Operation ALLIED FORCE was a NATO contingency response aiming at ensuring full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1199 (Sept. 23rd 1998). NATO intervened in Kosovo in support of the resolution so as to bring an immediate ending of the Serbian violence inflicted upon the Kosovar Albanians and restore stability in a strategic region.
As part of the U.S. Fleet the USCG Cutter Bear operated in the Adriatic and Black Seas. The Bear provided outstanding service in surveillance and the protection of our forces. The Commander of the Sixth Fleet, Vice Admiral Murphy, commented on how well and how seamlessly Bear folded into the naval operations. The cutter and crew assisted in efforts to maintain sea control while permitting unencumbered commercial shipping. The Bear was the only combat vessel permitted to operate inside the range of Serbian missiles. The Commandant of The Coast Guard, Admiral James Loy, stated that Coast Guard Units operating in concert with the Navy is a trend the Coast Guard sees as growing, not diminishing. This has proven to be the case.
