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| Operation Deliberate Force | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theNATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina during theBosnian War | |||||||
 AUS Air ForceF-16C aircraft returns toAviano AB, Italy, from a mission in support ofNATO airstrikes against theArmy of the Republika Srpska | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 UNPROFOR |  Republika Srpska | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 / Leighton Smith/Michael E. Ryan/ Stuart Peach/ Bernard Janvier/André Soubirou/Sir Rupert Smith/Dick ApplegateSir Mark Mans[1] | Ratko MladićRadislav Krstić | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 400 aircraft 5,000 military personnel 1Ticonderoga-class cruiser 500 French peacekeepers 320 British peacekeepers Dutch 1e Mortiercompagnie, Korps Mariniers 12 105mm guns 8 155mm howitzers 12 British Warrior AFVs | 80,000 soldiers | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
1Mirage 2000N shot down 2 pilotsPOW 1MQ-1 Predator shot down[2] | 51 soldiers killed[3] 98 soldiers wounded[3] 338 different targets hit, most of them destroyed | ||||||
Operation Deliberate Force was a sustainedair campaign conducted byNATO, in concert with theUNPROFOR ground operations, to undermine the military capability of theArmy of Republika Srpska (VRS), which had threatened and attacked UN-designated"safe areas" inBosnia and Herzegovina during theBosnian War, with theSrebrenica genocide andMarkale massacres precipitating the intervention. The shelling of the Sarajevo marketplace on 28 August 1995 by the VRS is considered to be the immediate instigating factor behind NATO's decision to launch the operation.[4][5]
The operation was carried out between 30 August and 20 September 1995, involving 400 aircraft and 5,000 personnel from 15 nations. Commanded byAdmiralLeighton W. Smith Jr.,[6][5] the campaign struck 338Bosnian Serb targets, many of which were destroyed. Overall, 1,026 bombs were dropped during the operation, 708 of which were precision-guided.[7] On 19 occasions,depleted uranium munitions were used against targets aroundSarajevo andHan Pijesak.[8]
The bombing campaign was also roughly conterminous withOperation Mistral 2, two linked military offensives of theCroatian Army, theArmy of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and theCroatian Defence Council launched in western Bosnia. The campaign also lifted thesiege of Sarajevo which led to the way for anegotiated settlement.[9]
TheBosnian War was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1 April 1992 and 14 December 1995. After popular pressure, NATO was asked by the United Nations to intervene in the Bosnian War after allegations of war crimes against civilians were made. In response to the refugee and humanitarian crisis in Bosnia, theUnited Nations Security Council passedResolution 743 on 21 February 1992, creating UNPROFOR. The UNPROFOR mandate was to keep the population alive and deliver humanitarian aid to refugees in Bosnia until the war ended.[10]
On 9 October 1992, the UNSC passedResolution 781, prohibiting unauthorized military flights in Bosnian airspace. This resolution led toOperation Sky Monitor, where NATO monitored violations of the no-fly zone, but it did not take action against violators of the resolution. On 31 March 1993, in response to 500 documented violations, the UNSC passedResolution 816, which authorized states to use measures "to ensure compliance" with theno-fly zone over Bosnia. In response, on 12 April, NATO initiatedOperation Deny Flight, which was tasked with enforcing the no-fly zone and allowed to engage the violators of the no-fly zone. However, Serb forces on the ground continued to attack UN "safe areas" in Bosnia, and the UN peacekeepers were unable to fight back as the mandate did not give them authority to do so. On 4 June, the UNSC passedResolution 836 authorizing the use of force by UNPROFOR in the protection of specially designated safe zones.[11]Operation Sharp Guard, a naval blockade in theAdriatic Sea by NATO and theWestern European Union, was approved at a joint session of NATO and the WEU on 8 June and began on 15 June.[11]
On 6 February 1994, a day after the first Markale marketplace massacre, UNSecretary-GeneralBoutros Boutros-Ghali formally requested NATO to confirm that air strikes would be carried out immediately.[12] On 9 February, agreeing to the request of the UN, NATO authorized the Commander ofAllied Joint Force Command Naples (CINCSOUTH), US Admiral Jeremy Boorda, to launch air strikes against artillery and mortar positions in and around Sarajevo that were determined by UNPROFOR to be responsible for attacks against civilian targets.[11][13] OnlyGreece did not support the use of air strikes, but it did not veto the proposal.[12] The council also issued an ultimatum at the 9 February meeting to the Bosnian Serbs, in which they demanded that the Serbs remove their heavy weapons around Sarajevo by midnight of 20–21 February or face air strikes.[12] There was some confusion surrounding compliance with the ultimatum, andHungarian Prime MinisterPéter Boross announced thatHungary's air space would be closed to NATO aircraft in the event of air strikes.[12] On 12 February 1994, Sarajevo enjoyed its first casualty-free day in 22 months since April 1992.[12]
On 28 February, NATO fighters operating under Deny Flight shot down four Bosnian Serb fighters for violating a no-fly zone in what would become known as theBanja Luka incident. This was the first combat operation in the history of NATO.
On 12 March, the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) made its first request for NATO air support, but close air support was not deployed, owing to a number of delays associated with the approval process.[14] On 10 and 11 April 1994, UNPROFOR called in air strikes to protect theGoražde safe area, resulting in the bombing of a Bosnian Serb military command outpost near Goražde by two USF-16 jets.[11][14][15] This was the first time in NATO's history it had ever attacked ground targets with aircraft.[15] Subsequently, the Bosnian Serbs took 150 UN personnel hostage on 14 April.[11][14] On 16 April, a BritishSea Harrier was shot down over Goražde by Bosnian Serb forces.[15] That would become known as theGoražde incident. Around 29 April, a Danish contingent on peacekeeping duty inBosnia, as part of UNPROFOR's Nordic battalion located inTuzla, was ambushed when trying to relieve a Swedish observation post that was under heavy artillery fire by theBosnian SerbŠekovići brigade at the village ofKalesija, but the ambush was dispersed when the UN forces retaliated with heavy fire in what would be known asOperation Bøllebank.[16]
On 5 August, at the request of the UNPROFOR, two USA-10 Thunderbolts located and strafed a Bosnian Serb anti-tank vehicle nearSarajevo after the Serbs seized weapons that had been impounded by UN troops and attacking a UN helicopter. Afterwards, the Serbs agreed to return the remaining heavy weapons.[17] On 22 September 1994, NATO aircraft carried out an air strike against a Bosnian Serb tank at the request of UNPROFOR.[11][18]
On 25–26 May 1995, after violations of the exclusion zones and the shelling of safe areas, NATO aircraft carried out air strikes against Bosnian Serb ammunition depots inPale.[11] In retaliation, the Bosnian Serbs took 370 UN peacekeepers in Bosnia hostage and subsequently used them ashuman shields at potential targets in a successful bid to prevent further air strikes.[11] On 2 June, twoUS Air Force F-16 jets were sent on patrol over Bosnia in support of Operation Deny Flight. While on patrol, an F-16 piloted by CaptainScott O'Grady was shot down by a Bosnian Serb2K12 Kub surface-to-air missile. O'Grady was forced to eject from the aircraft. Six days later, he was rescued byUS Marines from the24th Marine Expeditionary Unit fromUSS Kearsarge.[19]
On 11 July, NATO aircraft attacked targets in theSrebrenica area of Bosnia and Herzegovina as identified by and under the control of theUnited Nations.[20][21] This was in response to Bosnian Serb forces advancing on the UN-declared Safe Area of Srebrenica.[11] Bosnian Serb warlordRatko Mladić threatened to kill 50 UN peacekeepers who were seized as hostages and also threatened to shell the Muslim population in Srebrenica if NATO air strikes continued. The UN peacekeepers called off the air strikes and agreed to withdraw from Srebrenica as the Bosnian Serbs promised they would take care of the Muslim population for the peacekeepers to spare their own lives. For two weeks, VRS forces under Mladić killed over 8,000 Bosniaks, mainly men and boys, in theSrebrenica massacre, which remains the worst act of genocide in Europe sinceWorld War II.[22]
On 25 July, the North Atlantic Council authorized military planning aimed at deterring an attack on the safe area of Goražde, and threatened 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, Bihać, and Tuzla. On 4 August, NATO aircraft conducted air strikes against Croat Serb air defense radars near Udbina airfield and Knin in Croatia.[11] On 10 August, the Commanders of CINCSOUTH and UNPROFOR concluded a memorandum of understanding on the execution of air strikes.[23]
On 11 August a USAFRQ-1 Predatordrone was shot down by Serb forces overKrepšić, nearBrčko. Another one was lost to a mechanical failure some days later.[24][25]
On 30 August, theSecretary General of NATO announced the start of air strikes, supported by UNPROFOR rapid reaction force artillery attacks.[23] Although planned and approved by theNorth Atlantic Council in July 1995, the operation was triggered in direct response to the secondMarkale massacre on 28 August 1995.[7]
As many as 400 NATO aircraft participated in the air campaign.[26] Overall, 3,515 sorties were flown and a total of 1,026 bombs were dropped on 338 Bosnian Serb targets located within 48 complexes. NATO aircraft struck 97% of their targets, and seriously damaged more than 80% of them.[27] 708 of the bombs dropped wereprecision-guided munitions.[28] In the air operation, the United States conducted 2,318 sorties, Great Britain 326, France 284, the Netherlands 198, Turkey 78, Germany 59, Italy 35 and Spain 13.[29] The aircraft involved in the campaign operated from Italian air bases, such asAviano Air Base, and from the US aircraft carriersUSS Theodore Roosevelt andUSS America, and French aircraft carriersFoch andClemenceau in theAdriatic Sea. The VRS integrated air defence network, comprising aircraft andsurface-to-air missiles, presented a high-threat environment to NATO air operations.[27]
On 30 August, a FrenchMirage 2000N was shot down by a Bosnian Serb shoulder-fired9K38 Igla nearPale.[30][31] On 1 September, NATO and UN demanded the lifting of the Serbs'Siege of Sarajevo, removal of heavy weapons from the heavy weapons exclusion zone around Sarajevo, and complete security of other UN safe areas. NATO stopped the air raids and gave an ultimatum to Bosnian Serb leaders. The deadline was set as 4 September. On 5 September 1995, NATO resumed air attacks on Bosnian Serb positions around Sarajevo and near the Bosnian Serb headquarters at Pale after the Bosnian Serbs failed to comply with the ultimatum.[32][33] The same day, Bosnian Serb forces inHerzegovina shot down aUSAFMQ-1 Predator drone overNevesinje.[34] On the night of 10 September, theTiconderoga-class cruiserUSS Normandy launched aTomahawk missile strike from the centralAdriatic Sea against a key air defenseradio relay tower at Lisina, nearBanja Luka, while USAFF-15E andUS NavyF/A-18fighter-bombers hit the same targets with about a dozenprecision-guided bombs, andF-16 jets attacked withMaverick missiles.[32][33]
On 14 September, NATO air strikes were suspended to allow the implementation of an agreement with Bosnian Serbs to include the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the Sarajevo exclusion zone. The initial 72-hour suspension was eventually extended to 114 hours. Finally on 20 September, General Bernard Janvier and Admiral Leighton W. Smith, Jr. agreed that the resumption of air strikes was not necessary, as Bosnian Serbs had complied with the conditions set out by the UN, and so the operation was terminated.[35]
Frustrated by the previous absence of results and the resistance of the Serbian parties to any peace progress, the Western powers, led by French PresidentJacques Chirac, decided to put a deterrent force in-country to support western diplomatic efforts.France, theUnited Kingdom and theUnited States decided to send a multinational brigade to the Mount Igman area, supported by an airmobile brigade and an armored battalion in reserve. The Brigade consisted of 2000 French, 1500 British and 500 Dutch troops for a total of 4000 military personnel.[10] The creation of the force was authorized by UNSCResolution 998 on 16 June 1995.[36]
Commanded by French General Andre Soubirou,[37] the MN brigade was operational in August 1995 on Mount Igman. The main force consisted of a mixed artillery regiment, that being a French artillery group with eight 155 mmAUF1 howitzers, British artillery group with twelve105 mm light guns, French and Dutch 120 mm Heavy Mortar company. Although the artillery fired before and after the Markale Market Massacre, the main action was on 28 and 29 August 1995, firing 1070 shells on Serbian positions, which were 305 155 mm shell, 408 120 mm shell, 357 105 mm shells.[38][39] This artillery group was deployed at the UN base onMount Igman to support the task of NATO's aircraft by pounding Serb artillery positions.[40]
TheGerman Luftwaffe saw action for the first time since 1945 during Operation Deliberate Force.[41] Six interdictor-strike versionTornados, escorted by eight ECR Tornados, pinpointed Serb targets around Sarajevo for the Rapid Reaction Force artillery to attack.[42][43] Netherlands and Turkiye participated in the operation with eighteen F-16As and eighteen F-16Cs, respectively.[29]
The two French airmen who were captured after theirMirage 2000N was downed by Bosnian Serb forces on 30 August 1995, Lt. Jose Souvignet and Capt. Frederic Chiffot, were released only upon the end of the Bosnian War, on 12 December 1995. Upon being released, they told reporters that they had been treated well while in captivity.[44][45][46][47]
In December 1995, NATO dispatched a 60,000-strong peacekeeping force into Bosnia as part of theIFOR to enforce the Dayton Peace Agreement to secure peace and prevent renewed hostilities between three warring factions. In December 1996, the NATO-ledSFOR was established to replace the IFOR to enforce the Dayton Peace Agreement. This lasted up until December 2004, whenOperation Althea replaced the NATO-led SFOR.[48]
