Sign in Subscribe
Milosevic, Slobodan

NATO Under Fire After Chinese Embassy Bombing: Analysis of Events and Responsibilities

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

NATO officials, led by Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Wesley Clark, scrambled to explain the April bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, with many pointing to a misidentification of the target by intelligence staff. NATO's target selectors used outdated maps, which incorrectly labeled the Chinese Embassy as a Yugoslav weapons warehouse. The bombing resulted in the deaths of at least three people and injured about 20 others.

Key Takeaways:

  • NATO officials, including Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Wesley Clark, attributed the bombing to a misidentification of the target by intelligence staff, citing outdated maps and a faulty targeting process.
  • The Chinese Embassy was mistakenly identified as a Yugoslav weapons warehouse, with NATO officials claiming they intended to strike the correct target, located less than a mile away.
  • CIA director George J. Tenet and Defense Secretary William S. Cohen acknowledged that the embassy's identification as a target was based on "faulty information," with an "extensive process" to select and validate targets failing.
  • Republican lawmakers blamed the Democratic-controlled Congress for tightening the defense budget, arguing that this has left the military and civilian intelligence agencies with inadequate resources.
  • Thousands of protesters surrounded the American Embassy compound in Beijing, throwing rocks, bottles, and paint bombs, while U.S. Ambassador to China James Sasser and his family were trapped inside for over two days.
  • Russian Peace envoy Victor Chernomyrdin scrapped plans to visit Belgrade, citing "important new circumstances" in his peace talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, while U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott is scheduled to resume talks with Chernomydin.
  • The bombing was carried out by a B-2 Stealth bomber, dropping three satellite-guided bombs, and marked the 46th day of NATO's bombing campaign against Yugoslavia.
  • Gen. Clark and the 19 ambasadors from NATO countries sign off on all targets, but likely did so with the embassy, according to alliance officials.
  • The Combined Air Operations Center in Vicenza, Italy, receives intelligence from various sources and is responsible for finalizing the target list and assigning aircraft for attacks.

Statistics:

  • At least three people were killed and about 20 others injured in the bombing of the Chinese Embassy.
  • 9,000 pieces of ordnance were dropped on 1,900 sites during the NATO air campaign, with only 12 bombs and missiles going astray, a fraction of 1 percent.
  • 500 sorties were flown by NATO warplanes over Yugoslavia on Saturday night, striking targets mainly south of Belgrade.
  • Four targets were struck in Nis, a stronghold of anti-Milosevic sentiment, while Yugoslav ground forces were hit in 12 areas of Kosovo.
  • The bombing campaign has lasted for 46 days, with NATO officials vowing to continue intensifying the air campaign.

Sources:

  • Li Zhaoxing, China's Ambassador to the United States, quoted on "ABC This Week"
  • Gen. Wesley Clark, Supreme Allied Commander, NATO
  • CIA director George J. Tenet and Defense Secretary William S. Cohen, joint statement
  • Western diplomat in Brussels, Belgium, anonymous
  • Senior NATO envoy, anonymous
  • Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., Fox News Sunday
  • U.S. Ambassador to China James Sasser
  • Russian Peace envoy Victor Chernomyrdin
  • NATO officials, anonymous
  • Maj. Gen. Walter Jertz, NATO military spokesman
  • Arnett, Parker, Shlachter, and Montgomery, various news reports.

Read more