KFOR (5) – Norway's responsibility as

Lead Nation

2

Foreword by the Minister of Defence

Bjørn Tore GodalMinister of Defence

As from 6 April 2001, attentionwill be focused on Norway’s

role in the Balkans. LieutenantGeneral Thorstein Skiaker

becomes the new Commanderof the NATO-led force in

Kosovo – KFOR. For the coming6 months he will be faced with a

challenging and high-profiletask. KFOR is a large and com-

plex military force of approx.42 000 personnel from a total of

39 countries. The mission en-trusted to KFOR is vitally impor-

tant but also fraught with risk.The security situation in Kosovo

is unstable and there is a con-stant danger that the conflict

may spread.

KFOR is conducting a NATO-led operation.Lieutenant General Skiaker takes up his postas Commander KFOR by virtue of his posi-tion as the NATO Commander at Joint Head-quarters North located at Jåtta, Stavanger.Norway has therefore taken on the responsi-bility as Lead Nation. This does not meanthat Norway is controlling KFOR or runningthe operation.

Norway’s task as Lead Nation is to preparethe way for Lieutenant General Skiaker to beable to carry out his demanding assignmentas Commander KFOR. We do this by placinga range of essential resources at his disposal.I have no doubt that Lieutenant GeneralSkiaker and his staff will meet the challengesthat face them in an exemplary manner withcourage and distinction.

It is important that Norway shows ability andwill to make substantial contributions tointernational operations. In this way we willcontribute to the management and, hope-fully, the resolution of serious internationalconflicts. At the same time this will in turnstrengthen the will of our allies to help Nor-way should the need arise. The part we playin the Balkans also reflects our desire tocontribute to the promotion of security andstability in Europe. A further important ben-efit is that our officers and men and womenof the Armed Forces gain valuable experi-ence from participation in demanding mili-tary operations. This in turn enhances theArmed Forces’ ability to perform in all typesof operations.

Lieutenant General Skiaker, our forces inKFOR and all Norwegian men and womenwho contribute in international operationsare making an immeasurably valuable contri-bution both to the cause of peace and forNorway.

33

KFOR (5) Headquarters (HQ)

As Lead Nation for HQ KFOR (5) Norway isresponsible for:

• Deployment/redeployment of the headquarters• Manning the positions in the core of the head-

quarters that the NATO-headquarters inBrunssum, Karup, and Jåtta are unable to fill

• Providing certain support functions to Com-mander KFOR.

Troop contributing nations are also providing staff tothe remaining parts of HQ KFOR. The number ofpositions in the headquarters is proportional to eachnation’s troop contribution - the Vertical Slice model.

Lead Nation – Support Functions• Combat Camera Team (10 personnel)• Helicopter Wing (4xBell 412, 42 personnel)• Airlift (C-130 Hercules + Jet Falcon)• Medical Platoon (20 personnel)• Personal Staff COMKFOR (personal security,

interpreters, operations analysts, political adviser,legal adviser, etc.).

Operational Reserve (drawn from the Norwegianbattalion in Kosovo (NORBN)).

Lead Nationsupport functions:

approx. 100personnel

23 Vertical SlicePositions

39 Norwegian NATOpositions from

JHQ NORTH

42 positionsrecruited from

the national com-mand structure

Core:approx. 320personnel

Totally:approx. 200 Norwegian personnel

Lead Nation – Responsibilities and Norwegian Personnel

Lt. Gen. SkiakerNorwegian Commander

KFOR

4

KFOR – Norwegian Commander

KFOR (5) – NorwegianCommander and Norway’snational responsibilityLieutenant General ThorsteinSkiaker takes over command ofKFOR 5th contingent on 6 April2001. The NATO-led military forcein Kosovo now numbers approx.42 000. KFOR’s mission is based ona UN mandate set out in SecurityCouncil Resolution 1244. WhenKFOR was established in 1999,NATO’s Allied Command EuropeRapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) Head-quarters was nominated as KFORheadquarters with Lieutenant Gen-eral Michael Jackson of the BritishArmy in command. Since then thecore staff of the KFOR Headquar-ters has been drawn from one or twoof the existing NATO Headquarters.The NATO Council decided on24 July 2000 that the core staff of theKFOR Headquarters for the forth-coming (fifth) period of six monthsfrom 6 April 2001 should be pro-vided from NATO’s Northern Re-gion. Consequently, the core staff ofthe KFOR Headquarters has beendrawn from the NATO Joint Sub-Regional Command Headquarters inKarup, Denmark (JSRC NORTH-EAST) and at Jåtta, Norway (JSRCNORTH).

KFOR is led by NATO– Norway’s responsibility asLead NationIt is important to underline thatNATO itself leads the KFOR opera-tion. When a new KFOR Headquar-ters is set up, a so-called Lead Nationis nominated. On 8␣ August 2000,following consultations betweenNorway and Denmark, the NATOSupreme Allied Commander Europe(SACEUR) nominated LieutenantGeneral Skiaker as CommanderKFOR␣ (5) and Norway as LeadNation.

NATO’s 19 member states are repre-sented on the North Atlantic Councilwhich is the Alliance’s highest deci-sion-making authority. CommanderKFOR is subordinated to the Com-mander-in-Chief Southern Europe(CINCSOUTH), which again issubordinated to the Supreme AlliedCommander Europe (SACEUR).Norway’s responsibility as LeadNation is essentially limited to ensur-ing that Commander KFOR is ableto carry out his demanding task inthe best way possible.

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Average Personnel Deployed for Crisis Response Operations (KFOR + SFOR) as a % of Population (until 2000)

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55

r and Norway’s national responsibility

Norway’s contribution toKFOR (5)Norwegian personnel are includedin the KFOR (5) Headquarters staffby virtue of the posts they occupy atthe NATO Headquarters at Jåtta.The NATO Headquarters at Jåttaand Karup have not provided all themembers of the core staff and soNorway is providing additional per-sonnel for the KFOR (5) Headquar-ters on a national basis. Norway isalso providing a range of other serv-ices required by the CommanderKFOR. These services include trans-port helicopters, combat photogra-phy, a cartographic service, medicaland ambulance teams, sentries, atranslation service and personalsecurity arrangements. Overallsome 200 Norwegian officers andother ranks will be serving in con-nection with Norway’s responsibili-ties as Lead Nation for KFOR (5), inaddition to the Norwegian battalion(and support units), which already

form part of KFOR (a total of some1200).

It is usual for the Lead Nation toplace an operational reserve force atthe disposal of the CommanderKFOR. This is a reserve intended foruse in situations that require a rapidresponse. Norway now leads such aforce, which has been named TaskForce Viking. This force is lead bythe commanding officer of the Nor-wegian KFOR Battalion(NORBN) and consistsmainly of a Norwegianinfantry company (about200 men) and a Britishcavalry squadron.

National authorities

National Permanent Representatives (Ambassadors)

Defence Planning Committee

Subordinate committees

North Atlantic Council

Secretary General

International Staff

International Military Staff

Military Committee

Allied Command Atlantic*)

Regional Planning Group

Canada/USA

NATO's Strategic Commands (SCs)

*) Integrated military commandstructure

Nuclear Planning Group

Allied Forces South

KFOR HQ

Allied CommandEurope *)

NATO – Selected parts of NATO's organisational chart

Task Force VikingTask Force Viking isa reserve force atthe disposal ofCommander KFOR(COMKFOR).

The Task Force can, if necessary,be deployed anywhere in Kosovo.On 10 March the Task Force wasdeployed in an area bordering onthe Presovo Valley. The aim of theoperation is to monitor the borderbetween Kosovo and the SafetyZone in Serbia.The Task Force personnel aredrawn from throughout the Norwe-gian Battalion (NORBN). Thecurrent strength of the Task Force(mid-March 2001) is between 250and 300 together with some 70vehicles. This includes a Britishcavalry squadron consisting ofUnited Kingdom personnel.Prior to its mission in the PresovoValley, Task Force Viking has twicebeen deployed in the ethnicallydivided city of Mitrovica.

6

Region

Geographic overview

French sector,HQ Mitrovica

Italian sector,HQ Pec

German sector,HQ Prizren

US sector,HQ Urosevac

British sector,HQ Pristina

The Norwegian Battalion (NORBN)'s area of

responsibility in British sector

77

Ground Safety Zone

KOSOVO

SERBIA

ALBA

NIA FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF

MACEDONIA (FYROM)

FEDERALREPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA (FRY)

Yugoslavia(Federal Republic of Yugoslavia– FRY)• Capital: Belgrade• Inhabitants: Approx.10,4

million• Population: Majority of

Serbs. Albanian minority inthe south and Hungarians inthe north.

• Language: Serb• Other: The Federal Chamber

consists of The Council ofCitisens and The Council ofRepublics. Serbia andMontenegro have their ownParliament and president withconciderable influence.

Kosovo :Province in Southern Yugo-slavia. The population consistsof an Albanian majority and aSerb minority.

• President : Vojislav Kostunica

Macedonia(Former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia)

• Capital: Skopje• Inhabitants: 1,95 million• Population: Macedonian

majority, Albanians and asmall minority of Turks.

• Language: Macedonian• Other: National Assembly

(One chamber), Parliamentwith 120 seats.

• Prime minister: LjubcoGeorgievsk

Albania

• Capital: Tirana• Inhabitants:

approx. 3,4 million• Population: Albanian ma-

jority, a Greek minority• Language: Albanian• Other: Peoples Assembly

with 140 seats.• President : Rexhep

Meidani

8

Background for NATO's involvem

Background for NATO'sinvolvementNATO's air offensive (OperationAllied Force) in Serbia started 23March 1999 and ended 10 June thesame year. After 77 days of air offen-sive NATO's European Commanderin Chief, General Wesley Clark(SACEUR) confirmed the SerbForces withdrawal from Kosovo.

The Military Technical Agreement(MTA)The withdrawal of forces from Kos-ovo was in accord with the MilitaryTechnical Agreement concludedbetween NATO and Yugoslavia(FRY) on 9 June 1999. The Agree-ment was signed by Lieutenant Gen-eral Michael Jackson on behalf ofNATO, and Colonel General SvetozarMarjanovic on behalf of Yugoslaviaand Serbia. The Military TechnicalAgreement deals with the Serb with-drawal and KFOR’s role in Kosovo.The Agreement provided for a 5kilometer wide Ground Safety Zone(GSZ) and a 25 kilometer wide AirSafety Zone (ASZ) along Kosovo’sborder with Yugoslavia. These zoneswere established to rule out thepossibility of direct contact betweenSerb forces and KFOR.

UN Security Council Resolution 1244On 10 June 1999 the UN SecurityCouncil adopted a Resolution(UNSCR 1244) outlining the princi-ples for a political solution to theconflict in Kosovo, including thefollowing:• an immediate end to violence and

repression in Kosovo• the withdrawal of all military,

police and paramilitary forces• the deployment in Kosovo of

international civilian and militarypresence

• NATO being given a central rolein the military presence

• the establishment of an interimadministration for Kosovo

• the safe and free return of allrefugees and displaced persons

• the start of a political processtowards substantial self-govern-ment for Kosovo

• disarming the Kosovo LiberationArmy (KLA) and other armedKosovo Albanian groups

• a comprehensive plan for theeconomic development of theregion

NATO Nations

• Belgium• Canada• Czech Republic• Denmark• France• Germany• Greece• Hungary• Iceland• Italy• Luxembourg

Non-NATO Nations

• Argentina• Austria• Azerbaijan• Bulgaria• Estonia• Finland• Georgia• Ireland• Jordan• Latvia

• Lithuania• Morocco• Romania• Russia• Slovakia• Slovenia• Sweden• Switzerland• Ukraine• United

Arab Emirates

• The Nether-lands

• Norway• Poland• Portugal• Spain• Turkey• United

Kingdom• United

States•

Nations contributing to KFOR(As of March 2001)

99

ent

Kosovo Force – KFORThe UN Security Council, in adopt-ing Resolution 1244, approved theestablishment of a military presencein Kosovo. The purpose was to deterthe parties from resuming the con-flict, to assist in the demilitarisationof the armed Albanian groups and toprepare the way for the return ofrefugees. The core task of KFOR inmaking such preparations is to en-sure that the security situation inKosovo is satisfactory.

Following adoption of UNSCR 1244the NATO Council prepared for therapid deployment of a security force(Operation Joint Guardian). The firstunits arrived in Kosovo on 12 June1999. The deployment of this force,which was given the name KosovoForce (KFOR), was linked to thewithdrawal of the Serb forces asenvisaged in the Military TechnicalAgreement. On 20 June 1999 thiswithdrawal had been completed andKFOR was in place in Kosovo.KFOR currently has a strength ofapproximately 42 000. It is a NATO-led operation but with substantialcontributions from other nations.The participating forces are drawnfrom a total of 39 nations includingRussia. The force is led by Com-mander KFOR who has his head-quarters in Pristina.

Norway’s contribution to KFORand KosovoSince the autumn of 1999 a Norwe-gian infantry battalion has formedpart of KFOR. This battalion(NORBN) now numbers some 1000personnel and has its headquartersjust outside Pristina. NORBN isresponsible for security in threemunicipalities to the west of Pristina.The battalion is split between fourlocal bases. Norway also has a baseoutside Skopje in The Former Yugo-slav Republic of Macedonia. Thecommander of the national contin-

gency is based here together with aNorwegian logistic section. Theoverall budget for Norway’s contribu-tion to international operations in2001 is NOK 1922 million. By far thelargest single budget item is Nor-way’s force contribution to KFOR.

Norway also providessupport for

KFOR’s Norwegian

Battalion (NORBN)

NORBN III tookover from NORBN IIon 29 September2000. The battalionis due to remain inKosovo until June

2001. NORBN III is commanded byLt Col Per Arne Five.• The battalion headquarters is

situated at Camp Tor Hov, justoutside Pristina. Its area ofresponsibility includes themunicipalities of KosovoPolje, Obilic and Glogovac.

• The battalion strength is ap-proximately 1 000-1 100.NORBN also provides person-nel for a reserve force, TaskForce Viking, which is underthe direct command ofCOMKFOR.

• NORBN III is the first unitwith personnel recruited inaccordance with the guide-lines set out in GovernmentReport No. 38 (1998-99), thatis to say recruited in the maindirectly from conscripts per-forming their initial period ofmilitary service. A large pro-portion of the personnel, bothofficers and other ranks, wasrecruited from 6 Division.

civilian projects in the region. TheMinistry of Foreign Affairs has allo-cated NOK 105 million for projects inKosovo in 2001. These funds aredivided between humanitarianprojects, democratisation, infrastruc-ture and institutional strengthening.Norwegian non-governmental organi-sations (NGOs) are making a veryimportant contribution to the wide-ranging and difficult work in Kosovo.

KFOR’s cooperation with otherinternational organisationsThe UN has established a mission,the United Nations Mission in Kos-ovo (UNMIK). UNMIK oversees theinterim administration of Kosovowhile also organising humanitarianactivities and the work of strength-ening democratic institutions. TheUN Security Council requested on10 June 1999 the Secretary Generalto nominate a special representative,the Special Representative of theSecretary General (SRSG), asUNMIK Head of Mission. The firstSRSG was Mr. Bernhard Kouchner.Today Mr. Hans Hækkerup, aformer Minister of Defence for Den-mark, is the SRSG.

The tasks in Kosovo are many.There are a number of organisationsparticipating in the wide-rangingwork being done to improve livingconditions in the area. KFOR placesstrong emphasis on cooperationwith international agencies andNGOs. The largest internationalorganisations engaged in

10

The current situation in the regio

trated in the three northernmostmunicipalities and in individualenclaves elsewhere in the area.Mitrovica is divided on ethnic linesand remains a constant source offriction and antagonism. The cen-tral question mark over the direc-tion of development is the futurestatus of Kosovo itself. All the Kos-ovo Albanian parties want inde-pendence for Kosovo while Yugo-slavia, Serbia and the majority ofthe Kosovo Serb element of thepopulation want Kosovo to remainpart of Yugoslavia.

Local elections were held in Kosovoon 28 October 2000. These elec-tions were boycotted by the KosovoSerbs. Election day itself passedwithout violence with very highturn-out by the Kosovo Albanians.The moderate Democratic Leagueof Kosovo (LDK), led by IbrahimRugova, won a majority in 22 out of28 municipalities. This is an encour-aging sign for future developmentin Kosovo.

There is a risk that the conflict be-tween Albanians and Serbs in Kosovomay spread to neighbouring coun-tries. Over recent months there havebeen armed clashes between Albani-ans and Serb security forces in thePresevo Valley in Southern Serbiaand between Albanians and Macedo-nian security forces in the northernparts of The Former Yugoslav Re-public of Macedonia .

Southern SerbiaThe conflict in the Presevo Valley inSouthern Serbia has the potential todestabilise Kosovo and its relationswith Yugoslavia and Serbia. Underthe terms of the Military TechnicalAgreement (MTA) the presence ofYugoslav military forces is prohibitedwithin a 5 kilometre wide demilita-rised Ground Safety Zone along

HumanitarianAid

In 2000, Norway contributedNOK 131 million to Kosovo inhumanitarian aid and relatedprojects.

Areas in which projects havebeen initiated:• Reconstruction of houses• Mine clearing• Agricultural development• Hospitals• Water and sanitary develop-

ment• School reconstruction• Youth and children• Return of refugees

Source :Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Kosovo are the UN (UNMIK andUNHCR – the UN High Commis-sioner for Refugees), the EU andthe Organisation for Security andCooperation in Europe (OSCE).KFOR is working closely with allthese organisations. For examplethere is increasingly close coordina-tion between KFOR and UNMIKwhere military and police contribu-tions to security operations areconcerned. KFOR has also pro-vided UNHCR with transport foraid supplies and with assistance inconnection with major buildingprojects for the rehousing of return-ing refugees.

The current situation in theregion

KosovoIn Kosovo the situation continues tosuffer from ethnic antagonism andwidespread crime. The ethnic Serbelement of the population is concen-

1111

on

Kosovo’s border with Yugoslavia (seemap). Albanian extremists havemade use of this area in order toorganise armed resistance to theSerb authorities in the region.

The conflict stems from a number ofunderlying causes and motives. It isprobable that it is the future status ofKosovo that forms the real core ofthe conflict, but the Albanian groupsare also motivated by the conditionssuffered by Albanians living in thisarea.

On 8 March 2001 the NATO Councildecided to prepare for the phasedreturn of Yugoslav forces to theSafety Zone in an attempt to re-estab-lish control in the area. The return ofSerb forces is being combined withconfidence-building economic andsocial measures and an internationalpresence in the form of observers.Efforts are also being made to bringabout negotiations between the Alba-nian and Serbian sides.

The Former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedoniaThe Former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia is an ethnically dividedcommunity. Although the majority ofthe inhabitants are of Slavic extrac-tion, the Albanian minority comprisesa considerable part of the population.The Albanian community is concen-trated in the north towards the bor-ders with Albania, Kosovo and Ser-bia. The population is divided geo-graphically, ethnically and linguisti-cally. In the wake of the war in Bosniathere was apprehension in the inter-national community that there couldbe a new civil war in this part of theregion because of the divided popula-tion. The Albanian minority has be-

come slightly better represented inrecent years and the governmentnow includes an Albanian party. Thearmy and the police, however, remainpredominantly Slavic.

There have been a number of en-counters between armed Albaniangroups and Macedonian securityforces in northern parts of the coun-try. Several smaller groups of Alba-nian fighters, at least partly politicallymotivated, have been identified. TheAlbanian groups have put forwarddemands for increased rights for theAlbanian population. There is a dan-ger that the activities of the armedAlbanian groups and the reactions ofthe Macedonian security forces willlead to a split in the population.

NATO has expressed its support forthe government in The FormerYugoslav Republic of Macedoniaand the UN has condemned the useof arms by the groups of Albanianfighters. KFOR has no mandate tointerfere in the conflict. KFOR has,however, tightened up checks at theborder with Kosovo in an attempt toobstruct the cross-border activitiesof the Albanian groups.

Published April 2001 by

Ministry of Defence

Myntg. 1, P.O. Box 8126 Dep., N-0032 Oslo

Phone: +47-23 09 80 00 Fax: +47-23 09 23 03www.mod.no

Print: Kongsberg TrykkPrintrun: 2 000

Design/illustration: Resonans asPhoto: FRM/NATO/KFOR

ISBN 82-7924-030-6