From Kosovo Security Force to Kosovo Army

This chapter explores the political processes after Kosovo’s declaration of independence and its impact on the Kosovo Security Force. The Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice opened the door for new political negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia facilitated by the European Union. A 2013 agreement integrated the Kosovo Serbs in the northern part of Kosovo into Kosovo’s governance structures. This period also witnessed the end of Kosovo’s supervised independence in 2012. It set the stage for political efforts to turn the Kosovo Security Force into a full-fledged army. The chapter portrays the political controversies and difficulties that characterized this process, and how international actors responded to this situation which eventually led to the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into an army. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the relationships between NATO and the new Kosovo army and how the mandates of both military structures in Kosovo are reconciled.