| Army of Republika Srpska Војска Републике Српске (ВРС) Vojska Republike Srpske (VRS) |
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Emblem of the Army of Republika Srpska |
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| Active | 1992–2006 |
| Garrison/HQ | Banja Luka, Republika Srpska |
| Anniversaries | 1992 founded, 2001 re-organisation, |
| Engagements | Bosnian War, Croatian War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Ratko Mladić - 1992-1996[1] |
The Army of Republika Srpska (Serbian: Војска Републике Српске (ВРС); Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian Vojska Republike Srpske (VRS)) also referred to as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of today's Republika Srpska which was then the "Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina", a self-proclaimed state within the internationally recognized territory of the sovereign Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Starting in 2003 the army began to integrate into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2005 a fully integrated unit of Serbs, Bosniaks, and Croats was deployed to help out the U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq.[2] On June 6, 2006 it was fully integrated into Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina controlled by the Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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It was founded on May 12, 1992 from the army of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from which Bosnia and Herzegovina had seceded the same year. The army counted some 80,000 personnel during the Bosnian War (1992–1995).
The VRS was made up almost entirely of Serb Orthodox officers and recruits from Bosnia-Herzegovina. The army formations that fought for Republika Srpska also included various Serb paramilitary units, as well as Russian, and other volunteers fighting for the Bosnian Serb army.
The VRS has been designated by the International Court of Justice in the Hague as the institution that participated in the commission of war crimes and genocide in Bosnia against Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats. The military leader of VRS was General Ratko Mladić, who is now indicted at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for genocide, as are other high-ranking Serb officers. Mladić was finally arrested in Serbia on 26 May 2011.
Formerly known as Ratno Vazduhoplovstva i Protiv Vazdušna Odbrana Vojska Republike Srpske or with its short version of RV i PVO RS. Since June 1, 2004 the Republika Srpska Air Force is officially called, Prvi Puk Vazduhoplovstva i Protiv Vazdušna Odbrana Vojske Republike Srpske, also known as 1st Aviation Regiment and Air Defence Force of the Republic of Srpska's Army.