34 nations under one roof

Camp Film City, which houses Headquarters Kosovo Force, was established in June 1999 as NATO took the lead in establishing a peacekeeping operation in support of wider international efforts to build peace and stability in the contested province, according to the NATO Web site.

Kosovo is in southern Serbia and its population consists of mainly ethnic Albanians, according to the site. In 1989 Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic removed Kosovo's autonomy and brought the region under the direct control of Serbia's capital, Belgrade. A conflict ensued.

In March 1999, according U.S. Air Force Pamphlet 36-2241, talks for stability in the region broke down. NATO forces began air strikes against Serbia on March 24, 1999, naming the campaign Operation Allied Force. After 78 days and 38,000 sorties, Serbian forces began leaving Kosovo.

Today, more than eight years after the air campaign, HQ KFOR is responsible to support five multi-national tasks forces in Kosovo. Under the command of French Lieutenant General Xavier de Marnhac, KFOR's approximately 16,000 troops guarantee security and stability in Kosovo while United Nations representatives work to solve the status of Kosovo as an independent nation or an area of Serbia.

Representatives from Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States can all be found at HQ KFOR.

About 30 members of the HQ KFOR staff are U.S. Air Force Airmen. One of those Airmen, Staff Sgt. Joseph Bright, a database manager, said the language barrier and chain of command are different than what he's used to at his home station of Beale Air Force Base, Calif.

"I'm working with people of a lot of different nationalities," said Sergeant Bright. "This is a unique experience which can sometimes create a barrier, but everyone I've worked with has stayed focused and found a way to come to a unifying goal."

This is Sergeant Bright's first deployment, and just a month into it, he's ready to call it "rewarding."

"This isn't my normal day-to-day job," said Sergeant Bright. "I'm learning as I'm working. The thing I really like is that I get to see the end result in my work here."

It would be difficult to work at HQ KFOR and not continually hear about the Dec. 10 deadline for the troika report on the status of Kosovo. Speculating, however, isn't the job of an Airman, according to Sergeant Bright. He said he's sure the military members of all 34 nations will continue to perform their duties as instructed by leadership.

(Story by Tech. Sgt. Jason Smith)