the...
authorized the use of force by UNPROFOR in the protection of specially designated safe zones. On 15 June 1993, Operation Sharp Guard
Operation Sharp Guard
Operation Sharp Guard was a multi-year joint naval blockade in the Adriatic Sea by NATO and the Western European Union on shipments to the former Yugoslavia. Warships and maritime patrol aircraft from 14 countries were involved in searching for and stopping blockade runners.The operation began on...
, a naval blockade in the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
by NATO and the Western European Union
Western European Union
The Western European Union was an international organisation tasked with implementing the Modified Treaty of Brussels , an amended version of the original 1948 Treaty of Brussels...
, began after being approved at a joint session of NATO and the WEU on 8 June.
On 9 February 1994, the North Atlantic Council, responding to a request by the UN Secretary General, authorised the Commander of Allied Forces Southern Europe (CINCSOUTH), U.S. Admiral Jeremy Boorda, to launch air strikes – at the request of the UN – against artillery and mortar positions in or around Sarajevo determined by UNPROFOR to be responsible for attacks against civilian targets in that city.
On 28 February 28 1994, the scope of NATO involvement in Bosnia increased dramatically. In an incident near Banja Luka
Banja Luka incident
The Banja Luka incident on February 28, 1994, was an incident in which six Republika Srpska Air Force J-21 Jastreb single-seat light attack jets were engaged, and four of them shot down, by United States Air Force F-16s southwest of Banja Luka, Bosnia....
, NATO F-16 fighter jets operating under Deny Flight shot down four Serb fighter jets for violating a no-fly zone. This was the first combat operation in the history of NATO and opened the door for a steadily growing NATO role in Bosnia.
On 12 March 1994, the United Nations Protection Force
United Nations Protection Force
The United Nations Protection Force ', was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav wars. It existed between the beginning of UN involvement in February 1992, and its restructuring into other forces in March 1995...
(UNPROFOR) made its first request for NATO air support, but close air support was not deployed, however, owing to a number of delays associated with the approval process. On 10 and 11 April 1994, UNPROFOR called in air strikes to protect the Goražde
Goražde
Goražde , is a city and municipality in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Drina river. It is located between Foča, Sokolac and Višegrad, and is administratively part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the center of the Bosnian Podrinje Canton.-Location:Goražde is situated on the...
safe area, resulting in the bombing of a Serbian military command outpost near Goražde by 2 American F-16 jets. This was the first time in NATO's history it had ever done so. This resulted in the taking of 150 U.N. personnel hostage on 14 April. On 16 April, a British Sea Harrier was shot down over Goražde by Serb forces. Around 29 April, a Danish contingent (Nordbat 2) on peacekeeping duty in Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, as part of UNPROFOR's Nordic battalion located in Tuzla
Tuzla
Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants...
, was ambushed when trying to relieve a Swedish observation post (Tango 2) that was under heavy artillery fire by the Bosnian Serb Šekovići
Šekovici
Šekovići is a municipality and town in northeastern Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Municipality Šekovići for the most part is equal with territory “Donjeg Birča” and has an area of , which represents 0.365% of BiH territory which is , or 0.806% of Republika Srpska which is . The main...
brigade at the village of Kalesija
Kalesija
Kalesija is a town and municipality in north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town of Kalesija is located east of Tuzla. It is administratively part of the Tuzla Canton and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Kalesija:...
, but the ambush was dispersed when the UN forces retaliated with heavy fire in what would be known as Operation Bøllebank
Operation Bøllebank
During the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Operation Bøllebank was the largest combat operation by Danish forces since 1864...
.
On 5 August 1994, two American A-10 Thunderbolts located and strafed a Bosnian Serb anti-tank vehicle near Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
after the Serbs tested NATO's resolve by seizing weapons that had been impounded by UN troops and attacking a UN helicopter. Afterwards, the Serbs agreed to return remaining heavy weapons. On 22 September 1994, NATO aircraft carried out an air strike against a Bosnian Serb tank at the request of UNPROFOR.
After violations of the Exclusion Zones and the shelling of Safe Areas, NATO forces carried out air strikes on 25 and 26 May 1995 against Bosnian Serb ammunition depots in Pale. Some 370 UN peacekeepers in Bosnia were taken hostage and subsequently used as human shields at potential targets in a bid to prevent further air strikes.
On 2 June 1995, two U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets, attached to the 555th Fighter Squadron
555th Fighter Squadron
The 555th Fighter Squadron is part of the 31st Operations Group at Aviano Air Base, Italy. It operates F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting an air superiority mission.-Mission:...
, was sent on patrol over Bosnia in support of Operation Deny Flight. While on patrol, one F-16 piloted by Captain Scott O'Grady
Scott O'Grady
Scott Francis O'Grady is a former USAF Captain and former United States Air Force fighter pilot who gained prominence after the June 2, 1995 Mrkonjić Grad incident, in which he ejected over Bosnia when his F-16C was shot down by a Bosnian Serb SA-6 while he was patrolling the no-fly zone...
was shot down by a Bosnian Serb SA-6 surface-to-air missile and was forced to eject from his aircraft. Six days later, Grady was rescued by U.S. Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel...
based on the USS Kearsarge
USS Kearsarge (LHD-3)
USS Kearsarge is the third of the United States Navy. She is the fifth ship to be named in honor of the USS Kearsarge, a sloop-of-war that gained fame during the American Civil War, which was in turn named for Mount Kearsarge in New Hampshire.-Construction:Kearsarges keel was laid down on 6...
. The event would come to be known as the Mrkonjić Grad incident
Mrkonjic Grad incident
The Mrkonjić Grad incident was the shooting down of a United States Air Force F-16C by a Bosnian Serb Army SA-6 surface-to-air missile near Mrkonjić Grad, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on June 2, 1995...
.
On 11 July 1995, NATO aircraft attacked targets in the Srebrenica
Srebrenica
Srebrenica is a town and municipality in the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosnian Serb entity of Republika Srpska. Srebrenica is a small mountain town, its main industry being salt mining and a nearby spa. During the Bosnian War, the town was the site of the July 1995 massacre,...
area of Bosnia-Herzegovina as identified by, and under the control of, the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. This was in response to Bosnian Serb forces advancing on the UN-declared Safe Area of Srebrenica. On 25 July, the North Atlantic Council authorized military planning aimed at deterring an attack on the Safe Area of Gorazde, and the use of NATO air power if this Safe Area was threatened or attacked. On 1 August, the Council took similar decisions aimed at deterring attacks on the Safe Areas of Sarajevo, Bihac and Tuzla. On 4 August, NATO aircraft conducted air strikes against Croatian Serb air defence radars near Udbina airfield and Knin in Croatia.
Campaign
North Atlantic Council
North Atlantic Council is the most senior political governing body of NATO established by Article 9 of the North Atlantic Treaty. The NAC can be held at the Permanent Representative Level , or can be composed of member states' Ministers of State, Defense, or Heads of Government. The NAC has the...
in July 1995, the operation was triggered in direct response to the second wave of Markale massacres
Markale massacres
The Markale massacres were two bombardments carried out by the Army of Republika Srpska targeting civilians during the Siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War. They occurred at the Markale located in the historic core of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.The first happened on February...
on 28 August 1995.
During the campaign, a total of 3515 sorties were flown against 338 individual targets. The aircraft involved in the campaign operated from Aviano Air Base
Aviano Air Base
Aviano Air Base is a NATO Air Base under U.S. Air Force administration in northeastern Italy, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. It is located in Aviano municipality, at the foot of the Carnic Pre-Alps, or Southern Carnic Alps, about 15 kilometers from Pordenone.-Units:Aviano is hosted by the...
, in Italy, and from the U.S. aircraft carriers USS Theodore Roosevelt
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
USS Theodore Roosevelt is the fourth Nimitz-class supercarrier. Her radio call sign is Rough Rider, the name of President Theodore Roosevelt's volunteer cavalry unit during the Spanish-American War...
and USS America
USS America (CV-66)
The USS America was one of four Kitty Hawk-class super carriers built for the United States Navy in the 1960s. Commissioned in 1965, she spent most of her career in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, but did make three Pacific deployments serving in the Vietnam War. She also served in operations...
. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of the ordnance used in this campaign were precision-guided munition
Precision-guided munition
A precision-guided munition is a guided munition intended to precisely hit a specific target, and to minimize damage to things other than the target....
s. The VRS integrated air defence network, comprising aircraft and surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
s (SAMs), presented a high-threat environment to the allied air operations. A French Mirage 2000
Dassault-Breguet Mirage 2000
The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed as a lightweight fighter based on the Mirage III in the late 1970s for the French Air Force . The Mirage 2000 evolved into a multirole aircraft with several...
was shot down by a Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n shoulder-fired SAM on 30 August 1995 near Pale. On the night of 10 September, the Ticonderoga class cruiser
Ticonderoga class cruiser
The Ticonderoga class of missile cruisers is a class of warships in the United States Navy, first ordered and authorized in FY 1978. The class uses phased-array radar and was originally planned as a class of destroyers...
USS Normandy
USS Normandy (CG-60)
USS Normandy is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser in the service of the United States Navy. Armed with naval guns and anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine missiles, plus other weapons, she is equipped for surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, and anti-submarine warfare...
launched a Tomahawk missile
BGM-109 Tomahawk
The Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile. Introduced by General Dynamics in the 1970s, it was designed as a medium- to long-range, low-altitude missile that could be launched from a surface platform. It has been improved several times and, by way of corporate divestitures...
strike from the central Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
against a key air defense radio relay
Microwave transmission
Microwave transmission refers to the technology of transmitting information or power by the use of radio waves whose wavelengths are conveniently measured in small numbers of centimeters; these are called microwaves. This part of the radio spectrum ranges across frequencies of roughly...
tower at Lisina, near Banja Luka
Banja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
, while U.S. Air Force F-15E and U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter-bomber
Fighter-bomber
A fighter-bomber is a fixed-wing aircraft with an intended primary role of light tactical bombing and also incorporating certain performance characteristics of a fighter aircraft. This term, although still used, has less significance since the introduction of rockets and guided missiles into aerial...
s hit the same targets with about a dozen precision-guided bombs, and F-16 jets attacked with Maverick missiles.
The German Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
saw action for first time since 1945 during Operation Deliberate Force. Six interdictor-strike (IDS) version Tornados
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft, which was jointly developed and manufactured by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy...
, equipped with infrared recce devices
Forward looking infrared
Forward looking infrared cameras, typically used on military aircraft, use an imaging technology that senses infrared radiation.The sensors installed in forward looking infrared cameras, as well as those of other thermal imaging cameras, use detection of infrared radiation, typically emitted from a...
and escorted by 8 ECR Tornados, pinpointed Serb targets for NATO's artillery units around Sarajevo. The artillery group was part of a Rapid Reaction Force deployed on Mount Igman
Igman
Igman is a mountain in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is found directly to the southwest of Sarajevo, bordering Bjelašnica mountain and the city of Ilidža. Igman's highest point, Vlahinja Ridge, is 1502 meters , making it the shortest of the Sarajevo mountains.Igman is a popular destination...
to support the task of NATO's aircraft by pounding Serb artillery positions. The Force was commanded by British Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Dick Applegate
Dick Applegate
Lieutenant General Richard Arthur David Applegate CB OBE is a former Quartermaster-General and Master-General of the Ordnance to the Army. He left the British Army in October 2010 and is now a Director of Eagle Strategic Consulting Ltd....
.
The air campaign was key to pressure on Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
’s Yugoslavia to take part in negotiations that resulted in the Dayton Peace Agreement
Dayton Agreement
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement, Dayton Accords, Paris Protocol or Dayton-Paris Agreement, is the peace agreement reached at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio in November 1995, and formally signed in Paris on...
reached in November 1995.
See also
- Operation Deny FlightOperation Deny FlightOperation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization operation that began on April 12, 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina...
- 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia1999 NATO bombing of YugoslaviaThe NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
External links
- Operation Deliberate Force fact sheet, NATO website, updated 16 December 2002.
- "Operation Deliberate Force," Globalsecurity.org.
- "Aircraft Carrier USS America Replaces USS Roosevelt in Adriatic," 12 September 1995, CNN.
- "Louder Than Words," TIME magazine, September 11, 1995.
- "If U.S. Force Is Needed In Bosnia," by Michael Johns, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 February 1994.