Operation Allied Force was the military response of NATO to the 1999 Kosovo crisis, and the first major combat operation in NATO history.
Proclaimed goal of the operation was to protect the Kosovo Albanian people from alleged aggression by the military of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbian police forces. That goal was not fulfilled, because NATO did not wish to risk any ground forces to protect these people. Instead, NATO used a showy (but low-risk) air campaign to destroy Serbian targets. While this did hurt Yugoslavia and set the stage for the downfall of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, it did little to protect the Kosovo Albanians that NATO claimed to be protecting, as thousands were killed in the conflict with Serbs. Critics of the operation point out that indeed most of the atrocities happened after NATO started the air campaign.
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