Republika Srpska (1992–95) the Serb people in Bosnia and Herzegovina: At the same session, the Bosnian Serb assembly voted to create the Army of the Republika Srpska ("VRS") ("Vojska Republike Srpske"), and appointed Ratko Mladić, the commander of the Second Military District of the Yugoslav federal army, as commander of the VRS Main Staff. At the end of May 1992, after the withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Second Military District was essentially transformed into the Main Staff of the VRS. The new army immediately set out to achieve by military means the six "strategic objectives" of the Serbian people
Yugoslav People's Army withdrawal from Bosnia (1992) referendum was in favor of Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats, but of Bosnian Serbs, therefore the Bosnian Serbs boycotted the referendum. The turnout was 64.3% of which 99.7% of the votes were in favor of the Bosnian independence, thus on March 3 1992 the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Alija Izetbegovic declared the independence of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Yugoslav People's Army had a concept of "Total National Defence", which gave the army a role to defend the borders from aggressors. According to some sources, the higher officials of the Yugoslav People's Army stated