Naval History and Heritage Command
Operation Allied Force
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) 3 June 1999 — The fueling masts of the oiler USS Monogahela (AO-178) frame the destroyer USS Gonzalez (DDG-66). The two ships were part of USS Theodore Roosevelt’s battle group which supported the NATO led Operation Allied Force. U.S. Navy photograph, 990603-N-0656B-001, by Photographers Mate 3rd Class Shawn M. Boyer.
On 24 March 1999, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) launched air campaign Operation Allied Force against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to stop the humanitarian catastrophe that was then unfolding in Kosovo. The campaign was launched after all diplomatic avenues had failed. Operation Allied Force was suspended by NATO on 10 June 1999 — lasting just 78 days — once it had a Military Technical Agreement that included Yugoslavia’s immediate end to violence and withdrawal of its military, police and paramilitary forces.
During the operation, naval aviation contributed land-based EA-6B Prowlers, EP-3E Aries IIs, and F/A-18D Hornets. Allied aircraft dropped Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) operationally for the first time. Additional aircraft involved included five Anti-surface Warfare Improvement Program–modified P-3C Orions of VP-5 equipped with synthetic aperture radar and AGM-84E SLAM (Standoff Land Attack Missiles), and RQ-1A Predator camera-carrying unmanned aerial vehicles.
“Operation Allied Force reminds us of the value of a forward presence that is provided by combat-ready carrier battle groups and amphibious-ready groups with their embarked Marine Expeditionary Units,” said Vice Admiral James F. Amerault, Deputy, Chief of Naval Operations for Logistics. “The Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group commenced highly successful strike operations three days after entering the Mediterranean and only ten days after beginning her regularly scheduled deployment. The Roosevelt Battle Group's performance is noteworthy for its many successes; scores of fixed targets destroyed, more than 400 tactical targets destroyed or damaged, in excess of 3,000 sorties flown without a single loss.”
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Articles/Blogs
- Triumph in Kosovo: Naval Aviation Keys Allied Success
- Ambassador Kosnett’s Message on the 20th Anniversary of NATO’s Operation Allied Force
- USS Theodore Roosevelt Kicks off Operation Deny Flight
- Operation Allied Force
- Where are the Shooters? A History of the Tomahawk in Combat
Notable Naval Vessels
- Vella Gulf (CG-72)
- Leyte Gulf (CG-55)
- Gonzales (DDG-66)
- Ross (DDG-71)
- Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
- Albuquerque (SSN-706)
- Boise (SSN-764)
- Kearsarge (LHD-3)
- Ponce (LPD-15)
- Gunston Hall (LSD-44)
- Inchon (LPH-12)
Additional Resources
- Kosovo Naval Lessons Learned During Operation Allied Force
- Kosovo Campaign Medal
- Islamic Terrorism and the Balkans
- Peacekeeping and Related Stability Operations: Issues of U.S. Military Involvement
- Naval Aviation: 1990–1999
- Cruise Missile Inventories and NATO Attacks on Yugoslavia
- The U.S. Navy’s Role in National Strategy, Especially Between 1980 and Today—Bibliography
- Soldier’s Guide: Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Kosovo Air Campaign: Operation Allied Force
- Operation Allied Force Specials
- Stability Operations in Kosovo 1999–2000: A Case Study
- Kosovo Air Operations: Combat Aircraft Basing Plans Are Needed in Advance of Future Conflicts
- Operation Allied Force: NATO in Kosovo, 10 Years Later
- Operation Allied Force and the Legal Basis for Humanitarian Interventions
Selected Imagery
Two U.S. Navy CH-53E Super Stallions from Minesweep Helicopter Squadron 15, deployed on the USS Inchon (MCS-12), delivered passengers to Camp Hope in Fier, Albania. Camp Hope was built by the U.S. to house ethnic Albanians who had been forced out of Kosovo. The mission was in direct support of Operation Allied Force, 7 May 1999. National Archives identifier: 6509698.
At sea aboard USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44) 9 May 1999. Flight deck firefighters watch from their safety well as a helicopter lands on the flight deck. Gunston Hall was part of the Amphibious Readiness Group participating in NATO Operation Allied Force. U.S. Navy photograph, 990509-N-9593R-011, by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Seth Rossman, USMC.
At sea aboard USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44) 10 June 1999. Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAVs) from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) disembark from the Dock Landing Ship Gunston Hall bound for the beach at Litohoro, Greece. Once ashore, elements of the 26th MEU formed-up and moved to a forward support base in Macedonia to take part in NATO peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo (Operation Allied Force). U.S. Navy photograph, 990610-N-0000H-002, by Journalist 2nd Class John Harrington.
Adriatic Sea (20 May 1999). Damage Controlman 2nd Class Ronald Condrey watched as teammate Gunner’s Mate 1st Class Richard Mitchell jumped from an HH-46D “Sea Knight” helicopter after they casted their inflatable boat into the Adriatic Sea during a Helicopter Cast and Recovery training evolution. Both men were attached to Explosive Ordnance Demolition Mobile Unit 2, Detachment 4 embarked on USS Kearsarge (LHD-3). The ship and its Amphibious Readiness Group were in the Adriatic Sea to provide support to NATO Operation Allied Force. U.S. Navy photograph, 990520-N-9593R-032, by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Seth Rossman.
At sea aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) 3 June 1999. Senior Chief Operation Specialist Dominick Albano of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Operations Specialist Seaman Travis L. Kiefer of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, reviewed manual tracking procedures of a target using a plot board in the Combat Direction Center. Theodore Roosevelt was operating in the Adriatic Sea in support of the NATO led Operation Allied Force. U.S. Navy photography, 990603-N-0219V-002, by Photographers Mate 3rd Class William L. Vandermate.
On board USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) 31 March 1999. A “Tomahawk” cruise missile launched from the cruiser’s forward missile deck in the early morning hours. Philippine Sea participated in day eight of the NATO-led Operation Allied Force. U.S. Navy photograph, 990331-N-6240R-002, by Photographer’s Mate Richard Rosser.
Admiral T. Joseph Lopez, Allied Forces Southern Europe, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Commander of the Implementation Forces (IFOR) in support of Operation Joint Endeavor (the multinational peace mission in Bosnia), was briefed by French army officers of the Multinational Division Southeast about a fatal gunshot incident that killed a Ukrainian IFOR tank crew member, 8 September 1996. National Archives identifier: 6598910.
At sea aboard USS Nassau (LHA-4) 14 April 1999. The Air Boss watched as the last AV-8B “Harrier” from Helicopter Medium Squadron Two Six Six (HMM-266) landed on board USS Nassau following a strike mission into Kosovo. Embarked aboard Nassau, HMM-266 launched the amphibious battle group’s first strikes in support of NATO Operation Allied Force. U.S. Navy photograph, 990414-N-6240R-513, by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Richard Rosser.
At sea aboard USS Gonzalez (DDG-66) 1 May 1999. Fireman Jose Oregon from Houston, Texas, closed a section of ship firemain from the main control board on board Gonzalez. The ship was in the Adriatic Sea in support of Operation Allied Force. U.S. Navy photograph, 990501-N-5906L-004, by Photographers Mate 3rd Class Todd Linard.
Adriatic Sea (18 May 1999). Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Battalion Landing Team Third Battalion Eighth Marines landed in a CH-53E “Super Stallion” helicopter from the Helicopter Marine Medium Squadron HMM-365 while they conducted a tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel (TRAP) exercise on one of the islands off the coast of Albania. The exercise was designed to maintain the Marines skills and tactics while they participated in Operation Allied Force. U.S. Marines photograph, 990518-M-1903W-001, by Lance Corporal Justin Tyler Watkins.
Skopje, Macedonia (8 June 1999). CH-53D “Sea Stallion” heavy assault transport helicopter crewmen, Sergeant Todd Abbott and Sergeant Andrew McInally man their .50-caliber machine guns as they watched for threats while transporting the first contingent of Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to a staging area in Skopje in support of Operation Allied Force. The 26th MEU flew the first contingent of Marines to the staging area from USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) in the Aegean Sea. U.S. Marines photograph, 990608-N-9593R-003, by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Seth Rossman.
Aboard USS Gonzalez (DDG-66) 3 April 1999. In the early morning hours somewhere in the Adriatic Sea, a “Tomahawk” cruise missile launched from the forward missile deck aboard U.S. Navy destroyer Gonzalez headed for targets in Yugoslavia. The ship was forward deployed in support of the NATO-led Operation Allied Force. U.S. Navy photograph, 990403-N-1556A-001, by Photographers Mate 3rd Class Renso Amariz.