Ka NATO putu – Od formiranja i ustrojstva Armije Republike Bosne i Hercegovine do Oružanih snaga Bosne i Hercegovine

The concrete plans for the preparation and execution of aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina were drawn up by the General Staff of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) in Belgrade. The JNA, in conjunction with the political leadership of Serbia and Bosnian Serbs, defined the objectives, planned, and determined the tactics and methods of waging war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In response to the aggression and the need for the survival of the state and all its peoples who considered Bosnia and Herzegovina as their homeland, the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina emerged. The legally elected representatives of the authorities and institutions of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina had the obligation to protect the territorial integrity of the state, its citizens, economy, culture, and other assets. To make this possible, the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina made a decision to mobilize units of the Territorial Defense, the reserve component of the police, and civil defense units, followed by the issuance of regulations by the Presidency to regulate the formation and composition of the armed forces of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereby transforming the Territorial Defense into the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Army became the core of the formation of the Federation's military and later the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today, Bosnia and Herzegovina's foreign policy is focused on preserving and advancing lasting peace, security, stable democratic development, and contributing to international peace and security. The principle of collective security is the cornerstone of the long-term military strategy. Achieving the military security of Bosnia and Herzegovina includes membership in NATO, where the Alliance guarantees national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The first step in this direction is membership in NATO's political-military program, Partnership for Peace (PfP), which Bosnia and Herzegovina joined on December 14, 2006. Membership in NATO and the European Union are strategic goals of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in line with this, there is a striving for full NATO membership, which implies the integration of the armed forces into NATO's military structure, especially in peacekeeping missions and humanitarian operations. The formal basis for PfP is the Framework Document, which envisions the commitment of allies to consult with each partner country that believes its territorial integrity is threatened or its political independence or security is in danger. Under this document, individual countries and the NATO Alliance develop and align individual partnership programs with the goal of achieving NATO standards, procuring military equipment, training and education of military personnel, joint maneuvers and exercises, and other areas of cooperation.