Courtesy Photo | A convoy of Serb villagers from Zitinje is escorted by KFOR vehicles and helicopters...... read more read more
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - June 10, 1999, was the end and the beginning. The end of a 78 day air campaign by NATO, waged to stabilize the environment in Kosovo following decades of oppression. Military and paramilitary forces from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo Liberation Army were locked in daily engagements, thus the citizens were trapped between the opposing forces. Death tolls reached historic highs, millions fled Kosovo as refugees, and ethnic tensions were extreme. Thus the United Nations Security Resolution 1244 was adopted June 10, 1999, and two days later Kosovo Forces, or KFOR, entered Kosovo.
KFOR began under NATO’s initial mandate to, “deter renewed hostility and threats against Kosovo by Yugoslav and Serb forces; to establish and maintain a secure environment in Kosovo; to demilitarize the Kosovo Liberation Army; to support the international humanitarian effort; and to coordinate with and support the international civil presence,” according to NATO’s website on the conflict.
By May 2002, KFOR sectors had been established allowing for coverage of, and quick reaction to, the landmass and its residents. The northern area was headquartered in Kosovska Mitrovica and led by the French Contingency. The British troops, headquartered in Pristina, controlled the center sector. Italians controlled the western portion of the area based out of Pec. The Germans held the southern area from a base in Prizren. Finally, the eastern portion of Kosovo was controlled by American forces located on the newly constructed Camp Bondsteel near the town of
Ferizaj/Urosevac.
Construction of Camp Bondsteel borrowed from lessons learned from logistics and soldier quality of life issues during the Bosnian peacekeeping mission. These lessons fueled the Department of Defense’s plan to erect Southeast Asia huts almost immediately on the nearly 1,000 acres of land leveled to house the U.S. troops as opposed to living long-term in tents. By December 1999 contractors were in the process of building about 600 SEAhuts, as well as dining halls, fitness centers, places for worship and other facilities at Camp Bondsteel and Camp Montieth near Gnjilane where U.S. troops were also stationed.
Daily life for American service members from the Army and Marines saw non-stop operational tempo, lack of weekends and long hours. The then chief of staff for Task Force Falcon, the designation given to the U.S. Army task force, said his troops conducted approximately 350 squad-size security operations every day. Foot patrols and mounted patrols occurred in all parts of the 23,000 square kilometer eastern sector. In addition, the aviation assets were flying more than 40 hours of support missions per month, a number said to be four times the normal rate for a unit in the States. The chief of staff said the initial security situation had improved considerably only seven months after the end of the air strikes.
According to NATO’s website for KFOR, nine months after the start of Operation Joint Guardian, the named KFOR operation, KFOR soldiers conducted between 500-750 patrols per day, guarding 500 key sites and manning 200 vehicle checkpoints. More than 100 soldiers lived with and guarded or escorted minority families to and from their daily errands. Numerous stories of valorous acts performed during the years of KFOR presence speak of soldiers putting out maliciously set house fires, responding to errant gun shots, breaking up violent mobs and aiding injured locals with every asset available to the multinational conglomeration of service members.
KFOR troop numbers reached 50,000 at its height and represented 39 NATO and non-NATO countries. The structure of Kosovo Forces and the make-up and numbers of personnel has evolved over time; so too has the mission of KFOR. Currently, KFOR is “focused on building a secure environment in which all citizens, irrespective of their ethnic origins, can live in peace and, with international aid, democracy and civil society are gradually gaining strength,” according to NATO’s KFOR website. Numerous tasks are mandated by NATO that include assisting NGOs with the return or relocation of displaced persons and refugees; demising and reconstructing; medical aid; security of all citizens; border security; protection of patrimonial sites; and support for the establishment of civilian institutions, law and order, a judicial and penal system, electoral process and additional elements of political, economic and social life in the province.
Over the past dozen years, KFOR has continually adapted to the changing, stabilizing environment in Kosovo by refocusing time to be spent more on training. Training has included riot control exercises, smuggling deterrence, aviation sling loading and fire fighting measures, as well as health care training and a plethora of additional exercises. Soldiers stationed in Kosovo have mingled with one another and the local populace fueling enhanced cultural awareness of the vast array of nations represented here. They have trained together and with the Kosovo Security Force, Kosovo Police, Kosovo Boundary and Border Police, as well as conducted boundary and border patrols with law enforcement officials from neighboring countries.
KFOR’s health care professionals have taught community medical professionals techniques for identifying treatable diseases, proper teeth brushing and numerous animal care practices. Each rotation of U.S. soldiers has adopted at least one school and donated their free time, expertise and gifts from their own pockets in the form of teaching English, passing out backpacks filled with notebooks and pencils, and simply showing up on a regular basis to ask after the needs of the children.
A legacy has already been built by KFOR in Kosovo and will continue to be added to for the duration of troop presence in the region.
In response to NATO mandates and rightsizing to necessary numbers of personnel, subsequent force restructuring into two multinational battle groups occurred March 2011. Multinational Battle Group East is led by the U.S. Contingent based at Camp Bondsteel and Multinational Battle Group West located in Pec is led by the Italian Contingent. Both of the battle groups fall under Command Kosovo Forcesor COMKFOR, headquartered in Pristina. According to NATO, as of Aug. 3, KFOR troop numbers hover around 5,800 speaking to the success of the mission and ability of Kosovo to grow and stabilize.
The current Kosovo Forces 14 rotation has achieved numerous milestones since taking over the U.S. mission April 2.
As of Sept. 2, KFOR 14 has responded to 93 unexploded ordnance calls. In addition to numerous other significant actions, the battle group responded to Red Cross messages from service member’s families, local vehicle accidents, and a plethora of roadblocks. Additional statistics include the sheer number of orders published internally covering communications, operations, administrative, exercise and training orders. KFOR 14 has performed more than 70 Administrative Boundary Line patrols, hundreds of synchronized patrols, over three hundred vehicle checkpoint operations and scores of additional missions. There are continued events in coordination with the Serbian Armed Forces Team for Cooperation with KFOR, border meetings with law enforcement professionals from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Kosovo Border and Boundary Police.
Task Force Aviation has performed admirably as well. From the period of July 25 through Sept. 12, four medical evacuation missions occurred and eight additional patients were transferred by air. More than 60 sling load operations were successfully completed as well as more than 40 internal loads. The number of personnel transported by the KFOR 14 air assets during this short time frame is more than 2,000. Over 1,150 hours of flight time have been logged and greater than 280,000 pounds have been hauled.
As of Sept. 9, Task Force Medical has seen more than 1,274 patients during sick call hours, taken 413 x-rays, filled more than 5,419 prescriptions and ordered 208 pairs of eye glasses. More than 233 service members have been seen by the local dentist and 791 appointments have been completed by the physical therapy clinic. Medics have also supported 44 explosive ordnance detachment missions. During this same time frame, many community outreach programs have occurred such as oral hygiene education, vision testing, scoliosis testing and general hygiene and hand washing. More than 24 internal Grand Rounds lectures and 13 external lectures have been completed.
Even in light of these impressive statistics, the soldiers of KFOR 14 have been able to attend a staggering amount of training and planned exercises. At least fourteen exercises were conducted including mass casualty exercises, quick reaction force validations, cross training with multinational crowd and riot control professionals as well as aviation hot and cold load operations. Training for the service members has included online courses for professional development, four iterations of level 1 combatives, mandatory cyclical ethics and conduct training, two warrior leader courses, German proficiency badge events, and numerous weapons qualifications.
Kosovo Forces 14 arrived March 2011 ready to accept the mission set forth by NATO and fulfilled to the fullest by each U.S. forces rotation that preceded it. The mission to contribute t o a safe and secure environment in Kosovo in accordance with UNSCR 1244 and to support the development of security institutions remains. KFOR 14 is committed to this mission and will continue to conduct the mandate in a professional manner until it is handed over to the next group of U.S. service members.
| Date Taken: | 09.26.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2011 11:59 |
| Story ID: | 77601 |
| Location: | CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ |
| Web Views: | 3,540 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, Operation Joint Guardian - Kosovo Forces from 1999 - 2011, by 1LT Anna Doo, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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