Operation Sky Monitor
Operation Sky Monitor | |
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Part of the Allied Forces Southern Europe |
Operation Sky Monitor was a
Background
On September 25, 1991, at the beginning of the
In response to resolution 757, NATO began to perform its first operations on behalf of the United Nations on July 16, 1992, with
On October 9, 1992, the Security Council passed resolution 781. In the resolution, the Security Council expressed concern about the use of aircraft by the belligerents in the
Operation
During Operation Sky Monitor, aircraft operated in two "orbits", one over the
The monitoring aircraft of Sky Monitor were initially drawn from the NATO Airborne Early Warning squadron based at
The rules of engagement for Sky Monitor were very restrictive. Because the purpose of the operation was to monitor, rather than prevent, unauthorized flights, participating aircraft were only authorized to use force in self-defense. Furthermore, under the rules of engagement, NATO forces were directed to take evasive action if attacked rather than engage an opponent if at all possible. As a result of the strict rules of engagement, no NATO forces were engaged in combat during Operation Sky Monitor.[13]
Sky Monitor documented many violations of the no-fly zone, the most significant of which came in March 1993, when Serb aircraft bombed two Muslim villages. This violation, the first "combat violation" of the no-fly zone, led to calls for NATO to actively enforce the zone, rather than just monitoring compliance.[14]
Results
At the beginning of April 1993, NATO had documented more than 500 violations of the no-fly zone over Bosnia, including violations from all sides in the conflict.[1] Out of these numerous violations, however, NATO documented only one that it considered a "combat mission".[15] Although most of the violations were not combat missions, NATO had decided even before the end of Sky Monitor that the UN ban was ineffective. On December 18, 1992, the NATO members voted to enforce the no-fly zone with military force if requested by the United Nations.[16] This escalation of NATO involvement also gained the crucial backing of US President-elect Bill Clinton in December, when he told the press that he had "been in favor of enforcing the no-fly zone for some time."[17]
The UN called for NATO to use force in response to the "blatant violations of the ban on military flights in the airspace of Bosnia and Herzegovina" with Security Council Resolution 816 on March 31, 1993. The resolution authorized UN member states to "take all necessary measures" in order "to ensure compliance" with the no-fly zone.[18] As a result of this new resolution, NATO deactivated Sky Monitor, and began Operation Deny Flight on April 12, 1993. Under Deny Flight, NATO forces continued to monitor and document unauthorized flights, but they were also authorized to enforce the zone and engage violators if necessary.[19]
Operation Sky Monitor was the first of many NATO air operations in the Balkans, including the more significant
References
- ^ a b Beale, Michael (1997). Bombs over Bosnia: The Role of Airpower in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Air University Press. p. 19.
- ^ "Resolution 713". United Nations Security Council Resolutions. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ "Resolution 757". United Nations Security Council Resolutions. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ "Operation Maritime Monitor". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ "Resolution 781" (PDF). United Nations Security Council Resolutions. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ a b Allied Joint Force Command Naples. "JFC Naples/AFSOUTH, 1951-2009: OVER FIFTY YEARS WORKING FOR PEACE AND STABILITY". Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ a b "No 8 Squadron Comes Home". Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ a b Voellger, Gary (January 1999). "NATO airborne early warning force Balkan operations". NATO's Nations and Partners for Peace (2): 28–32.
- ^ "Hungary Assists NATO Monitoring in Bosnia". Jane's Defence International. March 1993.
- ^ "Details/Information for Canadian Forces (CF) Operation SKY MONITOR". National Defence and Canadian Forces. 9 November 2004. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
- ^ Miller, Kurt. "Deny Flight and Deliberate Force: An Effective Use of Airpower". US Army Command and General Staff College. Archived from the original on October 29, 2004.
- RAND.
- ISBN 1-58566-076-0.
- ^ Lewis, Paul (March 19, 1993). "U.N. Moving to Toughen Yugoslav Flight Ban". The New York Times.
- ^ Riding, Alan (April 3, 1993). "NATO Agrees to Enforce Flight Ban Over Bosnia Ordered by U.N." The New York Times.
- ^ Sciolono, Elaine (December 18, 1992). "CONFLICT IN THE BALKANS; NATO Offers Support". The New York Times.
- ^ Sciolono, Elaine (December 12, 1992). "Clinton Urges Stronger U.S. Stand On Enforcing Bosnia Flight Ban". The New York Times.
- ^ "Resolution 816" (PDF). United Nations Security Council Resolutions. UN Security Council. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- ^ Beale, Michael (1997). Bombs over Bosnia: The Role of Airpower in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Air University Press. p. 20.
- ISBN 1-4289-1020-4.
External links