Description

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In the late 1990s, NATO led the Kosovo Force (KFOR), charged with stabilizing Kosovo and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia after genocide and other atrocities were carried out in the Balkan region. Operation Kinetic is not only a history of the origins and operations of the Kosovo Force but also a history of the vital operations conducted by the Canadian Army units and their allies assigned to KFOR during the crucial early days and months after entry into the province in 1999 and through 2000.

Operating alongside American, British, French, Norwegian, Finnish, and Swedish forces, these surveillance and response units were instrumental in preventing violence in numerous areas before it could escalate and draw in the Serbian Army, which could have led to further genocide or war in the region.

Sean M. Maloney, a Canadian military historian with extensive field experience in the Balkans, draws on numerous interviews and firsthand accounts of an operation that would later serve as a model in preparing for similar efforts in Afghanistan and provide a blueprint for stabilizing operations around the world.
 

About the Author

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Sean M. Maloney is a professor of history at the Royal Military College of Canada and served as the Canadian Army’s historian for the war in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2014. He is the author of several books, including Learning to Love the Bomb: Canada’s Nuclear Weapons during the Cold War (Potomac Books, 2007) and Deconstructing Dr. Strangelove: The Secret History of Nuclear War Films (Potomac Books, 2020).

Sir Mike Jackson is a retired British Army officer and general. In 2003 he was appointed chief of the general staff of the British Army. He is the author of Soldier: The Autobiography. 

Praise For…

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"Operation Kinetic is a meticulously-researched work by a leading historian with unmatched academic credentials. Maloney has extensive field experience in the Balkans and draws on numerous interviews and primary sources to write this authoritative account of KFOR. This is a required reading for both students and experts of Balkan region."—Washington Book Review

"Maloney has made the effort to ensure his work is written on two levels; one that will appeal to the military community and military historians, and one that will appeal to the wider public. His efforts to succinctly explain military doctrine, organizational structures, and operational functions will grant the wider public a better understanding of how western militaries organize and operate, and it will allow them to better take in the nuances and atmospherics expressed in the extensive primary source anecdotes offered throughout. For military historians and the military community, Maloney’s well-researched Operation Kinetic will bring reminders of how military operations were conducted in Bosnia."—Bill Cummings, Canadian Military Journal

“Sean Maloney’s thoroughly researched account of the Canadian commitment to the Kosovo Force is a must-read for military, government, and academic professionals who seek to understand the challenges of stabilizing a war-torn region in the aftermath of military intervention.”—Robert H. Gregory Jr., author of Clean Bombs and Dirty Wars: Air Power in Kosovo and Libya