Murphy on unfinished defense reform: It is an unfortunate fact that BiH is not doing its homework

By: Ambassador Michael J. Murphy

Some political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as some external commentators and experts, are calling for the Alliance to speed up BiH's path to membership. We understand and share their concerns related to the changing geopolitical context and the threat posed to BiH by the secessionist rhetoric and actions of Mr. Dodik and the authorities of Republika Srpska.

The United States' commitment to the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and multi-ethnic character of Bosnia and Herzegovina is unwavering and rock-solid. It does not depend on the degree of BiH's integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. Like the NATO Alliance, the United States will not allow a security vacuum to be created in BiH. Nor will we allow domestic actors to lead the country into new conflict.

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— US Embassy Sarajevo (@USEmbassySJJ) September 6, 2024

BiH's aspirations for NATO membership are welcome. The United States supports BiH's accession to NATO, and as BiH works toward that goal, we have led and will continue to lead a strong political and practical partnership between BiH and the NATO Alliance – a partnership that is clearly beneficial to both sides. BiH's aspirations for NATO membership are also clear. They have been enshrined in law for nearly 20 years. Article 84 of the 2005 BiH Law on Defense obliges BiH authorities – the Parliamentary Assembly, the Council of Ministers, the Presidency, and all defense entities – to “within their own constitutional and legal jurisdiction, undertake the necessary activities for the admission of Bosnia and Herzegovina into NATO membership.”

Accordingly, the United States has long provided practical support to the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces of BiH (AF BiH), and other BiH government institutions to help them prepare BiH for NATO membership. That support will continue.

However, transforming BiH into the thirty-third member of the NATO Alliance requires more than just aspirations. Membership is not a favor that allies bestow upon a country. Membership is something that a prospective allied country must earn. Membership requires hard work, focus, and the making of difficult decisions by the country aspiring to membership. In short, a country must do its homework to become a member of NATO. This reality is almost always missing from calls for BiH’s immediate, urgent, or accelerated NATO membership. It is an unfortunate fact that BiH is not doing its homework. This is not just a problem of the current authorities. It is also true of past authorities. Neither the current coalition nor the current opposition should be proud of what they have done when it comes to NATO.

BiH submitted its first Reform Program to NATO in 2019. Unfortunately, the annual adoption of the Reform Program has become highly politicized, so BiH has rarely submitted this document to NATO on time, if at all. Mr. Dodik is the biggest obstacle. But, setting politics aside, the Reform Program has regressed and become an annual “check-list.” It is not being used as a mechanism for implementing serious, purposeful reforms. I sometimes wonder if those who most loudly advocate for BiH’s accelerated NATO membership – a call that implies BiH has implemented or is implementing its Reform Program – have even read this document.

The Reform Program is comprehensive and covers various areas from fighting corruption and organized crime, to human rights, to environmental protection. I want to focus, however, on the parts dealing with defense reform, which are the most important and relevant when discussing the work of the Ministry of Defense and the AF BiH. Most importantly, this document highlights the importance of the 2016 Defense Review and the accompanying AF BiH Modernization Plan 2017-2027. These are strategic guiding documents whose finalization was assisted by NATO Headquarters Sarajevo after more than seven years of tireless work. What has been done since 2016?

Well, the implementation of the Defense Review has not even begun, and some of its parts are outdated. To our knowledge, only four percent of the Modernization Plan has been implemented to date.

We understand that implementing the Defense Review is difficult and requires political will from many government representatives, not just the AF BiH and the Ministry of Defense. The issue of property is sensitive, no doubt. Ensuring sufficient funds for defense in BiH’s state budget is not under the control of the Ministry of Defense. For years, Mr. Dodik and his allies have denied all state BiH institutions the funds necessary for effective functioning, making serious defense modernization, capital investments, and the implementation of an adequate equipment and infrastructure maintenance system almost impossible. An insufficient defense budget for BiH is a disservice to the men and women in uniform who serve this country.

But let’s be clear. For more than a decade, the Ministry of Defense has lacked the courageous leadership and genuine political commitment needed to implement defense reforms – and many of those reforms fall under the Ministry’s purview. I repeat, this problem is not specific to any political party. The ruling parties and the current opposition are equally responsible.
Although implementing defense reforms is not simple, it is not impossible either. Diligent, continuous work is crucial to securing support that transcends party and ethnic lines to achieve success.

This was done in the past immediately after the formation of the AF BiH when leaders put achieving progress ahead of politics. This can and should be done again. My government welcomes the way the highest-ranking generals – Lieutenant General Knežević, Major General Ahmić, and Major General Kolenda – support each other, communicate daily, and remain focused on improving conditions for members of the AF BiH. We would like to see more such relationships in the Ministry of Defense.

Successful and efficient budget execution is crucial for all NATO members, and there is an urgent need for reform in BiH. However, little has been done so far. For a sector with such scarce resources, it was disappointing to see that the Ministry of Defense did not spend its 2023 budget, thereby losing approximately 30 million KM. Leaders in BiH have failed to plan strategically and reach consensus on priority projects. Efforts to reallocate these funds came too late. This failure of leadership was a boon to those political forces opposing a larger defense budget. Just imagine how beneficial it would have been for the men and women of the AF BiH if even one-third of those 30 million KM had been invested in improving the infrastructure of the AF BiH.

Situations where everyone would benefit were possible, but leaders failed to create them. Priority number one for any NATO member country is the care of its soldiers, and the procurement system in BiH's defense sector has failed the AF BiH. AF BiH commanders are routinely forced to use emergency procurement mechanisms just to feed and supply their soldiers.

Centralized contracting and procurement of perishable goods, such as fresh fruit, have resulted in the delivery of large quantities of such goods at one time, leading to their spoilage. A better system would allow local suppliers to deliver such items when needed. The United States, NATO Headquarters Sarajevo, and other key allies have consistently advocated for changes that would decentralize some of the procurement decision-making system to make it more efficient and allow field commanders to make smaller purchases. Of course, all changes must be in accordance with the law. But progress on this issue is far too slow.

A NATO member country does not maintain surpluses of unstable and useless ammunition and weapons. The United States was pleased to see the Council of Ministers adopt in April the Annex to the 2008 Doboj Agreement, which would facilitate the Ministry of Defense's efforts to sell surplus old weapons and ammunition, as well as scrap metal, generating additional millions in revenue that could be used to purchase new, more modern equipment. However, no further progress has been made since April, which is puzzling. The international community is ready to support the Ministry by holding a workshop on the Annex's implementation, but the Ministry is delaying this.

Resolving the issue of non-prospective military property at various locations, in accordance with existing laws, would also have a positive domino effect on the defense budget. As stated in the Reform Program, “funds intended for these purposes will be redirected towards… equipping the AF BiH.” Given its size, the Armed Forces of BiH have too much property, and maintaining that property is a burden on financial and human resources.

Consolidation is possible and long overdue. This would free the AF BiH from the obligation of guarding old, dilapidated military facilities that are no longer needed. Everyone knows this, but the leadership of the Ministry of Defense has failed to prioritize reaching the consensus necessary to resolve this issue among political leaders. A NATO member must successfully and efficiently utilize its military forces, deploying them where they will have the greatest impact on security. This is not happening in BiH.

NATO members understand that effective human resource management is a strategic driver. There is an urgent need for reform of human resource management in the Ministry of Defense and in the AF BiH. We know that the AF BiH will face significant personnel losses in the next two to three years due to retirements. Greater focus on accession to the armed forces, increased troop retention efforts, including the introduction of a “soldier retention officer position,” and the establishment of a modernized career management program are crucial for building and maintaining armed forces capable of meeting NATO standards and achieving interoperability goals, and fulfilling their mission here in BiH. This work is not glamorous, but it is important, and it has not yet been done.

In recent years, the light infantry battalion group of the AF BiH, the explosive ordnance disposal team, and the military police platoon have worked on and achieved NATO Evaluation Level 2 certification. This was a major milestone to be proud of, demonstrating that the AF BiH can operate using the same language, procedures, and equipment as the world's most advanced armies. At the same time, however, the United States procured boots for the AF BiH, and other allies, such as Germany, procured uniforms. It is difficult to explain or rationalize this reality: at a time when the AF BiH is ready to meet the highest NATO standards, it is forced to turn to partners for the most basic necessities for its soldiers. This is unsustainable.

Since its formation, the AF BiH has represented the best of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a multi-ethnic team of dedicated professionals, serving honorably at the highest level both at home and abroad. Every soldier I have met as ambassador – whether at Manjača, Glamoč, or Sarajevo – has impressed me as a patriot and a public servant. No other country is more committed to BiH or has provided more support to the AF BiH than the United States. My country is proud to support the brave men and women in uniform of BiH.

The foundation of any great friendship is honesty. The war in BiH ended almost 30 years ago, and the AF BiH have not achieved what we wanted them to achieve, meaning BiH has not achieved it, but that's how it is. Rhetorical commitment to BiH's future in NATO is insufficient. Courageous leadership, genuine commitment, and strategic vision are needed to address fundamental, structural issues and move forward with implementing important defense reforms. The United States is ready to support those who are ready to do the hard work – those who understand that NATO membership is not given. It must be earned.