Operation Sharp Guard was a multi-year joint naval
blockade in the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...
by
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two Nor ...
and the
Western European Union
The Western European Union (WEU; french: Union de l'Europe occidentale, UEO; german: Westeuropäische Union, WEU) was the international organisation and military alliance that succeeded the Western Union (WU) after the 1954 amendment of the 1948 ...
on shipments to the former
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
.
Warships and maritime patrol aircraft from 14 countries were involved in searching for and stopping
blockade runners.
The operation began on 15 June 1993. It was suspended on 19 June 1996, and was terminated on 2 October 1996.
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). 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.
Some maintain that despite the nominal official joint command and control of the operation, in reality it was NATO staff that ran the operation.
Purpose
The operation's purpose was, through a blockade on shipments to the former Yugoslavia, to enforce economic sanctions and an
arms embargo
Economic sanctions are commercial and financial penalties applied by one or more countries against a targeted self-governing state, group, or individual. Economic sanctions are not necessarily imposed because of economic circumstances—they m ...
of weapons and military equipment against the former
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...
, and rival factions in Croatia and Bosnia.
[Kathleen M. Reddy, "Operation Sharp Guard: Lesson Learned for the Policymaker and Commander"](_blank)
, June 13, 1997, retrieved June 7, 2010 The
Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place in the SFR Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001. The conflicts both led up to and resulted from t ...
were being waged, and the participants hoped to limit the fighting by limiting supplies to it.
Blockade
Fourteen nations contributed ships and patrol aircraft to the operation. At any given time, 22 ships and 8 aircraft were enforcing the blockade, with ships from
Standing Naval Force Atlantic
Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) is one of NATO's standing naval maritime immediate reaction forces. SNMG1 consists of four to six destroyers and frigates. Its role is to provide NATO with an immediate operational response capability.
Hi ...
and
Standing Naval Force Mediterranean establishing a rotating duty. (Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the U.K., and the U.S.),
and eight
maritime patrol {{Unreferenced, date=March 2008
Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities.
Maritime patrol refers to ac ...
aircraft, were involved in searching for and stopping blockade runners.
Most contributors to the operation supplied one or two ships.
The
Turkish Navy
The Turkish Naval Forces ( tr, ), or Turkish Navy ( tr, ) is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.
The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was establ ...
, for example, participated with frigates, submarines, and tankers.
The operational area was divided into a series of "sea boxes", each the responsibility of a single warship.
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.
The ships were authorized to board, inspect, and seize both ships seeking to break the blockade and their cargo. The Combined Task Force 440 was commanded by Admiral Mario Angeli of Italy.
It marked the first time since its founding in 1949 that NATO was involved in combat operations.
''Jadran Express'' incident
On 11 March 1994, a combined British and Italian intelligence operation led to the capture of the
Maltese merchant ship ''Jadran Express'' by the
Italian frigate ''Zeffiro'', which forced the freighter into the port of
Taranto. The ship had departed from
Odessa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
bound to
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
with a cache of 2,000 tons of Soviet-designed weaponry, valued at US $200 million. Manned by Italian marines from the
San Marco battalion, the ''Jadran Express'' was eventually escorted by ''Zeffiro'' to the naval base of
La Maddalena
La Maddalena (Gallurese: ''Madalena'' or ''La Madalena'', sc, Sa Madalena) is a town and ''comune'' located on the islands of the Maddalena archipelago in the province of Sassari, northern Sardinia, Italy.
The main town of the same name is locat ...
, where her cargo was unloaded under heavy security.
''Lido II'' incident
The issue of differing views among nations in the coalition as to the use of force authorized by
rules of engagement
Rules of engagement (ROE) are the internal rules or directives afforded military forces (including individuals) that define the circumstances, conditions, degree, and manner in which the use of force, or actions which might be construed as prov ...
arose in April 1994.
[Stacey A. Poe, "Rules of Engagement: Complexities of Coalition Interaction in Military Operations Other than War"](_blank)
, Faculty of the Nava War College, February 13, 1995 Faced with the Maltese tanker ''Lido II'' making its way towards a
Montenegrin port with 45,000 tons of fuel oil, the American cruiser
USS ''Philippine Sea'' asked the NATO commander (a British
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore, ...
) for guidance, and received authorization to use "disabling fire" to stop the tanker, if necessary.
He received confirmation that he should follow the British commodore's guidance from his own higher authority.
Under U.S. Navy standards, "disabling fire" means firing rounds into the ship's engineering space. The U.S. cruiser was about to pass the order along to the Dutch HNLMS ''Van Kinsbergen''. However, 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.
The ship was boarded by Dutch Marines inserted by helicopter from HNLMS ''Van Kinsbergen'' and eventually stopped without firing a shot on the first of May.
Three
Yugoslav Navy
The Yugoslav Navy ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска ратна морнарица, Jugoslavenska ratna mornarica, Yugoslav War Navy), was the navy of Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1992. It was essentially a coastal defense force with the miss ...
corvettes challenged the NATO operation and one of them tried to ram the British frigate as it was assisting ''Van Kinsberger''. The corvettes eventually fled following the reaction of the British warship, supported by Italian
Tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, althou ...
aircraft which scrambled from an airbase at
Gioia Del Colle
Gioia del Colle (; Barese: ) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. The town is located on the Murge plateau at above sea level, between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Physical geography Territory ...
. ''Lido II'' had to undergo repairs before being diverted to Italy, since the crew had sabotaged the ship's engine room. The leaking was contained by an engineer party from HMS ''Chatham''. Seven Yugoslav stowaways were found on board.
["NATO and WEU ships encounter Yugoslav Navy while preventing violation of UN embargo". Press Release by NATO/WEU force conducting the Operation Sharp Guard in the Adriatic Sea, 1 May 1994. Release 94/13] A similar incident had taken place off
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
a year before, on 8 February 1993, when a boarding party from the Italian frigate ''
Espero'' forcibly seized the Maltese freighter ''Dimitrakis'', which feigned an emergency in order to divert her route to the port of
Bar. The merchant was smuggling coal to the Serbs from
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
.
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".
''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...
'' 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."
Applicable UN resolutions
The blockade was conducted in accordance with numerous
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a United Nations resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council (UNSC); the United Nations (UN) body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peac ...
s:
UNSCR 713,
UNSCR 757,
UNSCR 787 UNSCR 820, and
UNSCR 943. 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.
Over the course of the operation, the blockade was redefined in accordance with
UNSCR 1021 and
UNSCR 1022.
Ships participating (Extract)
*
Belgian Navy:
**
**
*
Canadian Forces Maritime Command
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...
:
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
*
Royal Danish Navy
The Royal Danish Navy ( da, Søværnet) is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and Greenland). Ot ...
:
**
HDMS ''Niels Juel''
*
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
:
**
''Commandant Blaison''
**
**
**
''Premier Maitre L'HER''
**
''CDT de Pimodan''
*
German Navy
The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified '' Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mar ...
:
**
''Emden''
**
''Rheinland-Pfalz''
**
''Rommel''
**
''Niedersachsen''
*
Hellenic Navy
The Hellenic Navy (HN; el, Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, War Navy, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of vari ...
:
**
**
**
**
*
Italian Navy
"Fatherland and Honour"
, patron =
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = ( is the return of soldiers to their barrack, or sailors to their ship after a ...
:
**
''Espero''
**
''Euro''
**
''Fenice''
**
''Libeccio''
**
''Grecale''
**
''Luigi Durand de la Penne''
**
''Lupo''
**
''Zeffiro''
*
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...
:
**
HNLMS ''Jacob van Heemskerk''
**
**
HNLMS ''Karel Doorman''
**
HNLMS ''Abraham van der Hulst''
**
**
**
HNLMS ''Pieter Florisz''
**
HNLMS ''Van Kinsbergen''
**
HNLMS ''Witte de With''
** HNLMS Zuiderkruis (A832)
*
Portuguese Navy
The Portuguese Navy ( pt, Marinha Portuguesa, also known as ''Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa'' or as ''Armada Portuguesa'') is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Port ...
:
**
*
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...
:
**
**
**
**
**
*
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, 3 ...
:
**
*
Turkish Navy
The Turkish Naval Forces ( tr, ), or Turkish Navy ( tr, ) is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.
The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was establ ...
:
**
**
TCG ''Kocatepe''
*
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
:
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
*
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
:
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
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**
"Military News"
, ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Al ...
'', January 6, 1994, retrieved June 8, 2010
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
See also
* Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place in the SFR Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001. The conflicts both led up to and resulted from t ...
* Legal assessments of the Gaza flotilla raid
References
External links
Security Council resolutions
UN Security Council Official Website, including all resolutions
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20061008082029/http://www.afsouth.nato.int/archives/gopher/facts-afs-ops-07DECEMBER95.txt Update on Operation Sharp Guard December 1995
General Framework Agreement
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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp Guard
Naval operations of the European Union
NATO intervention in the former Yugoslavia
United Nations operations in the former Yugoslavia
Blockades involving the United States
Blockades
Battles and conflicts without fatalities
1993 in Yugoslavia
1994 in Yugoslavia
1995 in Yugoslavia
1996 in Yugoslavia
1993 in Europe
1994 in Europe
1995 in Europe
1996 in Europe
Military history of the Mediterranean
Military operations of the Yugoslav Wars involving Germany
Blockades involving the United Kingdom
Military operations involving the United States