International peacekeeping forces on Kosovo confirmed today that members of the Allied Reaction Force (ARF) were seen on the bridge over the Ibar in Mitrovica and in other areas of northern Kosovo.
ARF personnel will be deployed in Kosovo and North Macedonia until mid-October, where they will conduct various training activities to identify logistical, infrastructure and operational requirements. A military contingent of the ARF Operational Liaison and Reconnaissance Team (OLRT) of about 50 members will be in Kosovo, while approximately 150 of them will be sent to North Macedonia.
In the announcement NATO it says that the ARF is ready to contribute to stability in the entire Western Balkans.
"The Allied Response Force (ARF) is ready to contribute to NATO's long-term stability efforts in the Western Balkans. High-ranking officers of the headquarters for the rapid troops of NATO based in Italy were today in the north of Kosovo, together with members of the East Regional Command of the NATO-led KFOR mission," the announcement states.
Earlier, NATO announced that the members of these forces will be deployed "to conduct training, ensure readiness and support KFOR".
First mission since its founding
This is the first mission of the ARF since the establishment of this force in July, when the ARF was presented as "an important step in strengthening the collective defense of NATO".
They were created as a replacement for the NATO Response Force (NRF), and their establishment was agreed upon at the summit of NATO leaders in Vilnius last July.
What are ARF and NRF?
NATO describes the Allied Response Force (ARF) as a strategic, highly-ready force capable of operating in multiple domains that can be deployed at very short notice to strengthen deterrence in peace and crisis or create a strategic dilemma for adversaries.
They were preceded by the NRF, which NATO deployed over the years to various missions around the world.
In August 2021, parts of the NRF were activated to support the evacuation and relocation of Afghans working with NATO, along with their families.
The NRF was also used in relief operations during natural disasters, as well as in the protection of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. NRF were also used during the presidential elections in Afghanistan in September of the same year.
In response to a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, NATO deployed highly-ready elements of the NRF for the first time in a deterrence and defense role. The Allies put thousands of additional troops – along with armored vehicles, artillery units, ships and aircraft – on high alert.
Their task was not to enter Ukraine, but to additionally secure the borders of NATO member states near Ukraine.
