News item | 02-10-2023 | 16:36
The main force of the Marine unit has just left Eindhoven Air Base for Bosnia and Herzegovina. This concerns 100 of the total 150 Marines. They will become part of EUFOR Althea. The other 50 have already gone to the Balkan country.
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The EUFOR Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina is an EU-led military mission that started in December 2004. EUFOR then took over responsibility for maintaining the ‘Safe and Secure Environment (SASE)’ in Bosnia and Herzegovina from the NATO Stabilization Force (SFOR) mission. Stability in the Western Balkans is also important to the Netherlands, which is why the Netherlands contributes to this military mission in an EU context.
Multinational battalion
The marine company will become part of the multinational battalion of EUFOR Althea. The battalion can be deployed throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina from Camp Butmir in Sarajevo. The unit can be deployed for multiple tasks, from patrols to crowd & riot control, but also as a rapid unit to provide support anywhere in the country. Joint exercises with the Bosnian armed forces are also part of the task package. In 6 months the Dutch unit will be relieved by another Dutch marine company. In total, the Netherlands has committed to carrying out the tasks for EUFOR Althea for 1 year.
Staff officers and intelligence team
In addition to the marine company, a number of staff officers and an intelligence team have been in Bosnia and Herzegovina for some time. They contribute to the headquarters of the EUFOR Althea mission at Camp Butmir, so that the mission can be managed properly.