Editing Kosovo (section)

=== Military ===
{{Main|Kosovo Security Force}}

[[File:Kosovo Security Force FSK-KSF.jpg|thumb|The [[Kosovo Security Force]] is the military of Kosovo]]

The [[Kosovo Security Force]] (KSF) is the national security force of Kosovo commissioned with the task of preserving and safeguarding the country's territorial integrity, national sovereignty and the security interests of its population.<ref name="KSF">{{cite web |publisher=[[Prime Minister of Kosovo]] |title=Constitution of Kosovo |url=http://www.kryeministri-ks.net/repository/docs/Constitution1Kosovo.pdf |access-date=8 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616221845/http://www.kryeministri-ks.net/repository/docs/Constitution1Kosovo.pdf |archive-date=16 June 2009 |page=47 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> Functioning under the president of Kosovo as the [[commander-in-chief]], the security force adheres to the principle of non-discrimination, guaranteeing equal protection for its personnel regardless of gender or ethnicity.<ref name="KSF"/><ref>{{cite act |title=Law on Service in the Kosovo Security Force |number=Law No. 03/L-082 |date=13 June 2008 |article=Article 3, Section 3(a) |url=http://www.mksf-ks.org/repository/docs/Law%20on%20Service%20in%20the%20KSF.pdf |access-date=7 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504213923/http://mksf-ks.org/repository/docs/Law%20on%20Service%20in%20the%20KSF.pdf |archive-date=4 May 2016 }}</ref> Kosovo's notable challenges are identified in the realms of persistent conflicts and societal safety and security, both of which are intertwined with the country's diplomatic ties to neighboring countries and its domestic social and political stability.<ref>{{cite book |publisher=[[Institute for Economics and Peace]] (IEP) |title=Global Peace Index 2020: Measuring Peace in a Complex World |url=http://visionofhumanity.org/reports |access-date=8 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319170234/http://visionofhumanity.org/reports/ |archive-date=19 March 2017 |format=PDF  |place=Sydney |year=2020 }}</ref>

The [[Kosovo Force]] (KFOR) is a [[NATO]]-led international [[NATO peacekeeping|peacekeeping force]] in Kosovo.<ref name="Small-Arms-Survey">{{cite journal |last1=Khakee |first1=Anna |last2=Florquin |first2=Nicolas |date=1 June 2003 |title=Kosovo: Difficult Past, Unclear Future |url=https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/SAS-SR03-Kosovo.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Kosovo and the Gun: A Baseline Assessment of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Kosovo |location=[[Pristina]], [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo]] and [[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]] |publisher=[[Small Arms Survey]] |volume=10 |pages=4–6 |doi= |jstor=resrep10739.9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630150030/https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/SAS-SR03-Kosovo.pdf |archive-date=30 June 2022 |access-date=3 March 2023 |quote=Kosovo—while still formally part of the so-called [[State Union of Serbia and Montenegro]] dominated by [[Serbia]]—has, since the war, been a United Nations protectorate under the [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo]] (UNMIK). [...] However, members of the [[Kosovo Serb]] minority of the territory (circa 6–7 per cent in 2000) have, for the most part, not been able to return to their homes. For security reasons, the remaining [[Kosovo Serb enclaves]] are, in part, isolated from the rest of Kosovo and protected by the multinational [[NATO]]-led '''Kosovo Force''' ('''KFOR''').}}</ref> Its operations are gradually reducing until [[Kosovo Security Force|Kosovo's Security Force]], established in 2009, becomes self-sufficient.<ref name="NATO's role in Kosovo">{{cite web |title=NATO's role in Kosovo |url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_48818.htm |website=nato.int |access-date=6 December 2018 |date=29 November 2018}}</ref> KFOR entered Kosovo on 12 June 1999,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_48818.htm|title=NATO's role in Kosovo|website=nato.int|language=en|access-date=2024-06-12}}</ref> one day after the [[United Nations Security Council]] adopted the [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244|UNSC Resolution 1244]]. [[Camp Bondsteel]] is the operation headquarters of the [[Kosovo Force]] (KFOR) in Kosovo. It is located near [[Ferizaj]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Philips |first=John |title=Macedonia: Warlords and Rebels in the Balkans |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-86064-841-0 |page=171}}</ref> in southeastern Kosovo. It is the Regional Command-East headed by the [[United States Army]] (U.S. Army) and it is supported by troops from [[Greece]], [[Italy]], [[Finland]], [[Hungary]], [[Poland]], [[Slovenia]], [[Switzerland]] and [[Turkey]].

In 2008, under the leadership of NATO, the Kosovo Force (KFOR) and the [[Kosovo Protection Corps]] (KPC) undertook preparations for the formation of the Kosovo Security Force. A significant milestone occurred in 2014 when the government officially announced its decision to establish a Ministry of Defence by 2019, with the aim of transforming the existing Kosovo Security Force into the Kosovo Armed Forces. This transformation would entail aligning the armed forces with the high standards expected of NATO members, reflecting Kosovo's aspiration to join the alliance in the future.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kosovo to create national army of 5,000 soldiers|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-kosovo-army-idUKBREA231E620140304|access-date=28 May 2014|work=Reuters|date=4 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309202553/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/03/04/uk-kosovo-army-idUKBREA231E620140304|archive-date=9 March 2014}}</ref> Subsequently, in December 2018, the government enacted legislation to redefine the mandate of the Kosovo Security Force, effecting its transformation into an army. Concurrently, the establishment of a Ministry of Defence was set in motion, further solidifying these developments and ensuring the necessary infrastructure and oversight for the newly formed armed forces.<ref>{{cite news |last=Shehu |first=Bekim |url=https://p.dw.com/p/3A6U7 |title=Kosova bëhet me ushtri |language=sq |work=Deutsche Welle |date=2018-12-14 |access-date=2020-09-13 |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307171432/https://www.dw.com/sq/kosova-b%C3%ABhet-me-ushtri/a-46737219 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2023, the Kosovo Security Force had over 5,000 active members, using vehicles and weapons acquired from a number of NATO countries. KFOR continues to operate in Kosovo under its UN mandate.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Federal Armed Forces to continue their participation in the Kosovo peace mission in Kosovo |url=https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/news/kfor-mission-extension-2187936 |date=3 May 2023 |access-date=9 September 2023 |archive-date=30 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930150307/https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/news/kfor-mission-extension-2187936 |url-status=live }}</ref>