24
 
3rd Army, the units forming the Pristina Corps, which was commanded by General Nebojsa Pavkovic, were those which maintained a presence in Kosovo itself and were involved in combat operations. The organisation of these forces can be represented diagrammatically as follows:24
 

SUPREME DEFENCE COUNCIL

|

VJ GENERAL STAFF
(Colonel General Perisic)

1st Army

2nd Army

3rd Army
(Col. General Samardzic)

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Pristina Corps
(52nd Mechanised Corps)
(General Nebojsa Pavkovic)

|

15th Armoured Brigade (Pristina)

125th Motorised Infantry Brigade (Kosovska Mitrovica) (incorporating a motorised infantry battalion in Pec)

243rd Motorised Infantry Brigade (Urosevac)

549th Motorised Infantry Brigade (Prizren)

52nd Mixed Artillery Brigade (Gnjilane)

52nd MP Battalion (Pristina)

83rd Aviation Regiment (Pristina)

52nd Engineers Regiment (Krusevac)

52nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Djakovica)

311th Air-Defence Regiment (Djakovica)

53rd Border Guard Battalion (Djakovica)

55th Border Guard Battalion (Prizren)

57th Border Guard Battalion (Urosevac)

Special forces corps

Security directorate

It is generally felt that the VJ had fallen out of favour within the FRY State hierarchy, and particularly with President Milosevic, by the time of the Kosovo conflict, and preference in terms of resources and prestige was being given to the MUP and State security forces. Nonetheless, the VJ remained a well-equipped, modern army, possessing M-84 and T-55 tanks, M-80 armoured fighting vehicles, BOV-M armoured personnel carriers, BOV-3 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and Praga armoured trucks. There was also clearly some dispute about the role of the VJ in Kosovo, with the Montenegrin President refusing to allow Montenegrin soldiers to serve in the province and a rift becoming apparent between President Milosevic and Colonel General Perisic, who was subsequently removed. Nonetheless, the VJ activity within Kosovo is undeniable.

Numerous witness accounts, as well as reports from international organisations on the

  1. Locations of brigades, regiments and battalions represent the position in November 1998.