War in the Balkans

War in the Balkans. Following a decisive military defeat of Iraq in the Persian Gulf War and the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States remained as the lone global power. U.S. political leaders struggled to determine the size and role of its military and the right thresholds for military engagement around the world., The aftermath of the Cold War triggered massive instability in the former Yugoslavia, eventually leading to the breakup of the state and widespread, protracted "ethnic cleansing." In an effort to control the violence, the United Nations passed Resolution 816, banning all flights over Bosnia-Herzegovina not authorized by the UN. The resolution authorized NATO to enforce the ban on military flights. NATO responded by establishing Operation Deny Flight on April 12, 1993. It was the alliance's first combat operation. On February 28, 1994, NATO forces entered combat for the first time, with U.S. F-16s downing four Serbian ground attack aircraft. ., After years of unsuccessful efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict, the U.S. led NATO forces in 1995 in Operation Deliberate Force, directed at Serbian separatist forces within Bosnia-Herzegovina. In Deliberate Force, 93% of the munitions dropped were "smart" precision bombs. The accurate targeting of the air campaign was critical in maintaining the cohesion of the NATO alliance., The NATO air campaign was a major factor in setting the scene for a negotiated settlement of the conflict, known as the Dayton Accords, with U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke leading the diplomatic effort. This settlement brought a fragile peace to Bosnia-Herzegovina, but left Serbian leader, Slobodan Milosevic, in power. Four years later a second NATO air operation, Operation Allied Force, targeted Serbian forces conducting attacks against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. The conflict lasted from March-July 1999, with NATO forces applying increasing pressures against the Serbian regime. U.S. air action enabled the diplomatic settlement, eventually resulting in the withdrawal of Serbian forces from Kosovo and Milosevic's expulsion from power in Serbia.