DETERMINED FALCON

The context is that of the Yugoslav wars. In this context, NATO organised the exercise called “Determined Falcon” for deterrence.

More than 80 aircraft of 13 Alliance members participated in the “Determined Falcon” air exercise. This exercise, designed primarily to be a demonstration of strength following the bloody events in Kosovo, began on 15 June 1998, involving a diverse range of forces: air divisions, reconnaissance aircraft, tankers and helicopters deployed over the skies of Albania and Macedonia. Although formally an exercise, the objective was to act as a deterrent.

The 85 aircraft took off from 15 bases throughout Europe, as well as aircraft carriers in the Adriatic Sea: 28 of them left Aviano base at 7 a.m. on 15 June, heading first towards Albania and then Macedonia, before returning at noon. Lieutenant General Michael Short, commander of NATO air forces in Southern Europe, declared: “The exercise is intended to demonstrate the Alliance’s commitment to peace and stability in the region, and our ability to project power into the region”. No bombs were detonated during the exercise.

Russia did not welcome the operation: the Minister of Defence, Igor Sergeyev, said he was not informed of the imminence of the exercise. For this reason, at a meeting in Moscow, he reprimanded US General Henry Shelton, denouncing that this action betrayed his intention to act for a political resolution of the Kosovo crisis, as had been agreed following a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels – in the presence of Secretary of Defence William Cohen – on the previous 12 June.

On 16 June Milosevic went to Moscow, where he met Russian President Yeltsin: Milosevic, following the summit, said he was willing to accept most of the NATO and Contact Group’s requests, but refused the most important one, the immediate withdrawal of Serb forces; the joint declaration expressed Belgrade’s intention to resolve the crisis through political means, allowing access to humanitarian organisations, the return home of refugees and state aid for the reconstruction of the destroyed buildings. Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov welcomed these statements as a great step forward after months of fighting. In the meantime, the United States – in the person of Secretary of Defense William Cohen – and NATO were airing the possibility of a NATO military response if the violence in Kosovo did not end.

Indeed, despite General Clark’s statements about the success of the exercise in showing NATO’s ability to project power, the Serbs responded even harder, carrying out four violent attacks in western Kosovo.