December 14, 2018, has been described as a historic day, when the Assembly of Kosovo adopted key laws that paved the way for the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into the Kosovo Army.
Former KSF Commander, Kadri Kastrati, stated that Kosovo has made solid progress and is now in the third phase of the transformation process, a phase that entails significantly higher costs.
“Since this was not achieved in 2014, despite our readiness, and following the development plan and strategic review conducted at that time, in 2018 the United States of America gave the green light for the transformation to proceed through legislation rather than constitutional amendments. This was a historic moment for Kosovo, as it marked the beginning of building Kosovo’s armed forces and their continued development. Today, we are in the final phase, as the development plan consisted of three phases,” Kastrati said.
However, Europe’s current security environment is no longer the same as it was in 2018.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte recently warned that Russia considers NATO its next target, calling for increased military readiness.
In light of this growing insecurity, Kastrati emphasized that Kosovo must accelerate the transformation of the KSF by investing in armaments and establishing ammunition production facilities. He stressed the importance of acquiring air defense systems, artillery, and helicopters, as well as completing force structures with at least 5,000 active personnel and 3,000 reservists within the next three to four years.
“Due to the global security situation, regardless of which government comes to power, the development and completion of the operational capacities of the armed forces should be set as a top priority,” he told Koha.
“The reason I say this is because security threats are continuous, Europe is facing a prolonged war, and the Russia–Ukraine conflict shows no signs of stopping. In such circumstances, Kosovo would undoubtedly be exposed to risks from its permanent adversary, Serbia. Therefore, we must invest significantly more and give greater priority to our armed forces,” Kastrati added.
