Russia Takes Center Stage in JINSA Discussion with Gen. Clark

The Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, Gen. Wesley K. Clark, USA, briefed a visiting JINSA delegation at SHAPE headquarters in Mons, Belgium, on June 16, 1999. The meeting with Gen. Clark capped the 3-day JINSA Study Trip to NATO and the European Union. Taking center stage in the 75 minute discussion of the Kosovo conflict was the subject of relations with Russia. Two days prior to the JINSA meeting, Russian troops serving as peacekeepers in Bosnia had raced cross-country to the Pristina airport to press the case for Moscow’s involvement in the coming allied occupation of Kosovo.

The Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, Gen. Wesley K. Clark, USA, briefed a visiting JINSA delegation at SHAPE headquarters in Mons, Belgium, on June 16, 1999. The meeting with Gen. Clark capped the 3-day JINSA Study Trip to NATO and the European Union. Taking center stage in the 75 minute discussion of the Kosovo conflict was the subject of relations with Russia. Two days prior to the JINSA meeting, Russian troops serving as peacekeepers in Bosnia had raced cross-country to the Pristina airport to press the case for Moscow’s involvement in the coming allied occupation of Kosovo. This event added to the difficulties in balancing the desires of all the NATO members with the coherent prosecution of the war against the Serbian Yugoslav army and the plans for Kosovo after the Serb withdrawal.

For the first time in NATO history, the U.S. will not be the lead participant in an alliance action. The largest forces on the ground in Kosovo are from the United Kingdom and Germany. The U.S. still remains the leading force in Bosnia where 30,000 American troops are peacekeepers there. In fact, American leadership remains critical to the continued viability of the NATO alliance.

In the Balkans, the American presence is vital to the stability of the region and, hence, to the stability of the nearby Western European countries. There are 12,000 U.S. troops in extremely fragile Albania. Their presence is an important factor in preventing complete chaos and a flood of refugees crossing the Adriatic Sea to Italy. Since 1993, a U.S. presence has bolstered the fragile Macedonian democracy, a known target of Milosevic.

Despite the withdrawal of Serbian troops from Kosovo, Slobodan Milosevic remains in power in Belgrade. He can be counted on to push Serbian claims in Kosovo, to use every measure available to undermine NATO’s operation there, and to intimidate the governments of the surrounding states. Furthermore, after making heavy use of air defense missiles and guns in the early stages of the air war, Milosevic’s military leaders scaled back their efforts to down NATO planes. One explanation for this tactic is that Serbia desired to preserve its air defense assets for the inevitable end of the NATO campaign and the continued imposition of an arms blockade as long as Milosevic remained in power.

While at SHAPE HQ, the delegation also met with Maj. Gen. J.D. Dallager, USAF, Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Logistics, who briefed the group on the prosecution of the air war against Serbian forces in Kosovo. Gen. Dallager’s remarks were expanded upon later that day by Col. Richard Bowes, Canadian Air Force, Gen. Clark’s personal briefer.

The JINSA delegation also engaged in discussions with European Union commissioners for Middle East policy and Foreign and Security policy. Meetings were also held with representatives of NATO and senior officials from the U.S. Mission to the European Union and the U.S. Embassy to the Kingdom of Belgium. Their Excellencies Onur Oymen and Andrash Simonyi, Permanent Representatives to NATO from Turkey and Hungary respectively, were dinner speakers the first and last evenings of the trip.