NATO’s “Other” Yugoslavia Losses and POWs Still Not Acknowledged

Alexandria, Virginia: May 4, 1999

NATO forces, including the United States, have lost numerous aircraft and have already suffered significant loss-of-life among ground troops in the Yugoslavia conflict, according to a report published today by the journal which in 1994 predicted the Kosovo war.

“Strategic Policy”, the monthly journal of the “Defense & Foreign Affairs” division of the worldwide International Strategic Studies Association (ISSA), a non-govern- mental organization (NGO) for senior national security officials from some 165 countries, said that NATO forces may have lost, up until April 20, as many as 38 fixed-wing aircraft and six helicopters in the Kosovo conflict. As well, it said, as many as 50 NATO ground troops — officially not acknowledged even to be in the conflict — may have lost their lives.

The journal, in December 1992, said that (then) President-elect Bill Clinton “will be tempted to take fast, populist decisions on the Balkans crisis, and these could be fatal for any chances for peace there.”

In the February-March 1994 edition of “Strategic Policy”, staff writer T. W. (Bill) Carr wrote: “Other areas, perhaps with even greater potential for ethnic conflict [than northern Serbia], are Kosovo and the Sanjak region of Yugoslavia. Here the problem is an explosive mixture of religion and nationalism with roots reaching back in remote history and the Tito era. Adjacent to Kosovo is Muslim Albania from whence came 95 percent of the present day population of Kosovo.”

ISSA in April this year put together the fact-finding mission which took US Congressman Jim Saxton (R-NJ) to Belgrade.

The journal, which has been covering the Balkan wars and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in detail since the early 1990s, said in today’s report, written by ISSA President Gregory Copley, who is editor of the journal: “It is clear from the amount and quality of intelligence received by this journal from a variety of highly-reputable sources that NATO forces have already suffered significant losses of men, women and materiel. Neither NATO, nor the US, UK or other member governments, have admitted to these losses, other than the single USAF F-117A Stealth fighter which was shown, crashed and burning inside Serbia.”

“The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff had denied, about a month into the bombing, that the US had suffered the additional losses reported to Defense & Foreign Affairs.”

“By April 20, 1999, NATO losses stood at approximately the following:

• 38 fixed-wing combat aircraft;
• Six helicopters;
• Seven unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs);
• “Many” Cruise Missiles (lost to AAA or SAM fire).”

“Several other NATO aircraft were reported down after that date, including at least one of which there was Serbian television coverage. The aircraft reportedly include three F-117A Stealth strike aircraft, including the one already known. One of the remaining two was shot down in an air-to-air engagement with a Yugoslav Air Force MiG-29 fighter; the other was lost to AAA (anti-aircraft artillery) or SAM (surface-to-air missile) fire. Given the recovery by the Yugoslavs of F-117A technology, and the fact that the type has proven less than invincible, the mystique of the aircraft — a valuable deterrent tool until now for the US — has been lost.”

“At least one USAF F-15 Eagle fighter has been lost, with the pilot, reportedly an African-American major, alive and in custody as a POW.”

“At least one German pilot (some sources say two men, implying perhaps a Luftwaffe crew from a Tornado) has been captured.”

“There is also a report that at least one US female pilot has been killed.”

“In one instance in the first week of the fighting, an aircraft was downed near Podgorica. A NATO helicopter then picked up the downed pilot, but the helicopter itself was then shot down, according to a number of reports.”

“Losses of US and other NATO ground force personnel, inside Serbia, have also been extensive.”

“A Yugoslav Army unit ambushed a squad climbing a ravine south of Pristina, killing 20 men. When the black tape was taken from their dog-tags it was found that 12 were US Green Berets; eight were British special forces (presumably Special Air Service/SAS). This incident apparently occurred within a week or so of the bombing campaign launch.”

“It is known that other US and other NATO casualties have, on some occasions, been retrieved by NATO forces after being hit inside Yugoslavia. At least 30 bodies of US servicemen have been processed through Athens, after being transported from the combat zone.”

“At least two of the helicopters downed by the Yugoslavs were carrying troops, and in these two a total of 50 men were believed to have been killed, most of them (but not all) of US origin.”

“Certainly, the US has lost to ground fire and malfunction a number of Tomahawk Cruise Missiles. At least some of these have been retrieved more or less intact, and the technology has been immediately reviewed by Yugoslav engineers. More than one told this writer that the technology was now readily able to be replicated in Yugoslavia.”

The journal’s 17-page report also details the extent of the drug-money financing of the KLA and the impact of the Cox Committee report — detailing White House links to Chinese intelligence funding — on the Clinton Administration’s decision to continue the war against Yugoslavia.

As well, the report outlined the dangers to the West of a protracted conflict in Yugoslavia, not only from the war there, but also because of the chance that it would trigger other conflicts, including a Chinese invasion of Taiwan and a North Korean invasion of South Korea. The report said that the drawdown on US standoff weapons and other military assets heightened the risk of opportunistic attacks being undertaken by countries which felt that the US could no longer deter their action.

The report also said that the loss of US and NATO prestige as a result of the Yugoslav adventure would also make future global stability more difficult to sustain.

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