Bombs Over Bosnia the Role of Airpower in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bombs over Bosnia The Role of Airpower in Bosnia-Herzegovina MICHAEL O. BEALE, Major, USAF School of Advanced Airpower Studies THESIS PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF ADVANCED AIRPOWER STUDIES, MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, ALABAMA, FOR COMPLETION OF GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS, ACADEMIC YEAR 1995–96. Air University Press Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama August 1997 DISCLAIMER Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the author(s), and do not necessarily represent the views of Air University, the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, or any other US government agency. Cleared for public release: distribution unlimited. ii Contents Chapter Page DISCLAIMER . ii ABSTRACT . v ABOUT THE AUTHOR . vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . ix 1 A HISTORY OF DIVISION AND CONFLICT . 1 2 THE DEATH OF YUGOSLAVIA ACCELERATES . 9 3 DENY FLIGHT: THE DETERRENT USE OF AIRPOWER . 19 4 OPERATION DELIBERATE FORCE . 31 5 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS . 43 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 53 iii iv Abstract The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) initiated Operation Deny Flight at the request of the United Nations (UN) Security Council in April 1993, in response to the ongoing war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Two and one-half years later, in December 1995, Deny Flight officially ended after an almost continuous 970-day aerial presence constituting over 100,000 aircraft sorties. In that time, NATO aircraft dropped more than 3,000 bombs while participating in combat operations for the first time in alliance history. Deny Flight’s initial mission was to enforce a UN Security Council mandated no-fly zone over Bosnia. This mission expanded in the ensuing months to include close air support when requested for UN protection forces (UNPROFOR) on the ground and to deter Serb aggression against six UN-designated safe areas.
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