Army of Kosovo

Kosovo’s parliament voted to update the KSF into an army in December 2018. Although NATO does not support Kosovo’s move to upgrade the KSF into a regular army, Kosovo is doing deals with individual NATO member states to reach practically the same goal. NATO wants the KSF to stick to its original mandate, given in 2009, as an emergency-disaster force.

The Kosovo government ordered the creation of a national army in 2014, but Serbian deputies said they would block the required changes to the constitution. Kosovo's president said on 10 March 2017 he would resign and force a parliamentary election if lawmakers did not approve changes that would effectively create a national army. The plan was opposed by the country's ethnic Serb minority and its NATO and US allies. NATO, which still had some 4,500 troops in the country nearly two decades after it intervened in a war fought while Kosovo was part of Serbia.

The plan to create an Army would create force of 5,000 active soldiers and 3,000 reservists. The Kosovo Security Forces (KSF) is a lightly armed, 2,500-strong force trained by NATO and tasked with crisis response, civil protection and ordinance disposal. The amendments to an existing law that would allow the KSF to buy heavy weapons and recruit more soldiers, in effect transforming it into an army.

For its part, the US is “concerned by Kosovo’s announced intention to change the mandate of the Kosovo Security Force without a constitutional amendment,” according to a statement from the US embassy in Pristina. Washington supports “the gradual, transparent transformation of the Kosovo Security Force in a multiethnic force in line with NATO standards.” Further, the US said it is ready for a “consultative process with all stakeholders to achieve our shared goal of transforming the Kosovo Security Force,” in such a way that it, “contributes to regional stability, and supports Kosovo on its path to Euro-Atlantic integration.”

Hashim Thaci is a Kosovar politician who has been president of the Republic of Kosovo since April 2016. From 2008 to 2014 he was the first prime minister of the country, following the declaration of independence. In the 1990s, Thaci was a co-founder and leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) paramilitary organization, which fought against Serbian troops in the Kosovo War of 1999.

The president of Kosovo accused Serbia of provoking fresh tensions in the region. Hashim Thac said 29 January 2017 "Serbia is in the process of applying Russia's Ukrainian model. The state is sending both civilians and uniformed individuals into northern Kosovo. Serbia is distributing arms to Serbs in northern Kosovo, supposedly to prepare them for attacks by Albanians."

Milovan Drecun, chairman of the Serbian parliament's Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, said NATO is behind Kosovo's push to create its own army. "A KFOR mission and NATO should respect UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which does not stipulate creating Kosovo's army. Meanwhile, relevant preparations have taken place for several years now, with NATO instructors training Kosovo soldiers. Actually, NATO created this army, which is why it's clear that Thaci [should] avoid making steps that would be out of line with the position of NATO and the most influential members of the alliance," Drecun said.

On February 23, 2011, Agim Ceku - and former Kosovo Prime Minister and a former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) - was appointed Minister of the KSF. Former Minister of Justice of Serbia Vladan Batic described Ceku as a man, «whose hands are covered with Serbian blood up to the elbows». KSF Minister Agim Ceku told parliament in January 2013 that "2013 is going to be the year of the Kosovo Army." On January 13, 2013, Pristina announced the beginning of the transformation of the Kosovo Security Forces (KSF) to the Army of Kosovo. The NATO Council was to give the final political decision on the transformation of the Security Forces to the Army of Kosovo in June, 2013.

Rada Trajkovic, a Serb MP in the Kosovo assembly, expressed concern that the transformation of KSF would be a source of instability. "An army with a [Kosovo] Albanian command is a destabilising factor for the Serbs in Kosovo, as would be a [Kosovo] Albanian army with minor participation of other ethnicities," Trajkovic said.

Ceku had previously served as Prime Minister for about 18 months in 2006 and 2007. Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi resigned on 01 March 2006, and was replaced by former Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) Commander Agim Ceku. The Serbian government's press office director, Srdjan Djuric, said 02 March 2006 that the appointment of Ceku to any public office was "unacceptable" to the Serbian government. Djuric emphasized that Serbia had issued an international arrest warrant for Ceku on charges of genocide against Serbs in Kosovo. President Tadic told the press that while Serbia does not choose Kosovo's premiers, he did not think it was a good idea for "former warriors" to become political leaders and he hoped the nomination would "not cause a destabilization of the entire region and jeopardize the Serb ethnic community in Kosovo."

On 10 March 2006 the Kosovo Assembly approved outgoing Kosovo Protection Corps commander General Agim Ceku as Kosovo's new Prime Minister and his slate of ministers with 65 votes in favor; 33 opposed and 5 abstentions. The vote followed along party lines with coalition members Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and the "6 plus" group of non-Serb minority parties delivering the votes of their members present for the vote, while the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and ORA Reform Party voted against. Ceku was magnanimous in his acceptance speech. He addressed Kosovo Serbs in Serbian, the first time a Kosovo prime minister had ever spoken in Serbian from the rostrum of the Kosovo Assembly. He guaranteed Kosovo Serbs their equal place and rights in Kosovo society and institutions. Ceku met the previous day with Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija (SLKM) head Oliver Ivanovic to discuss SLKM rejoining the government and will continue to reach out to ordinary Kosovo Serb as well as their political leaders. On November 17, 2007, Kosovo held parliamentary, leading to a coalition between the LDK and the PDK and the nomination of Hashim Thaci as Prime Minister of Kosovo.

NATO was seeking a way out of the current situation, because KFOR could otherwise remain in Kosovo forever. The North Atlantic Council, NATO's highest decision-making body, will make a political decision based on the assessment of NATO's military authorities. The council was expected to decide on the force's status at its June 2013 meeting. The declaration of full operational capability on 9 July 2013 by the North Atlantic Council meant that the KSF is fully capable of performing the tasks assigned to it within its mandate of non-military security functions that are not appropriate for the police. Following the declaration of full operational capability, NATO will continue to support the development of the KSF through the NATO Liaison and Advisory Team (NLAT), consisting of a mix of approximately 30 military and civilian personnel that will help with the professional development of the KSF, providing advice and support in a variety of areas such as capacity-building and training and leadership.

KFOR’s mission was unchanged: to provide a safe and secure environment for all people and communities in Kosovo. Over time, as the security situation has improved, NATO has been gradually adjusting KFOR’s force posture towards a minimal presence: essentially a smaller force progressively relying more on flexibility and intelligence with fewer static tasks. The pace and level of successive troop reductions is decided by the North Atlantic Council (NAC) as the security situation on the ground evolves and in light of security conditions. This process is conditions-based and not calendar-driven.

NATO does not agree for Kosovo to have its own army and the hurdle is four member states which have not recognized Pristina’s independence. Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz has stated that Kosovo should have its own army. “Kosovo is an independent and sovereign state and it should have the same rights, no more and no less, as other countries in the region. Just like all other countries that have courts and other institutions like an army, Kosovo should be entitled to its army as well,” he said after a meeting with Kosovo Security Force Minister Agim Ceku.

Belgrade “will not go to war” in response to Kosovo attempts to seize border checkpoints and will use only diplomatic means to resolve the conflict, Serbian President Boris Tadic said 27 July 2011. Kosovo sent special police forces to its Serbian-populated north to enforce a ban on imports from Serbia, but local Serbs opposed the move. Several police and Serbian residents were reportedly injured in clashes and NATO peacekeepers have been deployed to the area to deal with any further violence.

Upon decision of Prime Minister of Republic of Kosovo is established Steering Committee for Security Strategy Section Review in Kosovo. Minister of KSF, Agim Çeku is appointed to be head of the SSSR Steering Committee. The Security Strategy Section Review in Kosovo is ongoing, and will include all state institutions which have obligations in the area of security.

Based upon National Security Strategy Sector Review (SSSR) - Government of Republic of Kosovo should review requests of security of the Government of Republic of Kosovo. Stand-up of the KSF based upon recommendations of SSSR – After reviewing of Strategy Security Sector (SSSR) is necessary to be reviewed the entire KSF. The review of the mission and structure of the KSF will be made within the SSSR as result of it will be given proposals on necessary changes into the KSF by giving determination to “Why and what kind of Force is needed to Republic of Kosovo” in order that the KSF fulfills identified tasks and requests within the SSSR of the Republic of Kosovo and designed by Kosovo Security Sector (KSS).

All the above process should be completed during the final step, which was to take place in June 2013, in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, Law on Service in the KSF, No. 03/L-082, Law on the KSF, No. 03/L-046, Law on Ministry of KSF No. 03/L-045 and the National Security Strategy of the Republic of Kosovo.