Kosovo is still pushing for recognition - now it's building an army

Ejup Maqedonci has worn three uniforms over the past 27 years: first as a young rebel fighting for Kosovar independence, then as a member of an interim humanitarian body, and now as defense minister shaping the nation's military.

All three sets of fatigues, each framed in gold, hang in his office in the ministry's sprawling complex in the capital, Pristina. They represent the complexities of building an armed service in a country with limited international recognition, where NATO-led peacekeepers remain deployed to help maintain stability.

The army counts just a few thousand troops and has procured a modest €460 million in weapons systems. But, in an interview in English with Bloomberg News, Maqedonci described them as "very, very big steps" toward building a force "ready to defend Kosovo, protect its citizens and at the same time cooperate with our partners."

Of getting this far, the 49-year-old minister added, "Sometimes you dream about something without fully believing it will happen."

Kosovo, theater of the last European war until fighting in Ukraine erupted, wants the prestige of its own army and has set aside $1 billion dollars to form one. The ambition fits a wider Western Balkans trend of strengthening security forces alongside European Union integration aspirations. For the majority this is the missing piece of statehood, but many in the Serb community are concerned it risks inflaming lingering tensions amid Belgrade's continued rejection of Kosovar sovereignty.

The fledgling army traces its roots to lightly armed post-war bodies, which absorbed former Kosovo Liberation Army fighters and were tasked with civil protection; duties included explosive ordnance disposal and firefighting. Eight years ago, lawmakers voted to create a conventional force over a decade for the country of 1.6 million people, with backing from the US, Germany, the UK and France.

Maqedonci aims to recruit 5,000 active soldiers and said the army has three times more rifles than personnel as part of a broader plan to build a volunteer-based reserve system. "The idea is not to do conscription, because conscription would also cause financial and other issues," he said. "Every citizen will have the opportunity to voluntarily be part of our defense."

He added that his officers were trained either by the US or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Around half of the world recognized Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008. Serbia's main allies, Russia and China, did not, along with five EU nations, Spain, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Cyprus, some of which are concerned about their own separatist movements.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti has been pushing for universal recognition since returning to power in 2021. But meaningful progress toward that goal would require revisiting UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which set out Kosovo's post-war framework and authorized the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping mission - and that's unlikely without a broader Kosovo-Serbia settlement accepted by major powers, given opposition within the Security Council.

"Efforts to transform the Kosovo Security Forces into an army and join military alliances are particularly problematic," Serbian Army Chief of Staff General Milan Mojsilovic told local media. "We see KFOR as the only legitimate armed formation."

The Serbian army is considered one of the strongest in the region, with around 20,000-30,000 active personal. Like Croatia, it is purchasing modern helicopters and weapons, and plans to reinstate conscription.

Kosovo circumvents pushback and legal constraints by signing bilateral military agreements with NATO members - primarily the US and Turkey. That has also shortened procurement time, Maqedonci said. He pointed out that Pristina spends just over 2% of Gross Domestic Product on defense, more than their NATO neighbors.

The country has three types of drones, two types of UAVs and four types of anti-tank rockets and missiles, according to the minister, and is planning to acquire air-defense capabilities, 155mm artillery and helicopters.

Maqedonci said he is assessing how many Black Hawk helicopters are needed, though initial discussions centered on four. "They offer multifunctional capabilities," he explained. "We can use them to transport people, evacuate patients, support with fire and also for firefighting operations, because we have a lot of wildfires during the summertime."

Preparations to produce NATO-standard ammunition, as part of a broader effort to develop a domestic defense industry, are underway, with work on a future industrial complex set to start in December. "We will produce two kinds: 5.56 millimeter ammunition that we use for individual rifles, and 7.62 millimeter ammunition that we use for machine guns," the minister said.

The plan isn't for the Kosovo army to replace KFOR, but it must be ready should NATO decide to shrink the 5,000-strong peacekeeping mission or transfer some monitoring and reporting duties, Maqedonci added.

A periodic assessment is underway, and while the mission won't be ended, it could be cut, a person familiar with the matter said on the condition of anonymity.

KFOR operates mainly in the Serb-populated north, where violent flare ups have occurred over the years. Its numbers have been scaled back already by around 90% since the NATO-led intervention that drove Serbian forces from the territory in 1999, as its focus shifted away from postwar conflict management.

For Marko Prelec, consulting senior analyst for the Balkans at International Crisis Group, the focus should be on achieving a long-term agreement in which Serbia makes its peace with the independence of Kosovo, and Kosovo accepts that its Serbian minority in the north will have some enhanced rights to govern its own affairs.

Otherwise, he said, Kosovo's buildup is "really putting the cart before the horse."

Maqedonci was 19 years old and living in Horn, Switzerland, as an immigrant working to support his family when he decided to join other Kosovo Albanians fighting in the KLA.

After the one-year war, which left more than 12,000 people dead and forced hundreds of thousands of others from their homes, he rose through the Kosovo Protection Corps which evolved into the Kosovo Security Force. He attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College and studied at the US Army War College before becoming Defence Minister in August 2023.

Now, his biggest challenge is convincing skeptical allies that his forces are no longer rebels, and that his army adds to regional security.

He lamented that KFOR peacekeepers are being briefed as though they are coming into a country at war, even as its mission today is not the same as during the immediate post-war period.

"It's a different situation," Maqedonci said. "A different generation."

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-With assistance from Misha Savic.

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 4:07 AM.