Military


Operation Joint Forge

On 20 June 1998 the NATO-led Stabilization Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina transitioned to a slightly smaller follow-on force. Simultaneously, Operation Joint Guard ended and Operation Joint Forge began. The United States has agreed to provide a force of approximately 6,900 U.S. Service members to help maintain the military force in Bosnia-Herzegovina. No timetable for the duration of Operation Joint Forge has been determined. The mission will be assessed periodically and the force size will be adjusted, as circumstances require. No timeline for the duration of Operation Joint Forge has been established.

On 1 June 1997, the Headquarters, 16th Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) was designated and activated at Aviano Air Base, Italy. The 16 AEW provides direction, control, support, ADCON and UCMJ authority for more than 1,300 United States Air Force personnel stationed throughout Europe in support of Operation JOINT FORGE (OJF). These units, located in Istres, France; Rimini and San Vito, Italy; Tuzla and Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Zagreb, Croatia; Taszar, Hungary, and Rhein Main , Germany comprise the lion's share of the USAF contingent of NATO's Stabilization Force, or SFOR. Since its inception, 16 AEW has worked a number of high-profile initiatives in support of the SFOR mission. Among these, the relocation of KC-135 operations from Pisa, Italy to Istres, France; the installation of air navigation aid equipment at Tuzla, AB, Bosnia-Herzegovina to support Russian and SFOR partner air operations; quality-of life-improvements for U-2 crews and support personnel at Istres France, and the holiday visit of President Bill Clinton to the OJF Area of Responsibility.

On June 20, 1998 the NATO-led SFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina transitioned to a slightly smaller follow-on force led by the 1st Cavalry Division, America’s First Team, from Fort Hood, Texas. The United States agreed to provide a force of approximately 6,900 U.S. personnel to maintain a capable military force in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Simultaneously, Operation Joint Guard ended, and Operation Joint Forge began. Operation Joint Forge will continue to build on the successes of Operations Joint Endeavor and Joint Guard. No timeline for the duration of Operation Joint Forge has been established. The mission will be assessed periodically and the force commitment will be adjusted, as circumstances require.

On August 4, 1999, the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) assumed command of MND(N) and Task Force Eagle.

The 49th Armored Division (AD) of the Texas Army National Guard assumed control of Multinational Division-North during a Transfer of Authority ceremony held Tuesday, March 7, 2000 at Eagle Base.

The 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, Georgia took control of Multinational Division-North at a Transfer of Authority ceremony held on Thursday, 5 October 2000.

Under a plan approved in 2001 by Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, Chief of Staff, the Army programmed selected active and reserve forces for service in Bosnia and Kosovo through May 2005. This is a prudent measure taken to provide predictability for our soldiers and units to ensure they are given adequate time to train for the Balkans mission. The rotation plan will also provide better linkages between the active and reserve forces, mitigate the effects of high operational tempo, and better sustain the Army's overall levels of readiness for contingency operations. Under the plan, units from the active Army and reserve forces will support the Stabilization Force (SFOR) mission in Bosnia or the Kosovo Force (KFOR) for six-month periods. All units for SFOR rotations 9 - 16 will be drawn from active Army divisions, Army National Guard divisions, the Army Reserve and a mix of active/reserve units. The Army set a historical precedent when it designated the 49th Armored Division, Texas Army National Guard, as the headquarters for active and reserve forces conducting the SFOR mission March - October 2000.

On 02 December 2003, SFOR confirmed that due to the improved security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina that it would reduce to a deterrent force of approximately 7,000 multinational soldiers by June 2004. SFOR considered how to adjust the operation further, including its possible termination by the end of 2004 and a transition possibly to a new NATO military liaison and advisory mission (with NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo) and to a new EU mission. In response, Multinational Brigade (North) also transformed its future force structure to meet the requirements of the new deterrent force. Planning for that force structure was conducted by the current MNB(N) headquarters to help them prepare to execute the deterrent force mission when the 34th Infantry Division transfers authority to the 38th Infantry Division in April 2004.

At the Istanbul Summit in June 2004, NATO Heads of State and Government agreed that in light of the improved security situation in the country SFOR could be concluded at the end of the year.

A ceremony in Sarajevo on 02 December 2004 marked the conclusion of the NATO-led SFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the beginning of the European Union’s follow-on mission EUFOR. The NATO-led Stabilisation Force was brought to a succesful conclusion almost exactly nine years since NATO deployed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina in what was the Alliance’s first peacekeeping operation.

The European Union deployed its own mission, EUFOR, to take on key security tasks in the country. EUFOR derived its mandate from a new UN Security Council resolution and had an initial strength of 7,000 that is equal in size to SFOR. The EUFOR mission is supported by NATO under the so-called ‘Berlin Plus’ arrangements that provide the framework for NATO-EU cooperation.

The successful termination of SFOR did not spell the end of NATO’s engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Alliance retained a military headquarters in Bosnia and Herzegovina but the nature of NATO’s engagement was very different. The NATO Headquarters, which is headed by a one-star US general with a staff of around 150, will focus on defence reform in the country, as well as counter-terrorism, apprehending war-crimes suspects and intelligence-gathering.

Sources and Methods

  • Operation Joint Forge @ EUCOM
  • Taszar AB, Hungary

  • SFOR Lessons Learned In Creating A Secure Environment With Respect For The Rule of Law U.S. Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute May 2000 -- This report offers an assessment of SFOR lessons learned in creating a secure environment with respect for the rule of law. It is intended to assist decision-makers to capture these lessons and to help guide future courses of action in Bosnia and elsewhere. [MSWOrd 6.6 Mb]

  • New soldiers take over Task Force Falcon (Army News Service, Dec. 14) -- Six months into the mission, the faces of Multi-National Brigade (East) and Task Force Falcon are changing. Authority of MNB(E) and Task Force Falcon changed hands during a ceremony Dec. 12 and the headquarters company supporting the units within the brigade transitioned Dec. 4 at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.
  • Balkan Tensions Persist, SACEUR Says American Forces Press Service 10 December 1999 -- Trouble in the Balkans may not be over, according to U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark. Four years after NATO forces first crossed the Sava River Bridge to enter the Balkans, NATO's supreme allied commander says regional tensions persist.
  • U-N BALKANS Voice of America 02 December 1999 -- A senior United Nations official and Balkans expert warns the decision to reduce United Nations peacekeeping forces in Bosnia by a third is short-sighted, and may be sending the wrong political message.
  • NATO Approves Bosnia Troop Cut By Linda D. Kozaryn American Forces Press Service 03 November 1999 -- About 1,600 U.S. service members serving in Bosnia are slated to return to the United States between December and April. The NATO-led stabilization force of 30,000 international troops will be reduced by one-third by April 2000.
  • SFOR to cut, restructure Bosnia force (Army News Service, Nov. 2, 1999) - Maj. Gen. James L. Campbell, commander of NATO's Multinational Division (North), has announced plans to reduce and restructure the Stabilization Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
  • Army announces unit rotation plan for Bosnia (Army News Service, Oct. 29, 1999) -- The Army has announced three of the next six Stabilization Force rotations for service in Bosnia will be commanded by Army National Guard divisions. The rotation plan is another step in the Army leadership's stated intent to complete full integration of the Active and Reserve Components.
  • ARMY ANNOUNCES UNIT ROTATION PLAN FOR BOSNIA Release #99 - 100, October 26, 1999 -- The Army has announced its plan to rotate Active and Reserve Component units for service in Bosnia as part of the NATO Stabilization Force.
  • Text: State's Dlouhy on Fighting Corruption in Bosnia-Herzegovina USIA 17 September 1999 -- "Corruption is a fact" in Bosnia-Herzegovina because of a "confluence" of political, judicial, and social factors, according to the Director of the State Department's Office of Bosnia Implementation, David Dlouhy.
  • CONGRESS-BOSNIA CORRUPTION Voice of America 15 September 1999 -- Clinton administration officials say they are aggressively investigating allegations of massive fraud and corruption in Bosnia. They told a congressional committee despite the problem, progress is being made after years of bloodshed in the former Yugoslav republic.
  • NATO-BOSNIA (L ONLY) Voice of America 08 September 1999 -- The international community's top representative in Bosnia, Wolfgang Petritsch, has urged NATO ambassadors to maintain the alliance's troop presence in the country to allow him to pursue civilian reforms.
  • Division Ready To Keep The Peace In Bosnia By Jon R. Anderson, European Stars And Stripes September 7, 1999 -- More than 3,200 10th Mountain Division troops have deployed from Fort Drum, N.Y., to begin their tour of policing the still-devastated streets of Bosnia and Herzegovina and ensuring the once-warring factions are prevented from going after one another once again.
  • BOSNIA CORRUPTION Voice of America 20 August 1999 -- There are fresh reports this week detailing far-reaching official corruption in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The international donor community recognizes the extent of the corruption problem in the Balkans but is not of one mind as to what can be done to combat it.
  • LITTLE INTERNATIONAL AID LOST TO BOSNIAN CORRUPTION USIA 19 August 1999 -- Rubin refuted continuing claims being made in the media that the United States, along with the international community, has lost up to one billion dollars in aid to Bosnia.
  • 10th Mountain takes over SFOR in Bosnia (Army News Service, Aug. 10, 1999) -- The 10th Mountain Division officially assumed control of the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia last week, on the same day as the unit's second shipload of equipment set sail from Staten Island, N.Y.
  • Building a Durable Peace in Bosnia: Implementation of the Dayton Accords FACT SHEET July 30, 1999
  • 10th Mountain Division deploys to Bosnia by Spc. William A. Graves (Army News Service, July 22, 1999) -- The first of two waves of approximately 3,200 soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division began deploying to Bosnia July 13.
  • Text: Presidential Letter to Congress on U.S. Troops in Bosnia 19 July 1999 -- The President reported that U.S. forces continue their mission, and troops in other surrounding countries are providing support for SFOR and other operations in the Balkans.
  • BOSNIA TROOP CUT Voice of America 13 July 1999 -- NATO HAS GIVEN PRELIMINARY APPROVAL TO SENDING THOUSANDS OF PEACKEEPERS HOME FROM BOSNIA.
  • Air Force awards AFEM, AFSM for Joint Forge (AFPN) 18 Jun 1999-- The Air Force has approved the award of the Air Force Expeditionary Medal or the Armed Forces Service Medal for Operation Joint Forge for the period of June 21, 1998 through a date to be determined.
  • Lone Star, Ivy Divisions make history with first multi-component unit (Army News Service, June 18, 1999) -- As more than 1,000 49th Armored Division soldiers underwent soldier readiness processing and individual readiness training here in preparation for their historic deployment early next year as part of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
  • Bosnia-bound Lone Star Division soldiers train for peacekeeping (Army News Service, June 18, 1999) -- More than 1,000 Texas citizen-soldiers bound for Bosnia-Herzegovina kicked off their June 12-26 annual training by getting a glimpse of what to expect when the 49th Armored Division deploys to Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Forge next February.
  • TEXT: CLINTON REPORT TO CONGRESS ON BOSNIA 05 February 1999 -- President Clinton sent to Congress the first semiannual report that evaluates progress in Bosnia-Herzegovina against the ten benchmarks outlined in his certification to the Congress of March 3, 1998. NATO adopted the benchmarks last May as part of its approval of the Stabilization Force military operations plan. and the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council adopted corresponding benchmarks in its Luxembourg Declaration last June.
  • Fifth rotation prepares for Bosnia mission by Staff Sgt. Cameron Porter (Army News Service, Feb. 1, 1999) -- The mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina began more than three years ago and February marks the fifth rotation of troops in and out of the U.S. area of operations in the Balkans. One brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division will go home and another brigade of the division will take its place in Bosnia in late February.
  • U.S. Will Cut Bosnia Force in New NATO Rollback By Linda D. Kozaryn American Forces Press Service 27 January 1999 -- The United States will cut its Bosnia force by 700 troops in April during a 10 percent strength reduction announced by NATO, Pentagon officials said Jan. 26.
  • BOSNIA U.S. FORCE REDUCTIONS January 26, 1999 -- The Defense Department will be reducing the number of U.S. forces operating in Bosnia from 6,900 to approximately 6,200. The current troop level of 6,900 already represents a 20 percent reduction from the 8,500 U.S. troops deployed in June 1998 and is 66 percent less than the peak U.S. deployment of 20,000 troops in 1996. Overall reductions will total approximately 10 percent of the total force structure.
  • TEXT: CLINTON REPORT ON NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO FRY USIA 03 December 1998 -- President Clinton transmitted to Congress December 3 a six-month report -- covering the period from May 30 through November 29, 1998 -- on administration actions and expenses directly related to the declaration of a national emergency with respect to the Bosnian Serb forces and the "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" (Serbia and Montenegro) [FRY (S&M)].
  • OPERATION JOINT FORGE COMMENCES June 18, 1998