NATO launches Operation Deliberate Force against Bosnian Serb forces.

In 1995, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) launched Operation Deliberate Force against Bosnian Serb forces, a military endeavor that profoundly influenced the course of Balkan history. This momentous event took place on August 29th and played a crucial role in halting the Bosnian War and pressuring all parties into accepting a peaceful settlement.

Operation Deliberate Force represented a significant escalation from NATO’s previous policy of limited intervention in the Bosnian War, which had been ongoing since 1992. This war was a complex humanitarian crisis sparked by the disintegration of Yugoslavia into varying ethnic factions, each seeking control over contested territories. The Bosnian Serb forces, as the name implies, were primarily backed by ethnic Serbs, who undertook a number of aggressive military actions resulting in widespread atrocities, including genocide.

Before this operation, NATO’s involvement in the Bosnian War was mainly restricted to enforcing a no-fly zone, supplying humanitarian aid, and implementing sporadic airstrikes to protect UN-designated safe zones. However, Bosnian Serb forces, for their part, have shown a growing disdain for this international intervention, ignoring UN resolutions and even attacking UN peacekeeping forces.

The catalyst for Operation Deliberate Force came in July 1995 when Bosnian Serb forces engaged in what has now become infamous as the Srebrenica massacre. More than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed during this event, marking one of the darkest episodes of the Bosnian War.

Appalled by the atrocities committed in Srebrenica and other safe zones, NATO, with a UN mandate, initiated Operation Deliberate Force, marking a turning point in its strategy. Under the leadership of American Admiral Leighton Smith, NATO forces launched a comprehensive bombing campaign against Bosnian Serb military targets.

The severity of Operation Deliberate Force was unprecedented. Throughout two weeks in September 1995, NATO planes flew more than 3,500 sorties, raining down an estimated 1,000 bombs and striking multiple Bosnian Serb military targets. The operation was largely successful: the Bosnian Serb forces’ capabilities were fundamentally damaged, and their abilities to continue the war effort were significantly reduced.

The overwhelming show of military power from NATO had an immediate effect. Bosnian Serb leaders, facing the destruction of their military infrastructure and sagging morale among their troops, were forced to return to the negotiation table.

While the scale and impact of Operation Deliberate Force have marked it as a key episode in NATO’s history, its significance reaches far beyond its military success. It was the first time the alliance had used significant force to achieve political objectives and demonstrated NATO’s ability – and willingness – to engage decisively when it perceives a threat to peace and stability in Europe.

By demonstrating the collective might of NATO’s member nations, Operation Deliberate Force emphasized that large-scale human rights abuses would not be tolerated by the international community. Indeed, the operation could be seen as a precursor to later humanitarian interventions conducted by NATO and other international coalitions.

Finally, Operation Deliberate Force significantly contributed to ending the three-and-a-half-year-long Bosnian War. It applied sufficient pressure on the Bosnian Serb forces to coerce them into accepting a peace agreement, thus leading to the Dayton Accords signed in November 1995.

NATO’s Operation Deliberate Force in 1995 against Bosnian Serb forces marked a significant shift in international intervention strategies. It cemented NATO’s role as a significant player in peacekeeping efforts and set new precedents affecting subsequent conflict interventions. It reaffirms that the international community has both the means and the responsibility to intervene where gross human rights abuses occur, thus majorly shaping the norms of current international interventions.