Verbatim Special: the Balkan War
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Verbatim Special: The Balkan War For a fuller version see www.airforce-magazine.com “We need a Europe that is safe, progressively attack, disrupt, de- the bombing started Milosevic would secure, free, united, a good partner grade, devastate, and, ultimately— play the victim, not turn into Adolf Hit- with us for trading. ... That’s what this unless President Milosevic complies ler Jr.”—Unnamed US official, NYT, Kosovo thing is all about.”—President with the demands of the international March 30. Clinton, speech to American Federa- community—we’re going to destroy tion of State, County, and Municipal these forces and their facilities and “I think right now it is difficult to say Employees, March 23. support.”—Supreme Allied Com- that we have prevented one act of mander Europe Gen. Wesley Clark, brutality at this stage.”—Bacon, DoD “What if someone had listened to NATO briefing, March 25. briefing, March 30. Winston Churchill and stood up to Adolf Hitler earlier? How many people’s lives “These bombs are not going to do “That [possibly running out of certain might have been saved?”—Clinton, the job. It’s almost pathetic. You’re just munitions] is something that we do AFSCME speech, March 23. going to solidify the determination of worry about. We have a supply now, the Serbs to resist a peace agreement. but it won’t last forever.”—Bacon, DoD “We’re coming close to starting You’d have to drop the bridges and turn briefing, March 30. World War III.”—Sen. Ted Stevens, off the lights in Belgrade to have even floor statement, March 23. a remote chance of changing Milos- “He’s hurting. We know that he is evic’s mind. What you’ll get is all the running short of fuel. We’re now starting “We have plans for a swift and se- old Vietnam stuff—bombing pauses, to hit him very hard on the ground. ... vere air campaign. This will be painful escalation, negotiations, trouble.”— You will start to see the resolve start- for the Serbs. We hope that, relatively Sen. John Mc Cain, New York Times ing to crack very quickly.”—Air Com- quickly, ... the Serbs will realize that (NYT), March 25. modore David Wilby, NATO briefing, they have made a mistake.”—Pentagon March 31. spokesman Kenneth Bacon, briefing, “It was always understood from the March 23. outset that there was no way we were “The thing that bothers me about going to stop these paramilitary forces introducing ground troops into a hos- “North Atlantic Treaty Organization who were going in there and murder- tile situation, into Kosovo and into the forces have initiated military action ing civilians in these villages.”—Clark, Balkans, is the prospect of never being against the Federal Republic of Yugo- CNN interview, March 26. able to get them out.”—Clin ton, CBS slavia. ... The military objective of our “60 Minutes II,” March 31. action is to deter further action against “We are on the brink of a major hu- the Kosovars and to diminish the ability manitarian disaster in Kosovo, the likes “We may not have the means to stop of the Yugoslav army to continue those of which have not been seen in Europe it, but we have shown we have the will attacks, if necessary.”—Secretary of since the closing stages of World War to try.” —NATO Secretary General Defense William S. Cohen, DoD brief- II.”—Allied spokesman Jamie Shea, Javier Solana, NYT, March 31. ing, March 24. NATO briefing, March 28. “We clearly intend to loosen his “I don’t see this as a long-term op- “We’re in it, and we have to win it, grip on power and break his will to eration. I think that this is something and we have to do whatever is nec- continue and, as weather permits, to ... that is achievable within a relatively essary in order to ensure that this is chip off his assets in Kosovo. If we short period of time.”—Secretary of not a failure. ... That means that we start to chip away at the institutions State Madeleine Al bright, PBS “New- have to exercise every option. ... We that keep him in power, he may think it shour,” March 24. must win this conflict with whatever it over.” —Gen. Klaus Naumann, then takes.”—McCain, ABC’s “This Week,” chairman of NATO Military Commit- “If NATO’s invited to [send a peace- March 28. tee, NYT, April 1. keeping force], our troops should take part, ... but I do not intend to put our “I don’t know if we can do it with- “[In a 1998 NATO study of troops troops in Kosovo to fight a war.”—Clin- out ground troops.”—Gen. Michael needed for a ground invasion], the num- ton, address to nation, March 24. Ryan, USAF Chief of Staff, NYT, bers came in high. No one said yes, no March 28. one said no; it was taken off the table. ... “This is in fact NATO’s attempt to It was a complete eye-roller.”—“Senior enter the 21st century as global po- “We never thought we could stop this. Administration official,”Wash ington liceman. Russia will never agree to You can’t conduct police actions from Post (WP), April 1. it.”—Russian President Boris Yelt sin, the air in any country.”—Clark, press Kremlin statement, March 24. interview, March 29. “When you fly less than 50 bombing sorties per day for seven days, you’re “We’re going to systematically and “We miscalculated. We thought when not serious about what you’re doing. AIR FORCE Magazine / June 1999 47 Verbatim Special continued At best, it’s sporadic bombing.”—Re- lest Spain develop close military ties “I would characterize the [rules of tired USAF Gen. Buster Glosson, to the United States. By an American engagement] as as strict as I’ve seen key figure in Gulf War air campaign, secretary of state who supported the in my 27 years [in the] military. ... The Associated Press, April 1. nuclear freeze and opposed the Gulf rules have been, and are, that, un- War. And by an American President less you’re 100 percent sure in your “The ring is closing around the Yu- who—well, forget his military his- mind what you’re hitting ... you won’t goslav armed forces.”—Solana, NATO tory.”—Columnist Charles Krautham- drop.”—Wald, DoD briefing, April 14. briefing, April 1. mer, WP, April 8. “All the suggestions—‘Did you con- “I’m surprised we didn’t bomb it [the “We’ve been officially reassured at a sider this? Did you consider that?’ downed F-117 fighter], because the high level that Russia will not be drawn We did.”—Albright, statement to a standing procedure has always been into the conflict in the Bal kans.”—White House committee, April 15. that, when you lose something of real House spokesman Joe Lockhart, or perceived value—in this case, real Reuters, April 9. “The military mission ... is to reduce, technology, stealth—you destroy it. diminish, degrade the military capability ... Once you get the pilot out of there, “They want to bring in ground troops. that Milosevic’s forces have to conduct you blow the thing to smithereens.”— They are preparing for that. They want their campaign of brutal repression.”— Retired USAF Gen. John Michael simply to seize Yugoslavia to make it Cohen, Senate Armed Services Loh, former head of Air Combat their protectorate. We cannot let that Committee (SASC), April 15. Command, Defense Daily, April 2. happen to Yugoslavia. ... I told NATO, the Americans, the Germans: Don’t “We could sit on the sidelines. We “We are prepared to sustain this push us toward military action. Oth- could fold our arms and say, ‘It’s not effort for the long haul. Our plan is to erwise, there will be a European war our problem.’ But I think that that would persist until we prevail. ... Let me be for sure and possibly world war.” — have been a real challenge to our own clear. The ethnic cleansing of Kosovo Yeltsin, televised statement, April 9. humanity.”—Cohen, SASC, April 15. cannot stand as a permanent event.”— Clinton, remarks to press, April 5. “NATO early on made an as- “We’re certainly engaged in hostili- sessment ... as to what [number of ties. We’re engaged in combat. Whether “I think we wish we had a larger ground troops] it would actually take that measures up to, quote, a classic inventory of certain types of weapons. to do the job, and those numbers definition of war, I’m not qualified to There has been significant utilization varied from lows down in the twen- say.”—Cohen, SASC, April 15. of some of our more advanced cruise ties—20,000 or so—up to a couple missile systems.”—Deputy Sec retary of hundred thousand.”—Gen. Hugh “Limited actions beget limited re- of Defense John Hamre, speech in Shel ton, JCS Chairman, ABC’s “This sults.”—McCain, SASC, April 15. Philadelphia, April 6. Week,” April 11. “If the public knew our state of “So far, we haven’t heard complaints “Russia is an absolutely essential readiness, or our lack of readiness, from the CINCs, that I know of, that player in the search for peace with there would be an outrage out there. they can’t do the mission. ... So as Belgrade. We must respect its desire The fact that we are roughly at one- we speak today, the readiness of the to play a constructive role in the se- half the force strength that we were US military has not been really af- curity and stability of our continent.” in 1991—How many people know fected by this.