The Army of Republika Srpska (, VRS), commonly referred to in English as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of Republika Srpska, the self-proclaimed secessionist republic, a territory within the newly independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (formerly part of Yugoslavia), which it defied and fought against. Active during the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995, the Bosnian Serb Army under General Ratko Mladić became the most proficient military force in the Balkans, as well as one of the most reviled armies in the world. After the war it continued to exist as the armed forces of Republika Srpska, one of two entities making up Bosnia and Herzegovina, until 2006 when it was integrated into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the conflict, the Bosnian Serb Army conducted several major operations, including Operation Corridor 92, Operation Vrbas '92, Operation Lukavac, Operation Shield '94, and Operation Spider; The army also took part in the Siege of Sarajevo, the longest siege of a capital city in modern history, as well as in the Srebrenica massacre.

Personnel

thumb|A typical uniform of a VRS member during the 1990s

The Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) was founded on 12 May 1992 from the remnants of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from which Bosnia and Herzegovina had seceded earlier in 1992. When the Bosnian War erupted, the JNA formally discharged 80,000 Bosnian Serb troops. These troops, who were allowed to keep their heavy weapons, formed the core of what would become the Army of the Republika Srpska, benefiting from access to significant JNA stockpiles and infrastructure.

The VRS was made up largely of ethnic Serbs from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also attracted around 4,000 foreign Orthodox Christian fighters, many of whom were drawn by nationalist or religious motivations. 700 such fighters came from Russia, and 300–800 from Bulgaria. 100 Greeks also volunteered to fight on the side of the Bosnian Serbs, forming the Greek Volunteer Guard which allegedly participated in the Srebrenica massacre. A number of Romanians and Ukrainians fought as well on the Bosnian Serb side.

Post-war status and abolishment

After the war, the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina had two armies, that of the VRS and the Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (VFBiH). VFBiH was itself composed of two elements, the ARBiH and HVO. The two armies functioned without a common command, on the principle of "non-intervention in the affairs of the other". Bisera Turković noted that it was 'therefore questionable whether in say a foreign attack on Sarajevo [...the VRS] would defend this capital city'. The existence of the two separate armies was one of the factors impeding civil-military relations development. The VRS conducted demining.

In 2003 the army began to integrate into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2005 a fully integrated unit of Serbs, Bosniaks, and Croats was deployed to augment the US-led coalition forces in Iraq. On 6 June 2006, it was fully integrated into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina controlled by the Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Leadership

The supreme commander of the VRS was General Ratko Mladić.The Command of the Army of Republika Srpska was organized into several key sectors and departments:

  • Staff for operational and educative affairs – Major general Manojlo Milovanović (also deputy commander)
  • Sector for intelligence and security affairs – Colonel Zdravko Tolimir
  • Sector for morale, religious and legal affairs – Major general Milan Gvero
  • Sector for rear services – Major general Đorđe Đukić

Closest advisors to General Mladić were Milovanović (operations and planning), Tolimir (intelligence), Gvero (political affairs), and Đukić (logistics). According to opinion of some experts who studied the course of the Bosnian War, the Command of the Main Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska proved to be the most capable military leadership among the participants in the war: