RI National guard plays a key role in Kosovo

Trekkies may recall that the famed Adm. James Kirk commanded a six-ship group in the late 24th century named Task Force Rogue. In "Star Trek" lore, they conducted diplomatic and security missions that threatened “the principles, mandate and operations of Starfleet and the Federation and its citizens.”

Kirk may have named his task force after the valiant group of Americans who served in Kosovo centuries earlier.

The 2023 version of Task Force Rogue is part of a United Nations peacekeeping force in Kosovo, to which many nations contribute troops and equipment.

History and background

Until 2008, Kosovo was the westernmost region of Serbia. Ethnic Albanians make up the majority (93%) of Kosovo’s population of 2 million. Most Albanians are Muslim and speak Albanian.

Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic began exploiting the fears of the Serbian minority in Kosovo in the late 1980s. In 1998, he unleashed a brutal campaign that included widespread atrocities against Albanian civilians. This triggered a NATO military response that became known as Kosovo Force or KFOR. At its height, some 50,000 men and women from 39 NATO and non-NATO nations participated in Kosovo operations.

Serbian forces withdrew from Kosovo in 1999, driven out by a NATO bombing campaign. Kosovo, a landlocked country within the borders of the former Yugoslavia, eventually declared its independence in 2008. By then, KFOR was down to 14,000 soldiers from 34 countries, and that number was gradually reduced over the years to about 3,800 at the end of 2022.

The military responsibilities are regional, with the Italian Army leading Regional Command-West, near Peja, in northwestern Kosovo. U.S. forces lead Regional Command-East, at Camp Bondsteel near Ferizaj in the southeast, not far from the borders with Serbia and North Macedonia.

Interestingly enough, KFOR also includes a specialized crowd and riot control regiment composed entirely of Italian Carabinieri. The Tactical Reserve Battalion at Camp Novo Selo, near the center of the country, is made up primarily of Hungarian troops.

More recent incidents

For many Serbs still living in Kosovo, however, the conflict continues. Those Serbs demand more autonomy, especially in some northern towns where they constitute the majority of the population. In 2022, Serb representatives in the north resigned in protest. According to BBC News, local elections were held in April 2023 but were boycotted by a majority of the Serb population. Four ethnic Albanian mayors were elected in Serbian areas on a voter turnout of less than 4%. Armed Kosovo police installed the mayors, “provoking violent clashes with local Serbs.”

On May 29, 2023, 20 Hungarian and 11 Italian peacekeepers were injured by Serb protesters while defending three town halls in northern Kosovo.

The BBC also reported that NATO sent an additional 700 troops to the country after these incidents. And this month, “about 200 UK troops will reinforce the existing NATO force in Kosovo, now up to 4,500 troops,” the BBC said.

As Kosovo violence simmers, RI Guard members stand tall

The May violence occurred just a week before more than 200 men and women of the 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, Rhode Island Army National Guard (Task Force Rogue) deployed to Kosovo in early June. They are based at Camp Bondsteel, the largest American base in the Balkans. While it is well removed from the violence in the north, the units stay alert to any potential unrest in their area of operations.

Maj. Gen. Chris Callahan, adjutant general and commanding officer of the R.I. National Guard, recently provided a status report and update about Rhode Islanders deployed to Kosovo in Southern Europe.

He wrote on Sept. 15, “Command Sergeant Major Wong and I just returned from there last night and as you might expect – our team is crushing it!”

Aviation units deployed on this mission include the Headquarters Company; A Company (lift company); C company (medevac); and D Company (maintenance).

The maintainers were singled out for special praise; typically it takes four hours of maintenance for every flight hour.

Due to harsh conditions and terrain, however, in Kosovo, it’s more than eight hours of maintenance per flight hour.

In an email from Kosovo dated Oct. 6, commanders on the ground reported that the battalion had joint training exercises with soldiers from the United Kingdom, Latvia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy and Greece during the last month.

Recognizing there is also a humanitarian aspect to their mission of “providing aerial support to KFOR forces … Task Force Rogue has also been actively engaged in the community with soldiers participating in conversational English classes with school children.”

RI paratroopers also deploy

Joining the aviators were troopers from C Company, 1/143rd Airborne Infantry, one of the very few paratroop units in the National Guard. This is one of five companies of the 143rd Infantry Battalion, based in Texas. The battalion, including Rhode Island’s Charlie Company, is the third maneuver Battalion for the 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne). Now posted in Vicenza, Italy, they are the successor to the famed 173rd Airborne Brigade (with which I coincidentally served on my first assignment to Vietnam).

For the first time since 2017, KFOR soldiers conducted Paradrop operations. Over the course of three days, the lift company, A-1/126th, dropped 113 paratroopers and qualified four pilots and four crew chiefs.

Over the course of its deployment, 1/126 has supported a variety of training, including rappelling, air assault training and sling loading resupply. Company C (Medevac) has conducted real-world medical evacuation missions, as well as a MASCAL (Mass Casualty) operation coordinated with North Macedonia.

Announcements

On Wednesday, Oct. 25, RI Commandery of the Military Order of Foreign Wars (RIMOFW) will host its annual dinner. It will take place at the beautiful Squantum Association facility at 947 Veterans Memorial Parkway in East Providence.

A military group’s “dining-in” is a tradition that allows unit or association members to enjoy each other’s company. RIMOFW is justly proud of its annual dining-in. (Full disclosure: I am the past commander of this organization, so there is some pride of ownership involved in this announcement.)

This year, however, the group has decided to hold a “dining-out” instead. While the dining-in is limited to the members of the group, the dining-out may include other guests. It is tailored to minimize some of the military trappings to make it more appealing to civilian guests.

Capt. John Conlin will host the event. He served three combat tours in the Borneo jungle with the famed Gurkha Rifles after his 1962 graduation from Sandhurst, the British Military Academy, his avocations include horse jumping, fox hunting and elephant polo. An avid student of military history, he has a keen sense of humor and a dynamic personality that will make the event interesting and entertaining.

Conlin will lead a brief reenactment of the notorious 1925 court martial of Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell, considered the father of American air power. After hearing both sides, dinner guests will decide General Mitchell’s guilt or innocence.

Attire is cocktail/semi-formal for civilians; black tie is optional. For military guests, dress blues would be appropriate, with mess dress optional. Tickets, $50 each, are available online at RIMOFW.org; or by mailing a check to RIMOFW, c/o Lt. Col. James Kenney, 26 Mohawk St., Cranston, RI 02816.

Rhode Island Model Rocketry Association invites all veterans and serving military to participate in a free rocket launch event on Veterans Day (Saturday, Nov. 11) at the URI Peckham Farm Field in West Kingston. The general public may watch the launch at no charge. The program will run from 9:30 a.m. to about 3 p.m. Just bring your veteran ID. More details will be provided as the date approaches.

Calendar

Thursday, Oct. 12, 7 p.m.: Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 21 Meeting. Knights of Columbus Dillon Council, 1675 Douglas Ave., North Providence. Contact Commander Jim Pascetta (401) 447-7286 with any questions.

Friday, Oct. 27, 6 p.m. social hour and museum tour followed by dinner: Combat Infantrymen’s Association 80th Anniversary Dinner. Varnum Memorial Armory Museum, 6 Main St., East Greenwich. Tickets are $60 per person; all proceeds to benefit Honor Flights of R.I. Inc. Make checks payable to Combat Infantrymen’s Association and mail to 242 Manning St. North Providence, RI 02911. Include in memo line on check your choice of prime rib or fish dinner. For details, call Albert Guarnieri at (401) 241-6882.

Saturday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m. breakfast, 11 a.m. shotgun start: Veterans Day golf tournament at Glocester Country Club. Event is free for veterans and serving military, and is cosponsored by the Marine Corps League. This nine-hole scramble will feature a brief ceremony honoring all veterans prior to the start.

Veterans and active-duty military also receive complimentary carts, continental breakfast, dinner drinks and a sweatshirt in addition to the waived entry fee.

Proceeds from a raffle will benefit Wreaths Across America 2023, sponsored by Ponaganset High School. The event is limited to 64 veteran, active duty or military golfers. To register, or to sponsor a veteran for $50, please reach out to Vincent LaFazia at (401) 233-2564 or email fazigilly54@gmail.com.

To report the outcome of a previous activity, or to add a future event to our calendar, please email the details (including a contact name and phone number/email address) to veteranscolumn@providencejournal.com.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: As Kosovo violence simmers, RI National Guard members stand tall