Decision made

Finally a decision was made. All NATO allies agreed that when SFOR's mandate would end later in 1998, the military force in Bosnia should be maintained at it's size of approximately 31,000-34,000 troops. At least until the elections in September 1998. It was agreed that the number of US troops will be reduced slightly.

The main reason for maintaining the force at its current strength perhaps was the national Bosnian elections, planned for mid-September 1998, and the renewed ethnic clashes that it could trigger. NATO members agreed that even though Bosnia was at relative peace since December 1995, the country remained politically tense and civil reconstruction efforts had a long way to go.

US Reduction

The US share of the force — approximately 7,800 troops — was going to be reduced to 7,000 after June. Reductions would not be taken in combat forces, but in supporting forces like engineering, logistics, artillery, and aviation. The number of other NATO and non-NATO forces would increase to compensate for the US reduction.

Time Table

There was no specific time table set up for reducing or withdrawing the forces in Bosnia. The Clinton administration made that mistake before when it became obvious that US troops would not be home at the date that was set earlier. If the Bosnian elections were to go badly, the existing force could have to remain for a long while, according to several officials. On the other hand, if the elections were successful the overall force could be reduced and restructured.

New Contingent

NATO accepted the US proposal to form a new military contingent of several battalions that could respond to first signs of civil unrest, such as the riots in Brcko in the summer of 1997 that accompanied SFOR’s seizure of Bosnian Serb Television transmitters. This contingent was planned to be composed of approximately 600 to 700 non-US troops, most likely armed police troops from France, Spain, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Argentina and possibly Germany. Some European NATO allies feared the new contingent would make a US withdrawal more likely and easier.

The new force was planned to be employed in a support role for the local police who were being reorganized and trained by the UN’s unarmed International Police Task Force (IPTF).

One of the original roles cited for creating such a police force, to arrest those indicted for war crimes by the UN War Crimes Tribunal, was not among the duties mentioned for the new European-led force.

New Name And Mission

The name of the Stabilization Force (SFOR) remained the same and its military mission was unchanged for the foreseeable future to underscore the continuity of the participants’ efforts.

It was initially reported that under the new mandate SFOR would be renamed either the Dissuasive or Dissuasion Force (DFOR) from the end of June but on February 26 it was stated that the well-established SFOR title will be retained.