Use of the air arm over Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo: the Dutch contribution

Combat air patrol

The 6 photographic recon aircraft were quickly exchanged for extra F-16 combat aircraft at NATO’s request. Dutch F-16s were the 1st NATO aircraft to enter Bosnian airspace for a combat air patrol on 12 April. An air force liaison team (commanded by a colonel, who was also the senior national representative) was stationed in a combined air operations centre (CAOC) in Vicenza at the headquarters of 5 Allied Tactical Air Force (5 ATAF), which was responsible for coordinating the deployment of NATO aircraft over Bosnia.

Swing role

In June 1993, NATO ordered the combat aircraft to provide close air support (CAS) for the UNPROFOR personnel in the safe areas if necessary. The Netherlands officially reserved 6 of the 18 F-16s in Villafranca for this purpose from 22 July. In practice, all aircraft were deployable on a swing-role basis; in other words, they could be employed to gain air superiority as well as for providing close air support for UN ground troops. At the beginning of August 1993, the North Atlantic Council also added more robust air strikes to the tasks of Operation Deny Flight to enable the defence of the enclaves in Bosnia.

Deployment

The number of Dutch F-16s taking part in Deny Flight was determined by the course of the civil war and the deployment by NATO partners, and amounted to between 12 and 18 over the period 1993-1995. The detachment was, for instance, reinforced with 4 RF-16 photographic reconnaissance aircraft, which were to provide the evidence that the warring parties were withdrawing their heavy weapons in and around Sarajevo.

Air strikes

On 19 November 1994, the Security Council authorised NATO aircraft to conduct air strikes not only in Bosnia but also in Croatia if necessary. On 21 November 1994, nearly forty NATO aircraft, including 4 Dutch F-16s, bombed Udbina airport in Croatia, which was being used by the Bosnian Croats to launch air strikes on the safe area of Bihac.

Deliberate Force

On 11 July 1995, Dutch F-16s provided limited air support for the beleaguered Dutch UN troops in Srebrenica. A month later, the Dutch F-16s played a significant role in Operation Deliberate Force, conducted in retaliation for the Bosnian Serb mortar attack on the Markale market in Sarajevo on 28 August 1995.

The Dutch F-16s flew 10% of the total number of flights. The attacks near Sarajevo were coordinated with the Rapid Reaction Force. The 6 extra aircraft returned to the Netherlands at the beginning of October and the Dutch contribution to Operation Deny Flight was transferred to IFOR's air component on 20 December 1995 (Operation Decisive Endeavour).

Dutch contribution

The Dutch contribution to IFOR’s air component was gradually reduced to 7 (later 8 again) F-16s and 120 military personnel. Together with a few Belgian F-16s, these assets and personnel constituted the Deployable Air Task Force (DATF). At the beginning of January 1999, the DATF transferred from Villafranca to Amendola Air Base, which is located much further to the south.

Because of the Kosovo crisis, the size of the detachment was increased to 20 aircraft and 278 service members. 12 F-16s returned to the Netherlands on 25 June. The 8 remaining aircrafts (4 from January 2001) were thereafter deployed as part of the Bosnia Kosovo Air Component (BKAC).

Fewer F-16s

In December 2000, NATO decided to reduce the BKAC’s striking power from 41 to 22 aircraft because of the normalization of air traffic over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Belgium and the Netherlands therefore reduced their contribution to the BKAC. The 2 countries subsequently made 4 F-16s available in rotation. The BKAC’s readiness was further reduced in the summer of 2001. As a result, 4 Dutch aircraft stationed in the Netherlands were made available on an on-call basis.