Tuzla Air Base Tuzla Air Base is a former SFR Yugoslav Air Force and later , NATO Air Force base , located south - southeast of Tuzla , Bosnia and Herzegovina . It also shares the runway with the Tuzla International Airport . It was used by the United States , Russia n , and allied NATO forces , beginning in 1995 as part of the NATO Stabilization Forces ( SFOR ) , which brought peace to Bosnia and Herzegovina . The United States Air Force established the 401st Expeditionary Air Base Group at the base for facilities control and the management of the airfield . The 401st EABG was withdrawn in 2008 . History . In the beginning Tuzla was once a small SFR Yugoslav Air Force pilot training base . It was the former home of the 701st Aviation Brigade ( " Serbo - Croatian : 701 . avijacijska brigada / 701 . авијацијска бригада " ) . The unit was equipped with the Soko G - 2 Galeb at Tuzla and other training aircraft . It was inactivated in December 1990 . After its closure it became an unused Cold War relic . It was placed under the control of United Nations Protection Forces in 1992 . But the strife in Bosnia - Herzegovina changed that . NATO Use . When opposing factions fought each other , the turmoil threatened stability in Europe . The U . N . asked for peace . And with the US - brokered Dayton Peace Accords , the sides agreed to try . But the U . N . ordered 60 , 000 NATO - led troops into the country to ensure they would . That started Joint Endeavor . But getting troops there would require a huge airlift . At that time , Tuzla ' s 8 , 100 - foot runway was the country s best . So it became the receiving end of the airlift . The Air Force flew in and set up to run air operations . Then it started to land and move the 25 - nation peacekeeping force and the mountain of supplies and equipment to maintain the force . The airlift went on for several months during which airmen handled an average of 40 cargo planes a day . US Air Force members of the 4100 Group Provisional , Tanker Airlift Control Element , set up a satellite communication system at the base of the control tower of the airport in Tuzla , Bosnia and Herzegovina , on Dec . 11 , 1995 . Later , the 401st Expeditionary Air Base Group operated the Predator reconnaissance drones and the airfield for transient NATO and USAF aircraft to maintain the base . During its years of NATO operations , aircraft flew 24 - hour reconnaissance and surveillance missions . in support of SFOR , which brought peace to Bosnia and Herzegovina . The airmen , as part of the NATO Enabling Force of Operation Joint Endeavor , set up operations to bring airfield up to a 24 hour capability . Enabling forces moved into the Croatia , Bosnia and Herzegovina , and Slovenia theaters of operation to prepare entry points for the main Implementation Force . The satellite communication system was used by the operations personnel to keep track of incoming and outgoing aircraft . The early emphasis was all on getting the job done , not quality of life . Plus , the base couldn t handle all the troops . There was no infrastructure and certainly no amenities . But shortly after the airlift subsided , the Air Force did a complete turnaround . Its focus changed to making life better for troops . It standardized the quality of life in its compound . Troops dubbed it Rock City for the anti - mud crushed rocks that cover parts of it . Between December 1995 and September 1999 the number of US Army soldiers serving in Bosnia dropped from 18 , 500 to 6 , 900 . In addition to manpower reductions , other efficiencies have been achieved . Over the past 2 years , the theater ' s lines of communication have matured significantly . As a result , deploying forces are less dependent on temporary engineer bridges at river crossings , and equipment can be transported by rail all the way into Bosnia . One of the most significant infrastructure improvements was the opening of Tuzla Air Base in Bosnia to strategic air traffic in October 1998 . A major cost - saving action was the decision to maximize the use of pre - positioned equipment . Deploying forces now make full use of a Bosnia equipment set , which reduces the number of heavy vehicles deployed into and out of theater . In addition , the number of US helicopters in Bosnia was reduced by 50 percent , and all US artillery has been withdrawn . Current status . In 1998 , the canton of Tuzla turned Tuzla International to a civil airport . Tuzla International opened on 10 October 1998 as a civilian airport and military airfield . In December 2004 when a European Union - led stabilization force took over the Bosnian peacekeeping mission from NATO . On 1 July 2007 , the United States transferred responsibility for the airfield to the Bosnians .