Illinois National Guard Deploys Cargo and Soldiers to Kosovo

Courtesy Photo | Helicopters are guided onto a landing strip in Kosovo for a humanitarian mission, 2007.  

05.06.2008

Story by Maj. Christopher LeCron 

841st Transportation Battalion

By Capt. Chris LeCron
841st Transportation Battalion

U.S. - Approximately 150 soldiers of the 106th Aviation Regiment, Illinois National Guard, will deploy in May 2008 to Kosovo as part of the United Nations mandated NATO led peacekeeping force.

The unit's UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters flew to Charleston, SC for load onto a military cargo vessel traveling to Europe. After arrival at a Europe DOD designated strategic seaport such as Antwerp (Belgium), Rotterdam (Holland), Bremerhaven (Germany), or Izmir (Turkey), and onward movement by barge, rail, or air to Germany, the helicopters will fly to Kosovo.

Amidst continued massive deployments of US soldiers to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other Central Command locations in 2008, the Kosovo deployments, called KFOR for Kosovo Force as part of the NATO force, are often not high profile news stories.

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, called the United States military role in the KFOR Task Force in Kosovo, "A very sophisticated, nuanced mission at a time that's probably as critical in Kosovo as any time in their history. It's exciting to see the National Guard responsible for the American contribution to guarantee a safe and secure environment for a nation that has just literally been born."

"This is a different environment and mission from our last deployment," said Lt. Col. Jeff Becker, commander, 106th Aviation Regiment. "Roughly 50 percent of these soldiers deployed to Iraq and conducted air movement operations in 2003-2004."

After a long and bloody struggle for self-determination, Kosovo declared its official independence from Serbia, on Feb. 17, 2008. Although there is tension and unease in Serbia about an independent Kosovo, three of Serbia's neighbors, Croatia, Hungary, and Bulgaria, officially recognized an independent Kosovo in March 2008.

Kosovo has been under United Nations protection since 1999 after NATO intervened to halt Slobodan Milosevic's repression of the Kosovo province's ethnic Albanians, who make up about 95 percent of its population.

The 106th Aviation unit will use their helicopters to move personnel and equipment around Kosovo on humanitarian, peacekeeping, and medical aid missions. Other KFOR tasks include security of ethnic minorities, relocation of displaced persons and refugees, civil affairs, and reconstruction.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Rich Fayman, officer in charge of the Blackhawk helicopter mission for the Illinois National Guard, stated, "We are going to fly the helicopters into Kosovo after pre-deployment training in Germany. Our entire mobilization is scheduled for 12 months, so we should have approximately 8 or 9 months of boots on the ground in Kosovo."

The United Stated is part of KFOR Task Force East with Armenia, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine. The entire KFOR Task Force is comprised of thirty nine nations.

Except for the Unites States, Canada, and Morocco, all of the KFOR nations are from the European Union. The KFOR commander is a general in the French army and the command sergeant major is a command sergeant major in the French army.

Before the soldiers are able to join the KFOR Task Force mission, they must ship their cargo from Illinois to Kosovo. The transport of military cargo to Kosovo is normally completed through a mix of sealift, airlift, rail, and commercial trucks. The Army's Surface Deployment Distribution team in Europe will coordinate for the most secure and efficient mode of transport of cargo into Kosovo.

"Transporting the Blackhawks is different than other military cargo," said Sgt. 1st Class Jones, army seaport operations Charleston. "We coordinate for the ship arrival and all other cargo, but the aviation unit breaks down, loads, and un-loads the helicopters onto the ships themselves."

The movement of cargo in Europe can be complicated by customs clearance and different country clearance requirements. However, the creation of the European Union and its current twenty-seven member states as of 2008 has helped ease the burden on shipment of DOD cargo across national lines.

Current member nation states of the European Union and United Nations are divided on official recognition of Kosovo as an independent nation. Although the United States has openly recognized an independent Kosovo, Russia and Spain have refused to do so.

The Kosovo parliament picked the flag for the world's youngest country in February 2008. Kosovo's flag depicts a yellow map of the province on a blue background with six white stars. The colors are representative of Kosovo's aspirations for entry into the European Union and United Nations.

Master Sgt. Kevin Young, army cargo specialist for Charleston military seaport operations, deployed to Bosnia in 2000 as part of the KFOR mission. "I know how important this mission is to the people in Kosovo, said Young. We will make sure that all of the deploying soldiers' cargo will be shipped safely, securely, and efficiently to their deployment area in Kosovo."

(Illinois National Guard Public Affairs and KFOR Public Affairs contributed to this article)

• Date Taken: 05.06.2008
• Date Posted: 05.06.2008 16:28
• Story ID: 19164