TheNATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina was a series of actions undertaken byNATO whose stated aim was to establish long-term peace during and after theBosnian War.[23] NATO's intervention began as largely political and symbolic, but gradually expanded to include large-scale air operations and the deployment of approximately 60,000 soldiers of theImplementation Force. At the same time, a large UN peacekeeping force, theUnited Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), made mostly of NATO countries troops, was deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995. A Rapid Reaction Force (RRF), also under UN mandate, was established around Sarajevo during the later stages of the conflict.
NATO involvement in theBosnian War and theYugoslav Wars in general began in February 1992, when the alliance issued a statement urging all the belligerents in the conflict to allow the deployment ofUnited Nations peacekeepers. While primarily symbolic, this statement paved the way for later NATO actions.[24]
On July 10, 1992, at a meeting inHelsinki, NATO foreign ministers agreed to assist the United Nations in monitoring compliance with sanctions established underUnited Nations Security Council resolutions713 (1991) and757 (1992). This led to the commencement ofOperation Maritime Monitor off the coast ofMontenegro, which was coordinated with theWestern European UnionOperation Sharp Guard in theStrait of Otranto on July 16.[25] On October 9, 1992, the Security Council passedResolution 781, establishing ano-fly zone overBosnia-Herzegovina. In response, on October 16, NATO expanded its mission in the area to includeOperation Sky Monitor, which monitored Bosnian airspace for flights from theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia.[26]
On November 16, 1992, the Security Council issuedResolution 787, which called upon member states to "halt all inward and outbound maritime shipping in order to inspect and verify their cargos" to ensure compliance with sanctions.[27] In response to this resolution, NATO deactivatedMaritime Monitor on November 22, and replaced it withOperation Maritime Guard, under which NATO forces were authorized to stop ships and inspect their cargos. Unlike Sky Monitor and Maritime Monitor, this was a true enforcement mission, not just a monitoring one.[24]
NATO's air mission also switched from monitoring to enforcement. The Security Council issuedResolution 816, which authorized states to use measures "to ensure compliance" with the no-fly zone over Bosnia.[28] In response, on April 12, 1993, NATO initiatedOperation Deny Flight which was tasked with enforcing the no-fly zone, using fighter aircraft based in the region.[29]
Throughout 1993, the role of NATO forces in Bosnia gradually grew. On June 10, 1993, NATO and the UN agreed that aircraft acting under Deny Flight would provideclose air support toUNPROFOR at the request of the UN. On June 15, NATO integrated Operation Maritime Guard and Western European Union naval activities in the region intoOperation Sharp Guard, and expanded its role to include greater enforcement powers.
On February 28, 1994, the scope of NATO involvement in Bosnia increased dramatically. In anincident near Banja Luka, NATO fighters from theUSAF, operating under Deny Flight, shot down four Serb jets. This was the first combat operation in the history of NATO and opened the door for a steadily growing NATO presence in Bosnia.[30] In April, the presence of NATO airpower continued to grow during a Serb attack onGoražde. In response, NATO launched its first close air support mission on April 10, 1994, bombing several Serb targets in the area at the request of UN commanders.[31]
NATO continued its air operations over Bosnia in the first half of 1995. During this period, American pilotScott O'Grady was shot down over Bosnia by asurface-to-air missile fired by Bosnian Serb soldiers. He was eventually rescued safely, but his downing caused concern in the United States and other NATO countries about NATOair superiority in Bosnia and prompted some calls for more aggressive NATO action to eliminate Serb anti-air capabilities.
In July 1995, the Bosnian Serbs launched an attack on the Bosnian town ofSrebrenica, ending with the deaths of approximately 8,000 civilians in theSrebrenica massacre. After the events at Srebrenica, 16 nations met at the London Conference, beginning on July 21, 1995, to consider new options for Bosnia. As a result of the conference, UN Secretary GeneralBoutros Boutros-Ghali gave GeneralBernard Janvier, the UN military commander, the authority to request NATO airstrikes without consulting civilian UN officials, as a way to streamline the process.[32] As a result of the conference, theNorth Atlantic Council and the UN also agreed to use NATO air strikes in response to attacks on any of the other safe areas in Bosnia. The participants at the conference also agreed in principle to the use of large-scale NATO air strikes in response to future acts of aggression by Serbs.[33]
After the London Conference, NATO planned an aggressive new air campaign against the Bosnian Serbs. On August 28, 1995, Serb forceslaunched a mortar attack on Sarajevo's marketplace killing 37 people. AdmiralLeighton Smith, the NATO commander recommended that NATO launch retaliatory air strikes underOperation Deliberate Force.[34] On August 30, 1995, NATO officially launched Operation Deliberate Force with large-scale bombing of Serb targets. The airstrikes lasted until September 20, 1995 and involved attacks on 338 individual targets.
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved. Find sources: "NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Largely as a result of the bombing underOperation Deliberate Force and changes in the battlefield situation, the belligerents in the Bosnian War met inDayton, Ohio in November 1995, and signed theDayton Accords, a peace treaty. As part of the accords, NATO agreed to provide 60,000 troops to deploy to the region, as part of theImplementation Force (IFOR), U.S. designation Operation Joint Endeavor. These forces remained deployed until December 1996, when those remaining in the region were transferred to theStabilization Force (SFOR). SFOR peacekeepers remained in Bosnia until 2004.
AFSOUTH was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).Part of theYugoslav Wars | |||||||||
| Belligerents |
| ||||||||
| Prelude |
| ||||||||
| 1992 |
| ||||||||
| 1993 |
| ||||||||
| 1994 |
| ||||||||
| 1995 |
| ||||||||
| Internment camps | |||||||||
| Aspects | |||||||||
