Bosnia-Herzegovina joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace in 2006, and has negotiated NATO membership since 2009. General military service was abolished in 2006. Personnel for Bosnia-Herzegovina’s armed forces is 10,500 active personnel, including 800 personnel in an air component (2018 , IISS).

In accordance with the Dayton Agreement of 1995, the Federation of Muslims and Croats and the Serbian Republic, the two constituencies of Bosnia-Herzegovina, each had its own defense forces until 2005. Then a defense reform commission put forward a proposal for the creation of a common defense for both parts of the state. On January 1, 2006, the two state departments’ defense ministries were replaced by a joint ministry, and the merger of the former state defense forces was completed in 2007.

In 2004, the multinational NATO Force SFOR (Stabilization Force), which was to secure the implementation of the peace agreement, was replaced by EUFOR BiH, a multinational force under EU leadership. Initially, around 6,000 men in the EUFOR force were reduced to around 900 in 2018.

Armed forces

The component of the material including 45 tanks of the type M60, 20 armored personnel carriers of type M113, 60 armored fighters and medium heavy artillery. The air component has 35 helicopters, and short-range air defense missiles and light air artillery.

International operations

Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in 2018 in the NATO operation in Afghanistan (Operation Resolute Support) with 63 personnel, and in the UN operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and Mali (MINUSMA) with three and two observers respectively.