Since the end of the last war in Kosovo, June 1999, Kosovo has been under the sole defense of thousands of NATO troops who have had the task and duty from security and public order to border security and protection of all residents. Given the fact that NATO and KFOR troops are reducing their presence in Kosovo rapidly, the latter needs to act and strengthen its own security and defense capability in order not to allow any security vacuum in the territory of the Republic of Kosovo in the post 2012 period. Kosovo has been through security challenges, from having no security structure to building up a modern security force whose mandate is mostly non-conventional military duties, but only humanitarian and civil protection tasks and missions. However, this Capstone Project recommends the following actions to the Government of Kosovo: 1. KSF has to reach full operational capabilities (FOC) as soon as possible 2. Implement constitutional review Kosovo’s Future Defense Force 3. To accelerate strategic regional compatibility: euroatlantic integration initiatives starting from membership into Adriatic Charter 4. Consider the defense budget scenarios 2012 – 2017
