Operation Eagle Eye

Eagle Eye was the result of the NATO-Kosovo Verification Mission Agreement, signed in Belgrade on October 15th 1998, and under which the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia agrees to the establishment of an air surveillance system comprised of NATO non-combatant reconnaissance aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. A NATO "activation order" dated October 30th, 1998 marked the official launch of this high-tech verification mission.

Eagle Eye was conducted under the authority of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). Responsibility for the successful execution of the operation lies with the Commander in Chief of Allied Forces Southern Europe (CINCSOUTH), whose headquarters is in Naples, Italy. The air component commander of the operation is the Commander of Allied Air Forces Southern Europe (COMAIRSOUTH), who exercises that authority through the 5th Allied Tactical Air Force, Combined Air Operation Center (5ATAF CAOC). The other component of the operation is the Kosovo Verification Coordination Centre (KVCC).

The Combined Air Operation Center, located in Vicenza, Italy, tasked and controled national air assets contributing to Eagle Eye.

Verifying: This includes verifying - with the use of unarmed aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles - the activities of security forces, the removal or cantonment of weapons systems, the respect of the ceasefire by all parties, the free movement of civilians, ground monitors and humanitarian organizations, the delivery of humanitarian supplies, and any air-observable compliance or non-compliance with Security Council Resolution 1199.

Assessing: This is achieved through the collection, validation and analysis of available data.

Reporting: Through the chain of command to the North Atlantic Council. NATO and the OSCE will share information to facilitate their respective overall assessments of compliance.

Several NATO nations offered aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Air assets were provided by France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the USA. Unarmed aircraft conducting or supporting the missions included: U-2s, Canberras, RC-135s, C-160s, P-3s, Breguet Atlantique and UAVs. Several non-NATO nations also offered to support the verification mission.

The first flight by British aircraft participating in Operation Eagle Eye took 11 November 1998. The United Kingdom's Royal Air Force has deployed two Canberra reconnaissance aircraft to Gioia del Colle Air Base, Italy to participate in the NATO verification missions over Kosovo, the southern province of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The Predator unmanned aerial vehicle based at the Hungarian air base at Taszar, along with U-2s flying from other sites in Europe, conducted surveillance flights on behalf of NATO to verify Yugoslavia's compliance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1199. The aircraft, which normally fly surveillance missions over Bosnia, flew several missions over Kosovo under Hungarian and U.S. authority in support of NATO.

The Kosovo Verification Coordination Centre (KVCC), located at Kumanovo in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, conducted liaison, planning, coordination and exchange of information with the OSCE verifiers. The KVCC was formally inaugurated on 26 November 1998 at the presence of NATO's Secretary General, Dr. Javier Solana, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Blagoj Handziski, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Wesley Clark, and of CINCSOUTH, Admiral James O. Ellis, Jr. The KVCC comprises personnel from nine NATO nations (U.S., United Kingdom, France, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Norway, and Germany) and is commanded by a British Army Brigadier General.

Eagle Eye flights were parallel to and coordinated with the ground verification conducted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The information used to determine compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1199 is collected on the ground by the OSCE's observer teams and by the Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission (KDOM), and in the air by Eagle Eye's NATO airborne surveillance platforms. Reports from OSCE and KDOM teams will be shared with the Kosovo Verification Coordination Centre.

Films and images from Eagle Eye's manned and unmanned surveillance platforms were delivered to NATO processing stations. A global analysis on the NATO collected information was conducted at NATO and national information centres, resulting in a daily report produced by NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). This daily report covering all elements of Resolution 1199 was then sent to the North Atlantic Council which in turn determines if all parties are or are not in compliance. The NATO assessment was shared with OSCE and with the UN.

A result of the withdrawal of OSCE monitors from Kosovo and the halting of KVM operations due to the non-compliance of the Yugoslav government by continuing to build up their forces beyond acceptable levels, creating an unacceptable level of risk to the peace support verification mission, Operation Eagle Eye flights over Kosovo ceased on 24 March 1999.