07/25/2003
Military Advisor to the High Representative
The Military Advisor to the High Representative provides independent military advice to the Office of the High Representative and co-ordinates the International Community’s approach to defence and security reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A principal task of the Military Advisor and his staff is therefore to support the work of the Defence Reform Commission, which has been mandated to identify constitutional and legal barriers to effective state-level command and control of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and propose amendments to address these by 1 January 2004.
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In 2001, the Military Advisor took on the additional responsibility of Director of the Department for Security Co-operation (DSC) within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The overall aim of the DSC is to establish conditions in which military force can be eliminated as a means of resolving conflicts in BiH. This goal is pursued in conjunction with the OHR, SFOR and other members of the International Community.
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The work of the Military Advisor and his staff requires regular liaison with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s military authorities, the Secretary General of the Standing Committee on Military Matters and his two Deputy Secretary Generals, as well as NATO Headquarters, NATO’s Stabilisation Force (SFOR), European Union representatives, other departments within OSCE as well as military representatives of Steering Board nations both inside and outside the country.
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The Military Advisor also promotes confidence-building measures between the Armed Forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, monitors the force and troop reduction process and addresses future security issues. Additional activities include holding the co-chairmanship of the International Board of Donors for De-mining and the Defence and Security Steering Group.