Members of the Russian honor guard stand by after William S. Cohen, the US Secretary of Defense, arrived at Tuzla Air Base to visit Stabilization Force (SFOR) soldiers in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Tuzla Air Base is a former SFR Yugoslav Air Force and later, NATO Air Force base, located 6.4 miles (10.3 km) south-southeast of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It also shares the runway with the Tuzla International Airport.
It was used by the United States, Russian, and allied NATO forces, beginning in 1995 as part of the NATO Stabilization Force (SFOR). The United States Air Force established the 401st Expeditionary Air Base Group at the base for facilities control and the management of the airfield. The 401st EABG was withdrawn in 2008.
History
In the beginning Tuzla was once a small SFR Yugoslav Air Force pilot training base. In April 1961, the 350th Reconnaissance Aviation Squadron, initially equipped with the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, was established at the base. The base was the former home of the 701st Aviation Brigade, equipped with the Soko G-2 Galeb at Tuzla and other training aircraft. The 701st Brigade was inactivated in December 1990. After its closure the base was unused. But the strife in Bosnia-Herzegovina changed that. It was placed under the control of the United Nations Protection Force in 1992. After the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP), which resolved the conflict in Bosnia-Hercegovina, the United Nations authorised the deployment of the 60,000 strong IFOR, led by NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
Emblem of the 401st Expeditionary Air Base Group.
Airmen, part of the NATO Enabling Force preceding IFOR, set up operations to bring the airfield up to a 24-hour capability. Enabling forces moved into Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia to prepare entry points for the main Implementation Force. The satellite communication system was used by the operations personnel to keep track of incoming and outgoing aircraft. During its years of NATO operations, aircraft flew 24-hour reconnaissance and surveillance missions in support of SFOR, which brought peace to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The early emphasis was all on getting the job done, not quality of life. Plus, the base couldn't handle all the troops. There was no infrastructure and certainly no amenities. But shortly after the airlift subsided, the United States Air Force did a complete turnaround. Its focus changed to making life better for troops. It standardized the quality of life in its compound. U.S. personnel dubbed it "Rock City" for the "anti-mud" crushed rocks that cover parts of it.
One of the most significant infrastructure improvements was the opening of the base to strategic air traffic in October 1998. A major cost-saving action was the decision to maximize the use of pre-positioned equipment. Deploying forces now make full use of a Bosnia equipment set, which reduces the number of heavy vehicles deployed into and out of theater. In addition, the number of U.S. helicopters in Bosnia was reduced by 50 percent, and all U.S. Army artillery has been withdrawn.
Current status
In 1998, the canton of Tuzla turned Tuzla International to a civil airport. Tuzla International opened on 10 October 1998 as a civilian airport and military airfield. In December 2004, a European Union stabilization force, EUFOR Althea, took over the Bosnian peacekeeping mission from NATO. On 1 July 2007, the United States transferred responsibility for the airfield to the Bosnians.
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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