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39-551: The Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina , founded in 2004, is in charge of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In accordance with the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Article 5.5a), Bosnian Law of defense and Bosnian Law of service the supreme civilian commander of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the collective Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina . The collective Presidency directs

78-513: A Musical service. Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina were unified in 2005 and at that time they needed a uniform for the newly founded Armed Forces. MARPAT was designated as the future camouflage pattern to be used on combat uniforms of the AFBiH. Insignia is found on military hats or berets, on the right and left shoulder on the uniform of all soldiers of the Armed Forces. All, except for generals, wear badges on their hats or berets with either

117-488: A few hundred to several thousand men, but most had 2,000–3,000. There were 38 infantry brigades staffed by reservists, 19 had names and/or numbers and 19 only had names. The names commemorated famous or infamous figures from Croatian and Bosnian history. Each brigade had three or four battalions plus supporting elements. Two, the 107th and 109th were later transferred en masse to the ARBiH due to their Muslim majorities, as did

156-638: A light anti-aircraft artillery battalion, Special Forces and artillery units. In early 1993 the HVO Home Guard was formed in order to provide support for the brigades. The HVO forces became better organized as time passed by, but they started creating guards brigades, mobile units of professional soldiers, only in early 1994. The Guards brigades were the sections of the HVO which handled its heavy weapons. The HVO had around 50 tanks, 400 artillery pieces, and 200 armored troop carriers. A brigade numbered between

195-429: A much reduced Bosanska Posavina . Four Guards Brigades were formed, each manned by full-time professional soldiers. 29 brigades were reformed as three-battalion strong Home Defense Regiments, usually with the same name and depot. Four brigades were disbanded. The military police were reduced to one Light Assault Brigade at Mostar. Eight HVO units served with the ARBiH while two HVO brigades were forcibly incorporated into

234-445: A scandal around the provision of parts and assistance to Iraq in breach of a UN embargo (the so-called Orao affair) to support the cause for bringing governance of the armies under the level of central institutions. Following this, in 2004, the process was accelerated, drawing its justification from new evidence of material and other forms of support flowing from Republika Srpska armed forces to ICTY indictee Ratko Mladić . OHR condemned

273-819: A unit of 37 men to destroy munitions and clear mines, in addition to 6 command personnel as part of the Multinational force in Iraq . The unit was first deployed to Fallujah , then Talil Air Base , and is now located at Camp Echo . In December 2006, the Bosnian government formally extended its mandate through June 2007. Bosnia and Herzegovina planned to send another 49 soldiers from the 6th Infantry Division to Iraq in August 2008, their mission being to protect/guard Camp Victory in Baghdad . The Military units are commanded by

312-678: Is General Gojko Knežević. Conscription was completely abolished in Bosnia and Herzegovina effective on and from 1 January 2006. The Bosnia and Herzegovina Defence Law addresses the following areas: the Military of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Government Institutions, Entity Jurisdictions and Structure, Budget and Financing, Composition of Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, War Declaration, natural disasters, conflict of interests and professionalism, Oath to Bosnia-Herzegovina, flags, anthem and military insignia, and transitional and end orders. The ARBiH

351-617: Is the governmental department in charge of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and protection of Bosnia and Herzegovina from invasion and threats . Before the Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 1945 to 1992, there was the Ministry of Defence of Yugoslavia , which operated for the entire then Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , while Bosnia and Herzegovina only had its territorial defence. Following

390-736: The Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina Joint Staff in Sarajevo. There are two major commands under the Joint Staff: Operational Command and Support Command. There are three regiments that are each formed by soldiers from the three ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs and trace their roots to the armies that were created during the war in BiH. These regiments have their distinct ethnic insignias and consist of three active battalions each. Headquarters of regiments have no operational authority. On

429-584: The Army of Republika Srpska , but in the latter stage of the conflict clashed against its former ally, particularly in the Mostar area. The European Community Monitoring Mission estimated the strength of the HVO in the beginning of 1993 at 45,000–55,000. In July 1993, the Central Intelligence Agency estimated the HVO forces at 40,000 to 50,000 men. HVO was incorporated into the Army of

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468-712: The Bosnian War . In addition to the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there were two other Ministries of Defence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Defence of the Republika Srpska and the Ministry of Defence of Herzeg-Bosnia . After the signing of the Dayton Agreement and the end of the Bosnian War, two more armies remained, because after the signing of

507-553: The Dayton Peace Agreement . IFOR was succeeded by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force or SFOR . The number of SFOR troops was reduced first to 12,000 and then to 7,000. SFOR was in turn succeeded by an even smaller, European Union -led European Union Force, EUFOR Althea . As of 2004, EUFOR Althea numbered around 7,000 troops. The program to train and equip the Bosnian Federation Army after

546-615: The Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Armed Forces. Former Bosnia and Herzegovina ministers of defence include Nikola Radovanović, Selmo Cikotić , Muhamed Ibrahimović, Zekerijah Osmić, Marina Pendeš and Sifet Podžić . As of 2023, the minister is Zukan Helez . Former Chiefs of Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina include Lieutenant colonel general Sifet Podžić , Lieutenant colonel general Miladin Milojčić, Lieutenant colonel general Anto Jeleč and Colonel general Senad Mašović. The current Chief of Joint Staff

585-685: The Yugoslav Army and FR Yugoslavia . The Croatian Defence Council was the main military formation of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia during the Bosnian War. It was the first organized military force to control the Croat-populated areas, created on 8 April 1992. They ranged from men armed with shotguns assigned to village defence tasks to organized, uniformed, and well-equipped brigade-sized formations that nevertheless employed part-time soldiers . As time went on,

624-496: The independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Yugoslavia in 1992 , the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was formed, with Munib Bisić being appointed minister, who had the newly formed Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina at his disposal. This ministry played a key role in defending Bosnia and Herzegovina from aggressors and paramilitary units inside and outside Bosnia and Herzegovina during

663-481: The ARBiH. The 115th Brigade became part of the ARBiH 2nd Corps while the King Tvrtko Brigade became part of the ARBiH 1st Corps. The HVO Air Forces and Anti-aircraft Artillery was formed in 1992 and consisted of the 11th Combined Squadron, operated helicopters and transports, and the 121st Observation Squadron which operated various civilian light aircraft in an observation and communications role. There

702-699: The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (VFBiH) in December 1995 by following agreement made after signing the Dayton Accords . In December 2005 HVO was reorganized as 1st Infantry Guard Regiment of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina , after VFBiH and Army of Republika Srpska were united into a single armed force. The HVO was established on 8 April 1992 in Grude by the political leadership of Croats, mainly members of Croatian Democratic Union as

741-412: The HVO forces became increasingly better organized and more "professional", but it was not until early 1994, that the HVO began to form guards brigades , mobile units manned by full-time professional soldiers. In 1995–96, a NATO -led international peacekeeping force ( IFOR ) of 60,000 troops served in Bosnia and Herzegovina, beginning on December 21, 1995, to implement and monitor the military aspects of

780-1125: The Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, were formed by merging the Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Army of Republika Srpska , that is the Federal Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Defence of Republika Srpska. Since 25 January 2023, Zukan Helez ( SDP BiH ) has been serving as Minister Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of eight sectors and six offices, three of which are religious services. Political parties:     Party of Democratic Action (SDA) Political parties:     Serb Democratic Party (SDS)     Party of Democratic Action (SDA)     Social Democratic Party (SDP BiH)     Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH)     Democratic Front (DF) Croatian Defence Council#Village Guards The Croatian Defence Council ( Croatian : Hrvatsko vijeće obrane , HVO )

819-578: The Muslim contingent of the 108th Brigade who went on to form the ARBiH's 108 Motorized Brigade. The 107th became the ARBiH 107th "Chilvalrous" Brigade while the 109th became the 109th Mountain Brigade. In 1993 General Ante Roso restructured the HVO along the lines of the Croatian Army (HV). The four OZ's were designated as Corps Districts Mostar, Tomislavgrad , Vitez and Orašje . Orašje included

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858-459: The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and several paramilitary groups such as the Green Berets , Patriotic League , and civil defence groups, as well as many criminal gangs and collections of police and military professionals. The army was formed under poor circumstances, with a very low number of tanks , APCs and no military aviation assets. The army was divided into Corps, each Corps

897-496: The agreement, the Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina , that is the Ministry of Defense of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was formed by merging the Croatian Defence Council , that is by merging the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ministry of Defense of Herzeg-Bosnia. Ten years later, on 1 December 2005, the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina , or

936-580: The basis of the Law on Service in the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the regimental headquarters have the following tasks: to manage the regimental museum, monitor financial fund, prepare, investigate and cherish the history of the regiment, the regiment publish newsletters, maintain cultural and historical heritage, give guidance on holding special ceremonies, give guidance on customs, dress and deportment Regiment, conduct officer, NCO and military clubs. Each regiments' three battalions are divided evenly between

975-606: The costs of which were weighing down both entities. The restructuring of the three armies into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina represents part of a wider process of 'thickening' the central state institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. To mitigate some of the potential controversy around restructuring, the Office of the High Representative (OHR) made use of evidence of malpractice in Republika Srpska military institutions. Firstly, from 2002 onwards, OHR utilised

1014-423: The land force badge or air force badge. Generals wear badges with the coat of arms of Bosnia surrounded with branches and two swords. All soldiers of the armed forces have on their right shoulder a flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina. All members of the three regiments wear their regiment insignia on the left shoulder. There are other insignias, brigades or other institution are worn under the regiment insignia. The name of

1053-755: The official military formation of Herzeg-Bosnia . On 15 May 1992 the HVO Department of Defense was established. By that time the HVO Main Staff, Main Logistics Base, Military Police, and Personnel Administration were also formed. War broke out between Herzeg-Bosnia, supported by Croatia and the Croatian Defence Forces , and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In March 1994, the Washington Agreement

1092-953: The original 12-month mandate, which the administration assured Congress was all it would take to stabilize the country. • 36 pieces of M101 howitzer • 50 AMX-30 tanks and 31 AML-90 armored vehicles • 8 transport vehicles • 45 M60A3 tanks, 80 M113-A2 armored personnel carriers, 240 heavy trucks • 15 UH-1H helicopters • 116 155mm field howitzers and 840 AT4 light antitank weapons • 1,000 M60 machine guns and 46,100 M16 rifles • JANUS and BBS Command and Staff simulation software • 2,342 radios, 4,100 tactical telephones, binoculars • 25 armored personnel carriers • 16 130mm field guns • 12 122mm howitzers and 18 23mm antiaircraft guns • 10 T-55 tanks The program conducted an “international program review” in April 1998 to demonstrate to U.S. partners that it had been well managed and successful and to solicit additional contributions. The event

1131-494: The signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement in 1995 was a key element of the U.S. strategy to bring stable peace to Bosnia. The Train and Equip Program also calmed the concerns of some Congressmen about committing U.S. troops to peacekeeping duty in Bosnia. Creating a stable and functioning Federation Army that could deter Serb aggression had the prospect of allowing NATO and U.S. troops to withdraw from Bosnia within

1170-552: The soldiers is worn on the left part of the chest while the name "Armed Forces of BiH" is worn on the right part of the chest. In 2023, members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina began to wear a new field uniform of high-quality cloth and original camouflage schemes with the characteristics of the Bosnian environment. Ministry of Defence (Bosnia and Herzegovina) The Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Serbo-Croatian : Ministarstvo odbrane Bosne i Hercegovine / Министарство одбране Босне и Херцеговине )

1209-463: The three active brigades of the Army. Overall the brigades are multinational with over 50% Bosniaks, 30% Serbs, 15% Croats and about 4% of other ethnic groups. Within the armed forces, there are a number of services. These include a Technical Service, Air Technology service, Military Police service, Communications service, Sanitary service, a Veterans service, Civilian service, Financial service, Information service, Legal service, Religious service, and

Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-524: The ‘systematic connivance of high-ranking members of the RS military’ and noted that measures to tackle such systematic deficiencies were under consideration. This was quickly followed by the expansion of the mandate for a Defence Reform Commission, which ultimately resulted in the consolidation of three armed forces into one, governed at the level of the central state. As the joint AFBiH began to develop, troops began to be sent abroad. Bosnia and Herzegovina deployed

1287-563: Was attended by 20 current and potential donor countries and an air of satisfaction prevailed. The Dayton Peace Agreement left the country with three armies under two commands: the Bosniak and Bosnian Croat armies within the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina , facing their recent adversaries the Army of the Republika Srpska . These three forces together had around 419,000 personnel in regulars and reserves. This force size and orientation

1326-587: Was completely isolated in northern Bosnia on right bank of Sava river around Orašje and was entirely dependent on support from Croatia . There was also an HCO headquarters in the Bihać enclave which liaised with the ARBiH 5th corps. Each OZ controlled 8-14 infantry brigades, a military police battalion and an MP "Light Assault Battalion". The HVO also included the brigade sized Ante Bruno Bušić Regiment manned by full-time soldiers, two independent infantry battalions,

1365-630: Was formed from three armies of the Bosnian War period: the Bosniak Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina , the Bosnian Serb Army of Republika Srpska , and the Croat Defence Council . The Army of the Republic of Bosnia And Herzegovina was created on 15 April 1992 during the early days of the Bosnian War . Before the ARBiH was formally created, there existed Territorial Defence , an official military force of

1404-508: Was signed which ended fighting between the HVO and ARBiH. In March 1996, Herzeg-Bosnia ceased to exist as it was merged with the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina , and the HVO was reorganized as 1st Infantry (Guard) Regiment of the ARBiH. HVO was located in Mostar and was divided into four corps-status operational zones: 1OZ/South-Eastern (Herzegovina) and 2OZ/North-Western Herzegovina , 3OZ/Central Bosnia and 4OZ/Posavina. While first three zones were grouped more or less together, Posavina

1443-731: Was stationed in a territory. The first commander was Sefer Halilović . The Army of Republika Srpska was created on 12 May 1992. Before the VRS was formally created, there were several paramilitary groups such as the Srpska dobrovoljačka garda , Beli Orlovi , as well as some Russian , Greek and other volunteers. The army was equipped with ex- JNA inventory. It had about 200 tanks, mostly T-55s and 85 M-84s , and 150 APCs with several heavy artillery pieces. The Air Defense of VRS shot down several aircraft, like F-16 , Mirage 2000 , F-18 and one Croatian Air Force MiG-21 . The VRS received support from

1482-453: Was the official military formation of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia , an unrecognized state that existed in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1991 and 1996. The HVO was the main military force of the Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina . In the initial stage of the Bosnian War , the HVO fought alongside the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) against

1521-523: Was totally at odds with the international peacemakers' vision. Slow reductions did take place. By 2004, the two warring factions had reduced their forces to 12,000 regulars and 240,000 reserves but had made virtually no progress in integrating the two into one new force, though the basis of a state defence ministry had been put in place via the Standing Committee on Military Matters (SCMM). Conscription for periods of around four months continued,

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