| General Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska | |
|---|---|
| Генералштаб Војске Републике Српске Generalštab Vojske Republike Srpske | |
| Active | 1992–2005 |
| Country |  Republika Srpska |
| Allegiance |  Army of Republika Srpska |
| Branch | Active duty |
| Type | Staff |
| Part of | Ministry of Defence |
| Garrison/HQ | Banja Luka |
| Commanders | |
| First Chief | Colonel generalRatko Mladić |
| Last Chief | Major generalNovak Đukić |
TheGeneral Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska (Serbian:Генералштаб Војске Републике Српске / Generalštab Vojske Republike Srpske) was the highest professional andstaff organ for preparation and use of theArmy of Republika Srpska in war and in peace.
After the outbreak of theBosnian War, the Army of Republika Srpska was founded on 12 May 1992 withRatko Mladić as its commander. Since the command and units of theYugoslav People's Army withdrew fromBosnia and Herzegovina on 20 May; that brigades of the Territorial Defence of Republika Srpska with few or none professional military cadres were just formed; that Bosnian War was already in full motion; and that war zone was flooded with volunteer units out of control, the creation of an unified military command unfolded in exceptionally difficult circumstances.[1]
The core of new General Staff was formed byBosnian Serb officers of the 9thKnin Corps and the 2ndArmy District of the Yugoslav People's Army. The General Staff was composed of the Command and staff units.
The head of the Main Staff and the Command was General Ratko Mladić. The Command was divided in five independent sectors, staff and administration:[2]
Closest advisors of commander of the Main Staff and people charged with the most responsible tasks were: Đorđe Đukić (logistics, spare parts, etc.), Manojlo Milovanović (planning, creating operational plans, leading operations on the field, etc.), Zdravko Tolimir (intelligence affairs) and Milan Gvero (political affairs of the Main Staff, especially relations with civilian authorities of the Republika Srpska and international observers).[2]
The principal task of the Main Staff was planning the strategy for the conduct of the war, and cooperation with civilian authorities in order to secure the necessary resources. Very often, the Main Staff would conduct military operations via front command posts. In the first year of the war, almost whole attention of the Main Staff was directed towards the formation of military brigades out of the Territorial Defence units and volunteers. The Command of the Main Staff often came into clashed with civilian authorities, partly because of different perception of political repercussions of military operations on world public opinion (political leadership of Republika Srpska was, naturally, more sensitive on international pressures), and partly because of interweaving of responsibilities, especially about material and financial supply of the Army.[3] According to opinion of some experts who studied the course of the Bosnian War, the Command of the Main Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska proved to be the most capable military leadership among the participants in the war:
The Main Staff, although composed of various officers arriving from different commands, developed during the war into the most professional staff and planning body among the warring parties in the Bosnian War.[2]
| No. | Portrait | Chief of the General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Mladić, RatkoColonel general Ratko Mladić (born 1943) | 12 May 1992[4] | 8 November 1996[4] | 4 years, 180 days | Army |
| 2 | ![Pero Čolić [sr]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aNo_image.png) | Čolić, PeroMajor general Pero Čolić [sr] (1937–2006) | 1996 | 1998 | 1–2 years | Army |
| 3 | | Talić, MomirColonel general Momir Talić (1942–2003) | 6 March 1998 | 1999 | 0–1 years | Army |
| 4 | | Simić, NovicaColonel general Novica Simić (1948–2012) | 1999 | 2002 | 2–3 years | Army |
| 5 | | Savić, CvjetkoLt. Col. General Cvjetko Savić [sr] (1951–2016) | 26 March 2003 | 16 April 2004 | 1 year, 21 days | Army |
| 6 | | Đukić, NovakMajor general Novak Đukić [sr] (born 1955) | 2004 | 3 June 2005 | 0–1 years | Army |
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