Operation Allied Force

Operation Allied Force was NATO's military operation against Yugoslavia in the spring of 1999. It was only the second major combat operation in NATO's history, following the September 1995 Operation Deliberate Force in Bosnia.

Strategy

Operation Allied Force relied almost exclusively on the use of a large-scale air campaign to destroy Yugoslav targets from high altitudes. Ground units were not used, although their use was threatened near the end of the conflict. This approach was adopted to minimise the risk to the NATO forces and attracted considerable public criticism due to its relative ineffectiveness against mobile ground targets such as tanks and troop formations. Strategic targets such as bridges and factories were also bombed, particularly in the later stages of the conflict. Long-range cruise missiles were used to hit a number of heavily defended targets such as strategic installations in Belgrade and Pristina. Civilian installations such as power plants,water processing plants and the state-owned broadcaster were also intentionally targetted. The Chinese Embassy was also hit in the raids and conspiracy theories abound over whether this may have been intentional too.

Related Topics:
Cruise missile - Belgrade - Pristina

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