Operation Sharp Guard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Operation Sharp Guard was a multi-year joint naval
blockade in the
Adriatic Sea by
NATO and the
Western European Union on shipments to the former Yugoslavia.
[1][2][3][4] Twenty-two warships, from 14 countries, and eight maritime patrol aircraft were involved in searching for and stopping
blockade runners.
The operation began on June 15, 1993. It was suspended on June 19, 1996, and was terminated on October 2, 1996.
[edit] Background
The operation replaced naval blockades
Operation Maritime Guard (of NATO; begun by the U.S. in November 1992) and Sharp Fence (of the WEU).
[5] It put them under a single chain of command and control (the "Adriatic Military Committee", over which the NATO and WEU Councils exerted joint control), to address what their respective Councils viewed as wasteful duplication of effort.
[1][2][6][7] Some maintain that despite the nominal official joint command and control of the operation, in reality it was NATO staff that ran the operation.
[8][9]
[edit] Purpose
The operation's purpose was, through a blockade on shipments to the former Yugoslavia,
[10] to enforce economic sanctions and an
arms embargo of weapons and military equipment against the former
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and rival factions in Croatia and Bosnia.
[11][12][13] The
Yugoslav Wars were being waged, and the participants hoped to limit the fighting by limiting supplies to it.
[edit] Blockade; ships challenged, boarded, and inspected
NATO ships enforcing the Operation Sharp Guard blockade
Twenty-two warships from 14 countries
[14] (Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the U.K., and the U.S.),
[11] and eight
maritime patrol aircraft, were involved in searching for and stopping blockade runners.
[2][15][16][17][18][19] Most contributors to the operation supplied one or two ships.
[17] The
Turkish Navy, for example, participated with frigates, submarines, and tankers.
[20][21]
The operational area was divided into a series of "sea boxes", each the responsibility of a single warship.
[11] Each boarding team was composed of a "guard team" to board and wrest control of the target ship, and a "search team", to conduct the search.
[11]
The ships were authorized to board, inspect, and seize both ships seeking to break the blockade and their cargo.
[22] The Combined Task Force 440 was commanded by Admiral Mario Angeli of Italy.
[2] It marked the first time since its founding in 1949 that NATO was involved in combat operations.
[4]
[edit] Lido II incident
The issue of differing views among nations in the coalition as to the use of force authorized by
rules of engagement arose in April 1994.
[23] Faced with the
Maltese tanker
Lido II making its way towards a
Montenegro's port with 45,000 tons of fuel oil, a U.S. cruiser asked the NATO commander (a British
Commodore) for guidance, and received authorization to use "disabling fire" to stop the tanker, if necessary.
[23] He received confirmation that he should follow the British Commodore's guidance from his own higher authority.
[23] Under U.S. Navy standards, "disabling fire" means firing rounds into the ship's engineering space. But the U.S. cruiser was about to pass the order along to the Dutch
Kortenaer class frigate HMNLS
Van Kinsberger. The fact that the Dutch definition of "disabling fire" involves launching rounds into the bridge of the target ship, with an increased risk of loss of life, became important.
[23] The ship was eventually stopped on May 1 and boarded by helicopter from HMNLS
Van Kinsberger without firing a shot.
[23] Three Yugoslav corvettes of the
Koncar class challenged the NATO operation and one of them tried to ram the British frigate
HMS Chatham, who was assisting
Van Kinsberger. The corvettes were eventually scared off by the reaction of the British warship, supported by Italian
Tornado aircraft which scrambled from an airbase at
Gioia Del Colle. The
Lido II undergone repairs before being diverting to Italy because the crew sabotaged the ship's engine room. The leaking was contained by an engineer party from HMS
Chatham. Seven Yugoslav stowaways were found on board.
[24][24][25]
[edit] Statistics
The "NATO and WEU forces challenged more than 73,000 ships, boarded and inspected almost 6,000 at sea, and diverted 1,500 suspect ships to ports for further inspection."
[1][2][11] Of those, nearly a dozen vessels were found to be blockade runners, some carrying arms in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
[1][2] NATO officials said no ships were able to run the blockade successfully, and that the maritime blockade had a major effect in preventing escalation of the conflict.
[2][26]
[edit] Suspension
The blockade was suspended following a UN decision to end the arms embargo, and NATO's Southern Command said that: "NATO and WEU ships will no longer challenge, board or divert ships in the Adriatic".
[2] The Independent warned at the time that "In theory, there could now be a massive influx of arms to Bosnia, Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), although senior military and diplomatic sources yesterday said that they thought this would be unlikely."
[2]
[edit] Applicable UN resolutions
The blockade was conducted in accordance with numerous
United Nations Security Council Resolutions:
UNSCR 713,
[27] UNSCR 757,
[28] UNSCR 787[29] UNSCR 820,
[30] and
UNSCR 943.
[31] Resolution 787 authorized participating states to "use such measures ... as may be necessary ... to halt all inward and outward maritime shipping ... to insure strict implementation of" the arms embargo and economic sanctions against the former Yugoslavia.
[1] Over the course of the operation, the blockade was redefined in accordance with
UNSCR 1021[32] and
UNSCR 1022.
[33]
[edit] Select ships participating
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Christopher Bellamy (June 20, 1996). "Naval blockade lifts in Adriatic". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/naval-blockade-lifts-in-adriatic-1337903.html. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ "U.S. Draws Criticism for Drawing out of Bosnia Blockade", NPR, November 13, 1994
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- ^ Carla Norrlof (2010). America's Global Advantage: US Hegemony and International Cooperation. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521749387. http://books.google.com/books?id=lMfuht7crW4C&pg=PA174&dq=blockade+%22operation+sharp+guard%22&lr=lang_en&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3&ei=z0oNTL6sB43MMomoyesE&cd=11#v=onepage&q=sharp%20guard&f=false. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ Trevor Findlay (1996). Challenges for the new peacekeepers. Oxford University Press. ISBN 019829199X. http://books.google.com/books?id=-rZZW2xuaysC&pg=PA146&dq=blockade+%22operation+sharp+guard%22&lr=lang_en&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3&ei=z0oNTL6sB43MMomoyesE&cd=8#v=onepage&q=%22operation%20sharp%20guard%22&f=false. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ Simon Duke (2000). The elusive quest for European security: from EDC to CFSP. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0312224028. http://books.google.com/books?id=djyivTHeZYYC&pg=PA214&dq=blockade+%22operation+sharp+guard%22&lr=lang_en&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3&ei=z0oNTL6sB43MMomoyesE&cd=10#v=onepage&q=%22operation%20sharp%20guard%22&f=false. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ Giovanna Bono (2003). NATO's 'peace-enforcement' tasks and 'policy communities,' 1990-1999. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. ISBN 0754609448. http://books.google.com/books?id=UhT4G7aXK9oC&pg=PA58&dq=blockade+%22operation+sharp+guard%22&lr=lang_en&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3&ei=z0oNTL6sB43MMomoyesE&cd=9#v=onepage&q=%22operation%20sharp%20guard%22&f=false. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ Volker Rittberger (2001). German foreign policy since unification: theories and case studies. Manchester University Press. ISBN 0719060400. http://books.google.com/books?id=KxuQSfPJeEoC&pg=PA170&dq=%22operation+sharp+guard%22&lr=lang_en&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3&ei=t34OTKSGKYayNs_ovKEI&client=firefox-a&cd=50#v=onepage&q=%22operation%20sharp%20guard%22&f=false. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ Judy Woodruf (June 2, 2010). "As Flotilla Inquiry Calls Grow Louder, Legality of Gaza Blockade Examined". PBS NewsHour. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/jan-june10/gaza2_06-02.html. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Kathleen M. Reddy, "Operation Sharp Guard: Lesson Learned for the Policymaker and Commander", June 13, 1997, retrieved June 7, 2010
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- ^ Vaughan Lowe, Adam Roberts, Jennifer Welsh (2008). The United Nations Security Council and war: the evolution of thought and practice since 1945. Oxford University Press US. ISBN 0199533431. http://books.google.com/books?id=5ROlQUFZIpoC&pg=PA216&dq=%22sharp+guard%22+-operation-sharp-guard&lr=lang_en&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3&ei=Zt0OTMvGNpT8zATVk9G-Cg&cd=79#v=onepage&q=%22sharp%20guard%22%20-operation-sharp-guard&f=false. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ^ Michael Brzoska, George A. Lopez (2009). Putting teeth in the tiger: improving the effectiveness of arms embargoes. Emerald Group Publishing. ISBN 1848552025. http://books.google.com/books?id=3pQpZm_V3N8C&pg=PA65&dq=%22operation+sharp+guard%22&lr=lang_en&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3&ei=t34OTKSGKYayNs_ovKEI&client=firefox-a&cd=33#v=onepage&q=%22operation%20sharp%20guard%22&f=false. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ Anja Dalgaard-Nielsen (2006). Germany, pacifism and peace enforcement; Europe in change. Manchester University Press. ISBN 0719072689. http://books.google.com/books?id=YWS92WULujwC&pg=PA55&dq=%22operation+sharp+guard%22&lr=lang_en&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3&ei=t34OTKSGKYayNs_ovKEI&client=firefox-a&cd=4#v=onepage&q=%22operation%20sharp%20guard%22&f=false. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ a b G. C. de Nooy (1996). The role of European naval forces after the Cold War. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 9041102272. http://books.google.com/books?id=ayXnBkk3UZkC&pg=PA21&dq=blockade+%22operation+sharp+guard%22&lr=lang_en&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3&ei=z0oNTL6sB43MMomoyesE&cd=14#v=onepage&q=%22operation%20sharp%20guard%22&f=false. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ Ronald M. Williamson (2000). Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, 1940-2000: An Illustrated History. Turner Publishing Company. ISBN 1563117304. http://books.google.com/books?id=Op1Pj0UGIGAC&pg=PA175&dq=blockade+%22operation+sharp+guard%22&lr=lang_en&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3&ei=z0oNTL6sB43MMomoyesE&cd=5#v=onepage&q=%22operation%20sharp%20guard%22&f=false. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ Bernd Horn (2006). The Canadian way of war: serving the national interest. Dundurn Press Ltd.. ISBN 1550026127. http://books.google.com/books?id=DLYyYUaue8gC&pg=PA315&dq=blockade+%22operation+sharp+guard%22&lr=lang_en&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3&ei=z0oNTL6sB43MMomoyesE&cd=6#v=onepage&q=%22operation%20sharp%20guard%22&f=false. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ Brad K. Blitz (2006). War and change in the Balkans: nationalism, conflict and cooperation. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521677734. http://books.google.com/books?id=Mvjm82mAKfkC&pg=PA191&dq=%22operation+sharp+guard%22&lr=lang_en&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3&ei=t34OTKSGKYayNs_ovKEI&client=firefox-a&cd=65#v=onepage&q=%22operation%20sharp%20guard%22&f=false. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
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[edit] External links
- Security Council resolutions
- UN Security Council Official Website, including all resolutions
- NATO Regional HQ Allied Forces Southern Europe Fact Sheet on Operation Sharp Guard[dead link]
- Update on Operation Sharp Guard, December 1995
- General Framework Agreement
- "Evolution of the Conflict", NATO Handbook, December 18, 2002
- "Operation Sharp Guard: the sea embargo of Serbia and Montenegro", Barberan, J. F., Revista de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica, no. 727, pp. 750–57. October 2003