A soldier with the Florida National Guard’s 153rd Cavalry Regiment conducts a radio test during a spur ride event near Camp Novo Selo, Kosovo, Aug. 2, 2026. The Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment and 1st Infantry Division are deploying to Kosovo to replace the Florida National Guard’s 53rd Infantry Brigade. (Seth LaCount/U.S. Army)
Active-duty U.S. soldiers from a unit that helped establish NATO’s Kosovo peacekeeping force in the wake of Balkan bloodshed are back for the first time in years, taking over from National Guard counterparts.
The shift away from traditional Guard leadership comes ahead of planned troop reductions as a result of the improving security situation in the country.
Members of the Vilseck-headquartered 2nd Cavalry Regiment and supporting units from the 1st Infantry Division assumed command Monday of Kosovo Force Regional Command-East during a ceremony at Camp Bondsteel, a U.S. Army Europe and Africa statement said.
The last time active-duty troops led the East command was September 2014, command spokesman Staff Sgt. Hunter Tate said Friday. The decision was made due to “current force availability and mission needs,” he said.
The newcomers took over from the Florida National Guard’s 53rd Infantry Brigade.
“Our soldiers are fit, inspired, disciplined, trained and ready to work alongside our NATO allies and partners to maintain a safe and secure environment in Kosovo,” said Col. Jabari Miller, incoming Regional Command–East leader.
A Hungarian soldier playing an opposing force strikes the riot shield of a U.S. soldier during crowd and riot control validation at Camp Novo Selo, Kosovo, Sept. 30, 2026. (Cesar Rivas/U.S. Army)
Command-East is one of two regional NATO commands in Kosovo, which was part of former Yugoslavia and later became a province of Serbia. It gained independence in 2008, although international recognition of Kosovo as its own country is only partial.
The peacekeeping mission in Kosovo began in 1999 after NATO led a 78-day air campaign to stop ethnic violence perpetrated by former Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic. The territory is home to a mostly Muslim population of ethnic Albanians.
Serbian forces killed approximately 10,000 Kosovar Albanians and buried them in mass graves. To this day, Serbia rejects the sovereignty and independence of Kosovo.
Bouts of violence still flare up from time to time, like in 2023 when a shootout between Kosovo police and armed Serbs killed three of the attackers and one Kosovo police officer.
The transfer of command marks a return to the country for the 1st Infantry Division, whose soldiers were there in 1999 to help set up KFOR, a different Army statement from Monday said.
Slovenian soldiers carry their national flag during a medal ceremony at Camp Novo Selo, Kosovo, Sept. 26, 2026. (Cesar Rivas/U.S. Army)
NATO has adjusted its force posture over the years based on security conditions. The alliance announced in June that it would reduce the number of peacekeepers in country by the end of the year.
The current strength of the NATO force remains essentially unchanged at around 4,600 troops, contributed by various allies and partners, a NATO official said Thursday.
During their nine-month deployment, the Floridians conducted more than 4,500 multinational battle group patrols, 9,000 patrols in northern Kosovo and accumulated approximately 1,900 flight hours, the Monday statement said.
Elements of the 1st Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade have also replaced the Colorado National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment, as part of the scheduled rotation, the Army said.