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Don't forget that during the last crisis involving Serbia and Kosovo, we almost got into a shooting war with Russia.

If I remember correctly, a flight of RAF fighter-bombers was vectored in on what was thought to be a formation of Serbian armor heading toward the main airport in Kosovo, but was called off at the last minute when it was realized that the ground force was actually Russian.

Does anyone recall the exact details of this incident?

Don’t forget that during the last crisis involving Serbia and Kosovo, we almost got into a shooting war with Russia.

You’re probably thinking of the Pristina airport incident, where Wesley Clark, the NATO commander ordered British general Michael Jackson(no relation to the strange Michael Jackson) to evict Russian troops, by force if necessary, from the Pristina airport and General Jackson reportedly said, “I’m not going to start WWIII for you.”

Clark's term as NATO commander was cut short for that minor faux pas.

Here you go...

you’ve got to love this man:

(from Wikipedia)

NATO

In 1997 (General Sir Michael David “Mike”) Jackson was appointed Commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. He served in the NATO chain of command as a deputy to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Wesley Clark.

In this capacity, he is best known for refusing, in June 1999, to block the runways of the Russian-occupied Pristina Airport, to isolate the Russian troops there.[1]

Had he complied with General Clark’s order, there was a chance the British troops under his command could have come into armed conflict with the Russians; doing this without prior orders from Britain would have led to his dismissal for gross insubordination. On the other hand, defying Clark would have meant disobeying a direct order from a superior NATO officer (Clark was a four-star general; Jackson only a three-star).

Jackson ultimately chose the latter course of action, reputedly saying “I won’t start World War III for you”,[1] though the point became irrelevant when the American government prevailed upon the Hungarians, Romanians, and Bulgarians to prevent the Russians from using their airspace to fly reinforcements in.

As a result, he was dubbed “Macho Jacko” by the British tabloid press. Among his own troops and the British press, however, Jackson had a reputation for being severe, and prone to anger, earning him the nicknames “Darth Vader” and “Prince of Darkness”.[2]

Jackson went on to serve as Commander-in-Chief, Land Command from 2000 to 2003.

Another interesting point, which I too am trying to remember, Mady Not-All-to-Bright was arguing with the Brits as to who was going to march into and occupy Pristina first…The Americans or the Brits. While she was squabbling with the Brits, the Russians literally walked into Pristina Airport. I do remember laughing very hard at Not-All-to-Bright at what she considered priority.