Operation Sharp Guard was established by the UN in Jun 1993, to combine NATO-led (Maritime Guard) and Western European Union - WEU-led (Sharp Fence) operations into one overall command.

Its objective was to enforce an emabrgo on arms and commercial activities (principally oil imports) to the warring factions in the then Republic of Yugoslavia. Maritime forces were brought together under Combined Task Force 440.

It was an undoubted military success in terms of preventing the embargo leaking but was gradually eroded in scope by politically driven relaxations, especially in the commercial activities as the parties concerned edged towards a peaceful solution to the conflict. UNSCR 1074 terminated the operation on 1 Oct and NATO and the WEU implemented that on 2 Oct 1996.