Pakistani army start exercise with Turkey and Afghanistan

Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan armies have begun a week-long trilateral joint military exercise at Tuzla, Turkey.

The countries decided to execute joint exercises at the conclusion of the 5th Trlateral Summit in December 2010, according to a statement from the Pakistan army’s Inter-Services Public Relations.

The joint exercises involve MOUT (Military operations in urban terrain) against terrorists.
Basic and battle order training, combat order, fighting in built-up, handmade explosives training and training controls are included in the event also.

Special teams of the three countries comprising sniper and anti-tank detachments undertook this exercise. According to the statement, the purpose of this training session is to share military knowledge and to strengthen the military coordination between the three countries.

NATO Starts Taking Control of Libya Operations

BRUSSELS - NATO on March 30 began to take command of Libyan air bombing operations from a U.S.-led coalition, as warplanes and other assets from several allies came under the military organization's control.

French Air Force Rafale jets, right and center, and a French Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter jet are shown March 30 over the Mediterranean Sea. The jets are taking part in the military Libya operations, soon to be led by NATO. (Gerard Julien / Agence France-Presse)

"NATO aircraft are flying under NATO command in the Libyan sky," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said.

"This is a phased process, which will be completed as soon as all allies and partners have transferred authority for their assets."
The 28-member alliance is gradually replacing the United States at the helm of aerial missions that have been conducted by U.S., French, British and other coalition planes since March 19 to protect civilians from Moammar Gadhafi's ground forces.
Britain, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands placed all or part of their military assets under NATO's authority on March 30, an alliance official said on condition of anonymity.
NATO's combined air operations centre in Poggio Renatico, northern Italy, transmitted flight plans to units involved in the aerial campaign, the official said.
A NATO diplomat has said that the alliance would effectively be in full command of the operations on March 31.
NATO has enforced an arms embargo off Libya's coast since last week and also is policing Libya's skies to prevent hostile jets from flying.
NATO agreed to take on the broader mission - strikes against forces threatening civilians - on March 27 after overcoming Turkish concerns about the air strikes and French reluctance to hand the lead to the alliance.

Solution for Piracy 'Scourge' Remains Elusive

The international maritime community has worked together on a number of issues to beat back the threat from Somali-based pirates, a U.S. State Department official said March 30, yet the number of attacks continues to rise.
"We are intensely reviewing our anti-piracy efforts," Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary for political-military affairs, told a Washington audience. "We are looking into many possible courses of action."

Shapiro ticked off several areas where the U.S. is searching for new or expanded actions.
"We must get a handle on the prosecution problem," he said. "The United States is now willing to consider pursuing some creative and innovative ways to go beyond ordinary national prosecutions, and enhance our ability to prosecute and incarcerate pirates in a timely and cost-effective manner."
In international forums, the U.S. is suggesting the creation of a "specialized piracy court or chamber" - in one or more regional states -to bring accused pirates to trial, Shapiro said, and is exploring ways "to expand incarceration capacity in the region."
The "lack of prison capacity is perhaps the most common reason nations decline to prosecute," he added, while the idea of a piracy court has been put forward in the Security Council at the United Nations.
A key focus, he said, is "to start targeting the higher financiers who are responsible" for the pirate gangs. "That is something we are going to make a priority."
"There are a lot of lessons to be learned from in the organized crime example that we think are applicable to pirates," Shapiro told a reporter after his address, sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "The goal is to move the necessary resources and lessons learned to attack the people who are benefiting from this."
Shapiro noted the effectiveness of privately hired armed guards on board merchant ships in deterring the pirates. "Not a single ship employing armed guards has been successfully pirated," he said.
Ships declining to comply with recommended security measures are particularly at risk, Shapiro said. "About 20 percent of ships off the Horn of Africa are not taking proper security actions. These 20 percent account for the overwhelming number of pirated ships."
Ransom payments encourage pirates to continue their activities, Shapiro said. "We continue to urge against paying ransom," he said, noting it only "makes piracy an increasingly lucrative proposition."

To-Date Costs of Libya Strikes: $550M

WASHINGTON - U.S. military strikes on Libya have cost $550 million so far, the Pentagon said March 29, adding that the tab was likely to increase another $40 million in the next few weeks.

A Harrier jet aircraft assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps’ 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit returns to the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge for fuel and ammunition resupply on March 21 while conducting air strikes in Libya. (Lance Cpl. Michael S. Lockett / U.S. Marine Corps)

Between March 19 and 28, the Defense Department spent more than 60 percent of the funds on munitions, such as missiles and bombs, with the rest going toward deploying troops and covering the costs of combat, including additional fuel needed for U.S. aircraft and ships.

U.S. troops fired at least 192 of the 199 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched against Libyan air defenses and command centers.
Each Tomahawk missile costs about $1.5 million, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Adm. James Stavridis told a congressional hearing, bringing total expenditures for munitions alone to nearly $300 million.
The United States has also launched 455 of the 602 laser-guided weapons used by the coalition over the same period.
"Future costs are highly uncertain," said Navy Cmdr. Kathleen Kesler, a Pentagon spokeswoman.
Kesler estimated the Pentagon would spend another $40 million over the next three weeks as NATO assumes full control of coalition operations from the United States and U.S. forces gradually reduce their presence.
"After that, if U.S. forces stay at the levels currently planned and the operations continues, we would incur added costs of about $40 million per month," she told AFP.
U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead said last week that the operational costs in Libya were negligible.
"Because we're not mobilizing or sending more forces forward, all of these are relatively minor increases in costs," he said, adding that the United States would easily replenish its stock of Tomahawk missiles, which currently counts 3,000 such munitions.

All F-35s Cleared To Resume Flight Tests

Faulty maintenance procedures were found to have caused the March 9 in-flight failure of the engine generators aboard an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, the program office said Friday night.

The first F-35C test aircraft comes in for a landing March 4. Grounded after a generator failure on another aircraft, the F-35C and all other Joint Strike Fighters now can resume flight operations. (Phaedra Loftis/Lockheed Martin via U.S. Navy)

Those procedures have now been revised, and the entire fleet of F-35s has been cleared to resume flight operations.

The problem was revealed when a U.S. Air Force F-35A test aircraft, numbered AF-4, suffered a failure of the generators during a test flight from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The test pilot was able to use the backup electrical generator to return safely to base.
In flight, the generator provides the aircraft's primary electrical power.
The configuration of the generator on AF-4 and other, newer F-35s was different than the original installation on the first test aircraft, and the problem was traced to the newer, or alternate, configuration. Test aircraft with the earlier configuration - three F-35As and four Marine Corps F-35Bs - were cleared on March 14 to resume flight operations.
Three other test aircraft - AF-4, BF-5 and CF-1, the first Navy F-35C - remained grounded, along with the first two low-rate initial production F-35As, while the investigation continued.
According to the program office, the investigation revealed that the maintenance procedure for the alternate engine starter/generator configuration allowed excess oil in the generator's lubrication system.
Even though previous procedures allowed a small amount of extra oil in the generator following servicing, extra oil churning inside a narrow air gap within the unit could cause internal temperatures to increase, the program office said. The high temperatures led to the generator failures.
The loss of flying time caused "no significant impact" to the flight test program or to production operations, the program office said Friday night, since the schedules are made up in anticipation of such delays. The Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy flight test programs "remain ahead of their monthly flight test schedules," according to the program office.
Under production by prime contractor Lockheed Martin, the JSF is being produced in three versions. The F-35A land-based strike fighter for the Air Force is undergoing testing at Edwards, while the F-35B short-takeoff-or-vertical-landing (VSTOL) version for the Marines and the F-35C carrier variant are being tested at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

Russia's Top General Says Libyan Air Strikes 'Failed'

MOSCOW - Russia's top general called air strikes in Libya unsuccessful on March 26 and gave his opinion that a ground operation would likely be needed to topple the Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
"Air (strikes) as I see it have not given them results," the chief of staff of Russia's armed forces, Gen. Nikolai Makarov told the Interfax news agency in Moscow.

"If their aim was to topple the regime of Gadhafi, then probably they will not manage without a ground phase," he was quoted as saying. "I would not rule it out."
He reaffirmed Russia's position that it would not take part in the international operation, saying that "there is not even any thought of this."
The general's comments came after Russia's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, warned on March 26 that any ground operation would be classified as an occupation of Libya.
Earlier this week, a Kremlin foreign policy adviser, Sergei Prikhodko, said Russia believed a ground operation would become inevitable if the air strikes got bogged down.
Russia abstained from last week's Security Council vote allowing a no-fly zone, while opting not to use its veto, and President Dmitry Medvedev has expressed concern about the "indiscriminate use of force."
Medvedev in a phone call on March 24 urged his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama to avoid civilian casualties and to limit the international operation to the wording of the U.N. resolution.
But in a rare rift, Medvedev publicly rebuked Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for using unacceptable language after the strongman premier harshly criticized the operation and compared it to a medieval call to crusades.

Israel to Deploy 'Iron Dome' Anti-Rocket System

ERUSALEM - Israel will deploy its "Iron Dome" multi-million-dollar missile defense system in southern Israel for the first time next week in the wake of rocket attacks from Gaza, officials said March 25.
"I authorized the army to deploy in the next few days the first battery of 'Iron Dome' for an operational trial," Defence Minister Ehud Barak said as he toured the tense Gaza Strip border.

The order comes after a spate of rocket fire by Gaza militants in recent days, some of them striking deep into Israel.
The deployment of the Iron Dome interceptor, designed to combat short-range rocket threats from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, has been delayed until now with officials saying operating crews needed more training and suggestions the system was prohibitively expensive.
The system, developed by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defence Systems with the help of U.S. funding, is designed to intercept rockets and artillery shells fired from a range of between four and 70 kilometres (three and 45 miles).
Each battery comprises detection and tracking radar, state-of-the-art fire control software and three launchers, each with 20 interceptor missiles, military sources said.
However, Barak said the deployment would be experimental and partial and complete protection could take years.
"The complete acquisition of Iron Dome will take a number of years, dependant on suitable funding," he said.
Militants in Gaza and those allied with Lebanon's Hezbollah militia have fired thousands of projectiles at Israel in the past.
The system will first be along the border of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, from where militants fired a daily barrage of home-made rockets prompting Israel to launch a devastating 22-day offensive in December 2008.
It will then be deployed along the Lebanese border, from where Hezbollah militants fired some 4,000 rockets into northern Israel during a 2006 war. It was that experience which prompted the development of Iron Dome.
Israel believes Hezbollah now has an arsenal of some 40,000 rockets.
In May, U.S. President Barack Obama asked Congress to give Israel 205 million dollars to develop the system, on top of the annual $3 billion Israel receives from Washington.
Iron Dome will join the Arrow long-range ballistic missile defense system in an ambitious multi-layered program to protect Israeli cities from rockets and missiles fired from Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, Syria and Iran.
A third system, known as David's Sling, it currently being developed with the aim of countering medium-range missiles.

Qatar Becomes First Arab State to Overfly Libya

DOHA - Qatari warplanes have flown over Libya, becoming the first Arab state to take part in military operations to enforce a no-fly zone under a U.N. resolution, its air force announced March 25.
The air force said an undisclosed number of planes had "overflown sister Libya as part of the international coalition" to enforce the no-fly zone imposed on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces "to protect civilians."

It did not specify a date for the start of Qatari operations nor a location for the first flights, in a brief statement carried by state news agency QNA.
But two Qatari Mirage jet fighters and a C-17 Globemaster transport plane landed on March 22 in Cyprus for refueling on their way to deployment. State television said they were headed for a U.S. air base on Crete.
The United Arab Emirates, like Qatar a key U.S. ally, said on March 24 it has committed six F-16 and six Mirage fighters to help enforce the no-fly zone over its fellow Arab country and that its flights would start "in the coming days."
The 22-member Arab League endorsed the no-fly zone before Western warplanes under Security Council Resolution 1973 launched attacks on the air defenses of Gadhafi's forces battling an armed revolt.
But with Arab states seen as slow to contribute, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said earlier this week that Washington expected "more announcements" of Arab participation in the days ahead.

al-Qaida Snatched Missiles in Libya: Chad President

PARIS - al-Qaeda's offshoot in North Africa has snatched surface-to-air missiles from an arsenal in Libya during the civil strife there, Chad's president said in an interview to be published March 28.
Idriss Deby Itno did not say how many were stolen, but told the African weekly Jeune Afrique that he was "100 percent sure" of his assertion.

"The Islamists of al-Qaida took advantage of the pillaging of arsenals in the rebel zone to acquire arms, including surface-to-air missiles, which were then smuggled into their sanctuaries in Tenere," a desert region of the Sahara that stretches from northeast Niger to western Chad, Deby said in the interview.
"This is very serious. AQIM (al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb) is becoming a genuine army, the best equipped in the region," he said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Chad's president backed the assertion by his neighbor and erstwhile enemy, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, that the protests in Libya have been driven in part by Al Qaeda.
"There is a partial truth in what he says," Deby said. "Up to what point? I don't know. But I am certain that AQIM took an active part in the uprising."
After years of tension between the two nations, which were at war during part of the 1980s, Deby has more recently maintained good relations with Gadhafi.
The Chadian leader described the international military intervention in Libya, launched a week ago by the United States, France and Britain, as a "hasty decision."
"It could have heavy consequences for the stability of the region and the spread of terrorism in Europe, the Mediterranean and the rest of Africa," he cautioned.
Deby denied assertions that mercenaries had been recruited in Chad to fight for Kadhafi, though some of the several thousand Chad nationals in Libya may have joined the fight "on their own."
AQIM originated as an armed Islamist resistance movement to the secular Algerian government.
Today, it operates mainly in Algeria, Mauritania, Mali and Niger, where it has attacked military targets and taken civilian hostages.

Turkey Probes Foiled Traffic in Pistols to Yemen

ANKARA - Turkey's foreign ministry announced March 25 that a probe had begun into a bid to smuggle 16,000 pistols from Turkey to Yemen which was foiled by police in Dubai.
"An investigation into this affair is being carried out in coordination with all the competent authorities," a ministry statement said, a day after Dubai's police announced the seizure of the weapons and the arrest of six suspects.

"This attempt to transfer weapons is not based on any permit delivered by our official authorities," added the statement, which noted that Turkey imposes strict regulations on the export of arms to conflict zones.
"It is not possible to authorize such an export, which could lead to the further loss of human life in Yemen," where the government in Sanaa has faced mounting protests in the past two months, the statement said.
On March 24, the Dubai police announced that they had seized the consignment of pistols made in Turkey, which were apparently destined for Saada in northern Yemen, the stronghold of Shiite rebels.
Six Arab residents of the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a member, were arrested in connection with the affair. The pistols were concealed in a container of furniture.
The arms seizure comes amid mounting protests in Yemen against the regime of President Ali Abdallah Saleh, which are part of the wave of revolt that has swept some Arab nations since Tunisia's president was ousted in January.

Germany Shifts AWACS Troops From Libya Ops

BONN - The German parliament voted March 25 to approve the deployment of up to 300 soldiers to support NATO's AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) planes over Afghanistan.
The Bundestag vote, by a tally of 407-113, followed Germany's abstention from the U.N. Security Council's vote on March 17 to establish a no-fly zone over Libya. Germany will not take part in military missions in Libya.

"Because we have decided this, we have therefore [decided] to withdraw our mission as part of AWACS" aircraft that are operating in the Mediterranean, said Secretary of State Guido Westerwelle.
This move is a sign that Germany will not be neutral and does not want to endanger its allies in Libya, he said. Without the German presence in Afghanistan, NATO would not have been able to operate its AWACS planes in the Mediterranean, he said.
Germany withdrew its naval vessels from alliance operations in the Mediterranean a couple of days ago, after NATO decided to enforce a weapons embargo against Libya. A frigate, a minehunter and a reconnaissance vessel with about 300 sailors are still in the Mediterranean, but now under national command.
The AWACS mandate is scheduled to run until Jan. 31, 2012, and as long as there is a mandate of the U.N. Security Council.

French Willing to Assume Command of Libyan Air Ops

PARIS - France is capable of providing the command and control for the multinational military forces ranged against Libya in support of U.N. resolution 1973, which is aimed at protecting the civilian population and enforcing a no-fly zone, a French defense spokesman said.

A French Rafale jet fighter prepares to land March 21 at the aerial military base of Solenzara in Corsica. (Stephan Agostini / AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. authorities provide the command structure that coordinates national contributions, and American officials have said they would like to hand over the command to the allies leading the European effort, namely Britain and France.

Asked if France has the means for assuming the command role, Army Col. Thierry Burkhard, spokesman for the Joint Staff, told the daily briefing on French operations in Libya, "France has the means."
Each country proposes its military capabilities in the Libyan theater and the U.S. command structure "deconflicts" them, deputy Defense Ministry spokesman Philippe Pontiès said.
Any NATO involvement in the command structure would be in a "support" role, Pontiès said.
France opposes the command function being assumed by NATO, which French officials view as highly bureaucratic, daily Le Monde reported.
The U.S. Ramstein base in Germany has the most extensive facilities for the command mission, French Defense Ministry spokesman Laurent Teissere told journalists.
On the third day of air operations over Libya, dubbed Operation Harmattan, the French Air Force had flown more than 55 sorties and over 400 hours, Burkhard said. The aircraft did not fire on the third day, he said.
Amid international concern over the bombardment of Libya over the weekend by coalition forces, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé said March 21 that the allies' action had prevented a "bloodbath" in Benghazi by saving civilian lives in the city.
Some 20 aircraft had flown on March 22 to enforce the no-fly zone, as Rafale and Mirage 2000 jets patrolled the skies over Benghazi, flying air superiority missions and threatening ground strikes against Libyan Army armor. They were supported by in-flight refueling tankers and airborne warning and control systems aircraft. The Corsican airbase of Solenzara has become the base for those combat aircraft.
As announced, the Charles de Gaulle carrier and its task force would arrive on station off the Libyan coast on March 22, and its fleet of Rafales and Super Etendard fighters would be operational over Libya "as of tomorrow," a French defense spokesman said.

Putin Announces Doubling of Missile Production

MOSCOW - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said March 21 that Russia will double production of missile systems beginning in 2013 as the government plans to spend $2.7 billion to launch their serial production until 2020.
"New missile weapons, strategic and tactical, such as Yars, Bulava and Iskander-M, will enter service, and beginning in 2013 the production output of missile systems should effectively double," Putin said.

Speaking in Votkinsk at a government meeting dedicated to the $670 billion 2011-2020 state arms procurement program, Putin added that the local Votkinsk plant will get $340 million for its modernization within the next three years. Other companies involved in the same production chain with the Votkinsk plant will get $190 million to upgrade their equipment in the next three years, the prime minister said.
The Votkinsk plant, launched in the Volga region Udmurtia republic in 1984, produces the Topol-M, Yars and Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are expected to remain the core of Russia's strategic nuclear forces for decades ahead.
Putin, who visited the plant March 21, called it "the most key one in the whole industry," adding that it will enjoy guaranteed state defense orders.
Under the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty between Russia and the United States, which went into effect in February, both countries should have up to 1,550 nuclear warheads and 700 deployed launchers. According to the official disclosure, Russia now has more than 4,000 nuclear warheads and over 800 deployed launchers.

UAE Says Role in Libya Limited to Aid

ABU DHABI - The United Arab Emirates said on March 21 that its involvement in Libya is limited to humanitarian assistance, after reports that it would send warplanes to patrol a U.N.-backed no-fly zone.
The UAE's "role in Libya is strictly confined to delivery of humanitarian assistance," a statement on official WAM news agency said.

Italian news agency ANSA had reported that planes from the UAE were expected to arrive at an Italian air force base March 20 to take part in operations over Libya.
An international coalition has carried out air and missile strikes on forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya to stop government forces crushing a popular uprising.
The UAE, along with Jordan, Morocco and Qatar, was among the Arab nations which took part in a summit in Paris on March 19 on the Libyan crisis.

Turkey Irked by Libya Air Strikes, Seeks NATO Clarification

ANKARA - Turkey criticized on March 21 the Western-led coalition air strikes on Libya and said it was awaiting clarification on a possible role for NATO in the operation.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, whose country is NATO's sole Muslim-majority member, criticized the way the coalition force that began bombing Libya at the weekend was formed following the U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire and authorizing a no-fly zone.

"There is a certain procedure under international law for the formation of such coalitions. We do not believe that this procedure was sufficiently observed," he told reporters.
He stressed the international community's objective in Libya should be "not to launch of a large-scale war" similar to those in Afghanistan and Iraq but "to provide humanitarian aid, stop the escalation of fighting through an arms embargo and prevent clashes through a no-fly zone."
At a meeting in Brussels on March 20, Turkey effectively delayed a NATO decision on possible action in Libya as it called for a review of existing plans and stressed that civilians must be protected.
"We asked very legitimate questions and it was not an effort to hinder anything," Davutoglu said of the March 20 meeting.
"Those are questions about principles, about how operations under U.N. leadership should be carried out and how consultations should take place within NATO... There will be another session today to answer those questions," he said, referring to a meeting in Brussels later March 21
The minister stressed that any contribution that Turkey might offer would be aimed "at laying the ground for peace, stability (in Libya) and lasting Turkish-Libyan friendship."
Earlier, Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul said Ankara was perplexed by France's leadership in the air strikes, Anatolia news agency reported.
"It does not seem quite possible for us to understand France's being so much at the forefront in this action. We have difficulties in understanding (its action) as if it is the implementer of the UN resolution," Gonul was quoted as saying.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was to discuss the situation with U.S. President Barack Obama in a telephone call later March 21 when he returns from a visit to Saudi Arabia, Davutoglu said.
Erdogan has voiced hope the ongoing military operations will be over "as quickly as possible".

U.N. Security Council to Meet on Libya: Diplomats

UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council will hold a closed door meeting on Libya March 21, diplomats said, amid rising international criticism of air strikes directed at the regime of Moammar Gadhafi.
Missile and air strikes launched over the weekend by U.S., British and French forces targeted Libyan air defense systems to impose a no fly zone on Gadhafi's forces, and on March 20 demolished a building in the Libyan leader's compound.

The Libyan foreign ministry, in a statement over the weekend, demanded an emergency session of the Security Council "following the French-American-British aggression against Libya, an independent state and member of the United Nations."
"The member states are going to study this demand and make a pronouncement," said a diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
As it will be a closed door session, Libya was unlikely to be represented in the discussions, a diplomat said.
The Security Council passed a resolution on March 17 authorizing the use of "all necessary measures" to protect civilians and impose the no-fly zone after Gadhafi's forces appeared on the verge of crushing a month-long rebellion.
But on March 20, the Arab League's Secretary General Amr Mussa expressed misgivings about the air strikes, even though the 22-member Arab body on March 12 called for a no fly zone and declared that Gadhafi had lost his legitimacy.
"What has happened in Libya differs from the goal of imposing a no-fly zone and what we want is the protection of civilians and not bombing other civilians," Mussa told reporters.
"From the start we requested only that a no-fly zone be set up to protect Libyan civilians and avert any other developments or additional measures," he added.
Mussa later said his comments had been misinterpreted but Germany, which along with four other members of the Security Council abstained from voting on the resolution, pointed his apparent second thoughts as vindication of its reservations.
"We calculated the risks, and when we see that three days after this intervention began, the Arab League has already criticized this intervention, I think we see we had good reasons," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwell said March 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 21 slammed the resolution as "a medieval call to crusade" and testament to the U.S. tendency to use force against Third World countries.
"The resolution by the Security Council, of course, is defective and flawed," Russian news agencies quoted Putin as telling workers on a visit to a missile factory.
"I am concerned about the ease with which the decision to use force was taken," he said.
Russia, China, Germany, Brazil and India all abstained from the resolution authorizing the use of force.

Britain Seeks Parliament's Support for Libya Attacks

LONDON - British Prime Minister David Cameron will seek support from parliament March 21 for military action in Libya, as ministers and military chiefs appeared at odds over targeting Moammar Gadhafi himself.
The House of Commons is expected to vote strongly in support of the intervention, which has so far seen two nights of British air and sea attacks as part of an international assault against the Libyan leader's forces.

Cameron has the support of his Conservative party and their Liberal Democrat coalition partners, as well as the opposition Labour party.
But questions are likely to be asked about the aim of the strikes, which are intended to implement a U.N. Security Council resolution on a ceasefire and a no-fly zone to protect civilians from Gadhafi's troops.
The defense minister suggested Gadhafi himself would be a legitimate target, but the head of the armed forces flatly denied this.
The lack of Arab involvement in the first wave of air strikes, despite the Arab League's support for the U.N. resolution, has also sparked concern and provoked comparisons with the U.S.-led 2003 war in Iraq.
In addition, Cameron will probably face questions about the risk of Britain being drawn into a ground war, although he has insisted there will be no ground invasion of Libya.
Acutely aware of the controversies in Britain's involvement in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the prime minister has consistently argued that his first military action since taking office in May last year is "necessary, legal and right".
But confusion has emerged over the goals of the mission.
When asked by the BBC Sunday whether British forces could legitimately target Gadhafi, Defence Secretary Liam Fox said "that would potentially be a possibility", although he warned of the potential risk to civilians.
U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates slapped down his comments, telling reporters as he travelled to Russia that it would be "unwise" to have coalition forces try to kill Gadhafi.
But Foreign Secretary William Hague refused to rule out the option March 21, saying: "I'm not going to speculate on the targets... that depends on the circumstances at the time."
Hague had previously said "the resolution is not about regime change", saying that while Britain wanted to see Gadhafi leave power, "what we will do militarily is to enforce the United Nations resolution".
Meanwhile the head of the British military, Gen. David Richards, said Gadhafi was "absolutely not" a target, as the U.N. resolution did not allow it.
British forces bombarded Libyan targets for a second night March 20, launching Tomahawk missiles from a submarine in the Mediterranean. A Tornado air strike was aborted at the last minute because of fears that civilians would be hit.
Ministers have denied reports from Tripoli that civilians were being killed in the international assault.
Military spokesman Maj. Gen. John Lorimer told reporters March 21 that the attacks had been "highly effective in degrading Libyan air defenses and command and control capability".
Cameron has said repeatedly that there will be no British invasion of the Libya and rejected any comparisons with the Iraq war, noting that the current action was to implement a U.N. resolution backed by the Arab League.
Despite criticism from Arab League secretary general Amr Mussa at the weekend that the air strikes went beyond the U.N. resolution, Cameron's spokesman said the premier had spoken to Mussa on March 21 and believed they were "on the same page" on Libya.
Some British lawmakers remain skeptical about the mission, however.
"What I feel is missing here is any assessment of what the implications are," said Jeremy Corbyn, a left-wing Labour lawmaker who opposes the assault.
He told Sky News: "Maybe some way out for Gadhafi is a good thing. But what is happening now is bombing. Civilians are going to get injured, and at some point they are going to say they want boots on the ground."

Middle East Boils with Libya Strikes, Yemen on Brink

SANAA - The Middle East boiled March 21 after fresh air strikes in Libya, a mass protest in Syria and Yemen on the brink after top generals backed protesters battling to overthrow President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Tanks took up positions in key locations across Yemen's capital Sanaa including at the presidential palace, the central bank and the ministry of defense, but it was unclear what their orders were or who was in command.

In the first of a series of body blows to Saleh's authority, Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, commander of the Northwest Military District which includes Sanaa, announced he had joined the "revolution."
"The crisis is getting more complicated and it's pushing the country towards violence and civil war," the general said in a statement.
"According to what I'm feeling, and according to the feelings of my partner commanders and soldiers... I announce our support and our peaceful backing to the youth revolution.
"We are going to fulfill our duties in preserving security and stability."
Ahmar was followed by fellow generals Mohammed Ali Mohsen, the Eastern Military district chief, Nasser Ali Shuaybi in Hadramawt province and Faisal Rajab in the southern province of Lahij.
Dozens of officers of various ranks went to the tent city near Sanaa University, where demonstrators have kept vigil since Feb. 21 in spite of a wave of attacks, and publicly pledged to support the revolution.
The deputy speaker of parliament, Himyar al-Ahmar, and the governor of the key southern province of Aden, Ahmed Qaatabi, also resigned in protest at the treatment of demonstrators.
Sadiq al-Ahmar, who leads the Hashid tribal federation, the largest in deeply tribal Yemen and a crucial source of Saleh's power, told Al-Jazeera it was time for the embattled president to make a "quiet exit."
The defections came a day after Saleh sacked his cabinet in a bid to placate opposition calls for sweeping reforms in the key U.S. ally.
The regime has already lost the support of religious leaders and been weakened by the resignations of ministers, ambassadors and a host of ruling party MPs, but Saleh has refused to stand down until his term ends in 2013.
He said March 21 the majority of the people were behind him.
His regime was internationally condemned after more than 50 people were killed when loyalist gunmen opened fire March 18 on protesters in Sanaa's University Square, the centre of the pro-democracy movement.
The defection of top military officers to the opposition is likely to complicate Washington's support for Saleh, whom it sees as a pillar of stability in a volatile country and a partner in the war against Al-Qaeda.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, speaking in Cairo on March 21, strongly condemned the use of live ammunition against demonstrators in Yemen, and repeated international calls for dialogue and restraint.
In Syria thousands marched for the fourth straight day in the southern town of Daraa, after the funeral of a protester killed in the previous day's demonstration when security forces opened fire, a resident said.
"Just God, Syria and Freedom," and "Revolution, revolution" chanted the demonstrators, according to the resident who said security forces used tear gas and made several arrests in a bid to break up the protest.
The protesters, who have been inspired by regime-changing revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, are demanding "freedom" and an end to 48 years of emergency laws in Syria under President Bashar al-Assad and his father Hafez.
In Libya, Western forces launched new air strikes overnight, flattening a building in leader Moammar Gadhafi's Tripoli compound, while the Arab League reaffirmed its backing for a no-fly zone over the revolt-hit country authorized by the United Nations.
Gadhafi's troops retreated 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the insurgents' capital of Benghazi after fierce strafing by coalition aircraft destroyed much of their armor, but beat off a rebel advance on their new positions in the town of Ajdabiya.
Gadhafi's regime accused the coalition forces of violating a ceasefire which the military announced late Sunday, only to be accused by the United States promptly accused Tripoli of lying or of breaching the truce immediately.
Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa said in Cairo on March 21 he fully supported U.N. Resolution 1973, adding that his comments the previous day that the air strikes exceeded the UN mandate had been "misinterpreted."
Mussa said his earlier criticism had been motivated by concerns about civilians being caught up in the coalition strikes, as Arab governments did not want to see more deaths in Libya.
Ban, speaking at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, said, "It is important that the international community speak with one voice" to implement the resolution."
But Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin slammed the U.N. resolution - which Moscow declined to veto at the Security Council - as a "medieval call to crusade" on March 21 and hit out at Washington for its readiness to resort to force.
In a fourth regional hotspot, Bahrain's King Hamad said the monarchy had foiled a "foreign plot" against Gulf countries, "prepared over a period of 30, maybe 20 years."
He was speaking to officers of a Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council force invited into Bahrain last week ahead of a crackdown on pro-democracy protests in the Shiite-majority country that is ruled by a Sunni dynasty.
Tension has heightened between Bahrain and its Shiite neighbor Iran, which has seen tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats.

Spanish Fighter Jets Carry Out Patrols Over Libya

MADRID - Two Spanish F-18 fighter jets staged their first sorties over Libya on Monday to enforce a U.N.-mandated no-fly zone, the defense ministry said.
"The two planes are taking part in the mission by the international coalition to enforce the no-fly zone established by the United Nations over Libyan airspace," it said in a statement.

Spain sent a total of four F-18 fighter jets and a refueling aircraft to the Italian base of Decimomannu on the island of Sardinia to take part in the operation over Libya.
An F-100 frigate, an S-74 submarine and a CN-235 maritime surveillance plane will also be deployed by Spain to help enforce an arms embargo on Libya.
Around 500 Spanish troops will eventually be involved in the operation.
Spain also announced on Friday it would allow NATO to use two military bases, at Rota and at Moron de la Frontera in the south of the country, for the operation over Libya.

Coalition Against Gadhafi Growing

Overall direction of the extended, multi-national effort to enforce a United Nations-mandated no-fly zone over Libya is not yet clear. While the U.S. is leading military operations, several key NATO partners are also involved in combat operations which began March 19.

One of about 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched by coalition forces against Libyan government targets March 19 rises from the U.S. destroyer Barry. (Interior Communications Electrician Fireman Roderick Eubanks / U.S. Navy)

"The U.S. is militarily in the lead," Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, director of the U.S. Joint Staff, said at a March 20 Pentagon briefing, but the goal is to shift to a coalition-led leadership structure.

"We do not know when we'll be ready to do that and we don't yet know what that structure will be," he told reporters.
The immediate goal of the combat operations is not to oust Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, but to protect civilians with the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya's northern regions, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said while making the rounds of Sunday-morning talk shows,
U.S. forces gathered to conduct military operations against Libya are organized under U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), commanded by Army Gen. Carter Ham from his headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. Adm. Samuel Locklear is in tactical command of Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn aboard the flagship Mount Whitney in the Mediterranean. Locklear is triple-hatted as commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe, U.S. Naval Forces Africa and of the Allied Joint Force Command, headquartered in Naples, Italy.
British Major Gen. John Lorimer described the command structure at a morning briefing March 20. "This operation is currently under U.S. command, supported closely by French and U.K. armed forces. AFRICOM is the supported Combatant Command, and U.K. has liaison officers and staff embedded at every level," Lorimer said.
A French defense ministry source told Agence France-Presse March 20 that coalition members conducting air strikes on Libyan targets are coordinating their actions but there is no central command organizing the attacks.
"There is no centralized headquarters and at this stage everyone is using their own headquarters in a coordinated manner," the French source said.
The French are operating out of Mont Verdun, near Lyon in the east of the country, where the air force has its chief air defense control center. The British headquarters are at Northwood, in the suburbs of London, and those of the United States at Ramstein in southwest Germany. The American HQ has the "greater planning capacity," the French source said.
He added that there were "exchanges of staff between the three HQs," in particular between Mont Verdun and Ramstein, and a "definition of command structures as the deployment takes place."
The purpose of Operation Odyssey Dawn, according to AFRICOM, "is to enforce U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973, which is centered on protecting Libyan citizens from any further harm from Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime."

First Strikes 'Effective'

Forces from the U.S., France, Italy, Canada and the United Kingdom were involved in the initial operations and strikes on Libya on March 19, which included the launch of at least 110 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles from U.S. surface ships and submarines and one British submarine.
Gortney said on March 20 that more Tomahawks had been launched since then, bringing the total to 124.
Combat aircraft from the U.S., U.K., and France took part in the first strikes on Libyan targets. Many of the aircraft are operating from at least seven air bases in southern Italy.
The first strikes were aimed at Libya's air defense systems, including SA-2, SA-3 and SA-5 surface-to-air guided missiles, and their guidance radars.
"We judge these strikes to have been very effective in degrading their systems," Gortney said. "There has been no new air activity by the regime," he said. "The fixed missiles, SA-2, 3 and 5, and early warning radars have been taken down and we do not see them emitting."
Further strikes were conducted March 20 against Libyan government forces about 10 miles south of Benghazi, Gortney said. While battle reports are still coming in, "we judge those strikes at having been quite successful at halting ground movement."
"Benghazi is certainly not safe from attack but is certainly safer than yesterday," he added.
The attacks were carried out by U.S., British and French strike aircraft, Gortney said, supported by U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft flying from land bases.
Strikes were also conducted against the Ghadrabiya air base, a joint military and civilian facility, Gortney said. U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers using joint direct attack munitions (JDAMs) took on the mission, flown from their base at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, he added. A number of military targets at the base were destroyed, he said.
There were no indications of civilian casualties, Gortney said.
The Libyan government has claimed that at least 48 people have died in the assaults.
Libyan leader Gadhafi is not a target.
"At this point I can guarantee that he is not on a targeting list," Gortney said.
No coalition aircraft have been lost, he noted.
Coalition forces are not now targeting mobile anti-aircraft sites, Gortney, said, including SA-6 and SA-8 mobile missile launchers or the many hand-held SA-7 missile launchers, nor are anti-aircraft guns being directly targeted.
"There are so many mobile guns that it's better to avoid them," he explained.
Gortney would not answer questions about specific nations allowing coalition aircraft to operate from their bases or about overflight issues.
Gadhafi's call for a cease fire garnered little respect from Gortney.
"I question anything that Gadhafi calls for," Gortney said. "He moved troops into Benghazi after he called for a cease fire."
Gortney noted growing support for the coalition operations.
"Shortly before I came, in here the Arab League endorsed our enforcement of the no-fly zone," he said.

Coalition Growing

The coalition supporting the no-fly zone against Libya is growing, Gortney said, and is not limited.
"We'll take as many coalition partners as will commit to do this with us," he said. "We have many nations that are waiting to announce themselves."
More forces from the first five countries are en route to the region, and several other nations have joined the coalition or appear about to join.
Here is a country-by-country breakdown of the forces as of March 20:

UNITED STATES

· Submarines Providence, Scranton and Florida launching Tomahawks.
· Destroyers Barry and Stout launching Tomahawks.
· Amphibious assault ships Kearsarge and Ponce, carrying Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).
· Command ship Mount Whitney.
· Support ships Lewis and Clark, Robert E. Peary and Kanawha.
· U.S. Navy aircraft include EA-18G Growler electronic air warfare aircraft, at least four P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and one EP-3E Aries electronic surveillance aircraft, all flying from land bases in the Mediterranean. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jets are operating from the Kearsarge.
· Air Force aircraft include B-2 stealth bombers flying from Missouri and F-15 and F-16 fighters from unspecified bases.
· The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group will deploy from Norfolk,Va., on March 23 ahead of schedule to support Odyssey Dawn operations. The group includes the amphibious ships Bataan, Mesa Verde and Whidbey Island carrying the 22nd MEU.

FRANCE

· Aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle left its base at Toulon March 20 en route to waters off Libya. De Gaulle is carrying 20 aircraft, including Rafale and Super Etendard strike fighters, and is escorted by the destroyers Dupleix and Forbin, frigate Aconit, oiler La Meuse, and an unnamed nuclear attack submarine.
· Destroyer Jean Bart already on the scene.
· French land-based strike aircraft spearheaded the March 19 attacks on Libya.

ITALY

· Destroyer Andrea Doria Frigate Euro Support ship Etna As of early March 20, more ships were to be en route from Italy: Destroyer Francesco Mimbelli; frigate Fenice; patrol ships Libra and Sirio; amphibious ships San Giorgio and San Marco.
· At least 4 Tornado strike aircraft and 4 other combat aircraft are available.

CANADA

· Frigate Charlottetown Six CF-18 Hornet strike fighters Canada's forces are operating as part of Operation Mobile.

UNITED KINGDOM

· Unnamed Trafalgar-class nuclear attack submarine launching Tomahawks.
· Frigates Westminster and Cumberland.
· Typhoon and Tornado strike aircraft operating from Gioia del Colle air base in southern Italy. Tornado GR4s with Storm Shadow cruise missiles took place in the initial strikes on March 19, flying from the Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Marham in Norfolk, eastern England. Agence France-Presse reported the aircraft conducted four mid-air refueling operations during the 3,000-mile, eight-hour mission, the longest Royal Air Force bombing mission since the 1982 Falklands war. The British effort against Libya is dubbed Operation Ellamy.
· Additionally, E3-D Sentry, Sentinel and Tristar surveillance aircraft and VC-10 aerial tankers are operating.

BELGIUM

· Six F-16 fighters to be ready for operations March 21.

DENMARK

· Six F-16 fighters and a transport are operating from Sigonella air base on Sicily.

QATAR

· Four combat aircraft reportedly are in operation by March 20.

SPAIN

· Four F-18 strike fighters are operating from Decimomannu air base on the Italian island of Sardinia.
· One aerial tanker and one CN-235 maritime surveillance plane.
· A submarine and frigate are to deploy this week pending parliamentary approval, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

· Strike aircraft are reported en route to Decimomannu air base.
The U.S. aircraft carrier Enterprise, which recently passed through the Mediterranean, is now in the Arabian Sea conducting air operations over Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.
Compiled from reports from U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Navy, British Ministry of Defence, Canadian Forces, Agence France-Presse and Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Qatar Sending Fighter Jets to Help Enforce Libya No-Fly Zone

PARIS – Qatar is to send four Mirage 2000 fighter jets to contribute to operations enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya and to protect civilians, the French ministry of defense spokesman said March 20.
The Qatari military participation came amid reports of criticism by the Arab League of the British and U.S. cruise missile attacks against Libyan air defense targets March 19.

"I would like to draw your attention to an absolutely crucial point in the overall measures, in line with an announcement by the Qatari authorities: the deployment decided by Qatar of four aircraft in the zone in order to participate in the operations," Laurent Teisseire told a press conference.
"This illustrates the Arab participation in this international operation of protection of civilian population," Teisseire said.
The announcement of the Qatari deployment came on a second day of French operations over Libyan airspace, aimed at denying Tripoli the use of air superiority and armor against the resistance based in Benghazi.
Qatar operates French-built Mirage 2000 aircraft, Teisseire said. As France is a longstanding strategic defense partner of Qatar, Paris has decided to deploy on the same territory as Qatar a certain number of aircraft in order to operate jointly with the Qatari Air Force, he said.
Privately, a French defense executive guessed the Qatari Mirages would fly to France and operate out of the French air force base 126 at Solenzara, on the island of Corsica.
The French Air Force is expected to operate increasingly from Solenzara.
Asked why the American and British forces did not hit the Libyan air defenses before the French jets flew into the operational area, Teisseire said: "If the joint staffs acted in this way together, it was because they together thought it was the right way to go.
"The actions were coordinated. The French aircraft were in the zone and completed a first mission in the face of an acknowledged threat to the civilian population," he said.
"The strikes came a few hours after by our American and British partners. The results were achieved, that's what is important," he said.
The spokesman for the Joint Staff, Army Col. Thierry Burkhard said French warplanes destroyed four Libyan armored vehicles on March 19.
Some 15 French Air Force aircraft flew missions March 20 to maintain the no-fly zone and provide ground strike capabilities, Burkhard said. One of the patrols included a reconnaissance mission by two Rafales, one equipped with the Reco NG intelligence gathering pod, intended to assess the damage of the Tomahawk cruise missile strikes by the British and U.S. forces, he said.
There were no reports of the French aircraft firing on Libyan targets, which Teisseire said showed the protective measures were working.
Work, meanwhile, is going on to build an integrated command structure among the allies, who have up to now coordinated their actions but have operated on a national basis, Teisseire said.
As announced, the Charles de Gaulle carrier left Toulon March 20, and would take on board its Fleet Air Arm consisting of eight Rafales and six Super Etendard fighters, two Dauphin helicopters and two Hawkeye surveillance aircraft. For combat search and rescue, two Caracal and one Puma helicopter would also be shipped onboard.
Burkhard said the carrier and its task force had deployed as rapidly as possible, in view of the ship's return on Feb. 22 from a deployment in the Indian Ocean, providing support for the Afghan campaign.
On the cruise missile strikes, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said, "What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians," the BBC reported.
Teisseire said that in accordance with the Security Council resolution 1973, the allies had to notify all military actions to the U.N. Secretary General and the Arab League.

Western, Arab Warplanes Converge on Italy for Libya Mission

ROME - Western and Arab warplanes were converging on Italy's air bases March 20 to join the international campaign to cripple the ability of Moammar Gadhafi's forces to attack Libyan civilians.
France, which spearheaded the U.N.-mandated Operation "Odyssey Dawn" with air strikes on Libya on March 19, also sent its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to join the campaign on March 20.

The French Navy's flagship set off from the southern French naval port of Toulon at about 1:10 p.m. and was expected to reach the Libyan coast within 48 hours.
Meanwhile aircraft from the United Arab Emirates were due to arrive March 20 at the Decimomannu air force base on the Italian island of Sardinia, which is already hosting four Spanish F-18 fighter jets that arrived on March 19.
The UAE, along with Jordan, Morocco and Qatar, was among Arab nations that took part in a summit in Paris on March 19 on the Libyan crisis.
The Italian air bases are a key staging point for strikes by Western-led coalition forces to destroy Libya's air defenses and impose a no-fly zone to prevent Gadhafi's forces from crushing a popular uprising.
Italian Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa said Rome also assigned eight combat aircraft, including four Tornado jets, for the operation and they can be used "at any time".
And British Defence Secretary Liam Fox said Typhoon and Tornado jets would fly this weekend to the Gioia del Colle air base in southern Italy, where they will be ready to deploy as part of the mission dubbed "Operation Ellamy".
Six Danish F-16 fighters were also ready to take off from Italy's Sigonella air base March 20 to join Odyssey Dawn which saw U.S., British and French forces hammer Libyan forces from the air and sea.
In the West's biggest intervention in the Arab world since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, mounted exactly eight years earlier, U.S. warships and a British submarine fired more than 120 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya on March 19.
This prompted Gadhafi to warn March 20 of a long war in the Mediterranean "battlefield" as Tripoli reported dozens of deaths.
Belgium said March 20 six of its F-16 fighter-bombers would be operational Monday for the Libya mission.
"We will be able to take part in operations under the command of the coalition from tomorrow," said Defense Minister Pieter de Crem, who added that 250 people would be assigned to support the six aircraft and their pilots.
In addition to its four F-18 fighter jets, Spain sent a refueling aircraft to Italy and said it would also deploy an F-100 frigate, an S-74 submarine and a CN-235 maritime surveillance plane to help enforce an arms embargo on Libya, once parliamentary approval has been received.
Spain had already announced on March 18 it would allow NATO to use two military bases, at Rota and at Moron de la Frontera in the south of the country, for the operation over Libya.
The U.N. Security Council last week passed a resolution approving "all necessary measures" to impose a no-fly zone in Libya, protect civilian areas and pressure Gadhafi into accepting a ceasefire.
The Security Council last month also ordered an arms embargo against Libya and other sanctions against Gadhafi's family.

France Sends Aircraft Carrier to Join Libya Campaign

PARIS - France sent its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to Libya on March 20 to bolster the West's air campaign against Moammar Gadhafi's forces.
The French Navy's flagship set off from the southern naval port of Toulon at 1210 GMT, with 20 warplanes, most them Rafale and older Super Etendard combat jets, as well as helicopters and two E-2 Hawkeye surveillance aircraft.

Tugs pulled it from the wharf as dozens of onlookers watched it depart.
"The aircraft carrier is 24 hours by sea from the Libyan coast but will take 36 to 48 hours to get there, to take the time to load on the fighter jets that will participate in the operations and to hold some landing exercises," a military source said.
The aircraft carrier was to be escorted by three frigates - the anti-submarine Duplex, the anti-air Forbin and the multi-mission stealth Aconit - and the oil tanker La Meuse, military officials said.
The French naval group was to be protected by a nuclear attack submarine, they added.
French warplanes also continued sorties over Libya early March 20 as part the West's biggest intervention in the Arab world since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Saturday, French jets spearheaded the West's assault with four air strikes in Libya, destroying several armored vehicles of forces loyal to the embattled Libyan strongman.
Those strikes came before U.S. warships and a British submarine fired at least 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya against Gadhafi's anti-aircraft missiles and radar batteries.
The intervention was mandated by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 which authorized the use of force to protect Libyan civilians from attacks by Gadhafi loyalists.
Gadhafi, in a brief audio message on Saturday night also broadcast on state television, fiercely denounced the attacks as a "barbaric, unjustified Crusaders' aggression."
He vowed retaliatory strikes on military and civilian targets in the Mediterranean, which he said had been turned into a "real battlefield.

China Regrets Multinational Air Strikes in Libya

BEIJING - China expressed regret on March 20 over the multinational air strikes in Libya, saying in a foreign ministry statement that it opposed the use of force in international relations.
"China has noted the latest developments in Libya and expresses regret over the military attacks on Libya," the statement said.

Russia also issued a similarly worded statement in which it called for a ceasefire as soon as possible.
China's statement made no mention of a ceasefire and stressed that China respected the North African country's "sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity".
"We hope Libya can restore stability as soon as possible and avoid further civilian casualties due to an escalation of armed conflict," it added.
Multinational forces led by France and Britain began bombarding Libya with missiles from air and sea on March 19 to enforce a United Nations-mandated no-fly zone and protection of rebels from Moammar Gadhafi's forces.
China and Russia were the most prominent voices in opposition to military action in Libya within the 15-member United Nations Security Council.
However, neither blocked the U.N. resolution authorizing the operation, abstaining in the Security Council vote on the issue rather than using their veto power.
France and Britain had led the demands for a no-fly zone, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy wrote to the heads of state or government of all the other council members seeking urgent backing for the measure.
China said earlier it abstained after having taken into account "the concerns and positions of Arab countries and the African Union, as well as the current special circumstances in Libya", without elaborating further.
China, which faces frequent foreign criticism over its own human rights record and treatment of restive minority groups, consistently opposes moves deemed as interfering in the affairs of other countries.
"China has always opposed the use of force in international relations," Sunday's statement said, adding that Beijing supported the spirit and principles of the U.N. Charter, without elaborating.
China's leaders have watched with concern as a mix of issues ranging from the economy to corruption - and a lack of democracy - sparked popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and elsewhere in the Arab world.
Premier Wen Jiabao last week rejected any comparison to the situation in the Middle East and North Africa with China.
Nonetheless, leading web censors have blocked results for "Egypt" and other terms that could be related to the uprisings, for instance on the popular web portal sina.com.
It has also poured security forces into the streets in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities across the country in response to anonymous calls for weekly Sunday "strolling" rallies in major Chinese cities.
The calls have largely fizzled under the smothering police response, and no obvious protest actions have been reported.

France Deploys About 20 Aircraft to Enforce Libya No-Fly Zone

PARIS - A French warplane has fired on a Libyan military vehicle as France deployed some 20 aircraft to protect civilians and to enforce a U.N.-backed no-fly zone over Benghazi, the French spokesman for the Joint Staff said March 19.

A French Dassault Rafale multirole combat aircraft performs during the Aero India 2011 inauguration day at the Yelhanka Air Force station in Bangalore on Feb. 9. (Dibyangshu Sarkar/ AFP via Getty Images)

"Fire was opened at 17:45 on a military vehicle which was positively identified," Army Col. Thierry Burkard told a press conference. The exact type of vehicle was undisclosed.

This was the official report of an engagement by French combat aircraft, as the planes began patrolling Libyan airspace under U.N. Resolution 1973, adopted by the Security Council March 17.
"French Air Force air operations began this afternoon," defense ministry spokesman Laurent Teisseire said.
The U.N. resolution calls for enforcing a no-fly zone against Libyan aircraft and allows coalition aircraft to attack Libyan military vehicles used against civilians, Teisseire said.
The French air deployment would allow time for other coalition countries to gather their assets and to put in place a command structure, Burkhard said.
The air operations got under way as Western and Arab leaders gathered here for a summit meeting to discuss the Libyan crisis. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States had "unique capabilities" to help enforce the no-fly zone.
"As of now, our aircraft are preventing planes from attacking the town (Benghazi)," President Nicolazs Sarkozy said after the meeting. "As of now, other French aircraft are ready to intervene against tanks, armored vehicles threatening unarmed civilians."
Some 20 aircraft including strike and multirole versions of the Mirage 2000, Rafale, C-135 tankers, Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) spy planes and Transall transports were involved in the operations, which were under way as the press conference was being held, Burkhard said.
"The operations are still going on," he said.
The French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier was due to leave Toulon naval base on March 20 and its fleet of Rafale and Super Etendard fighters and Hawkeye surveillance aircraft were expected to be operational within 48 hours, French officials said.
The task force will include the Dupleix and Aconit frigates and the Meuse fleet auxiliary tanker.
The French defense ministry emphasized its speedy response, 48 hours after adoption of the U.N. resolution and the ability to project force in a complex air operation and in such volume.
The first combat aircraft, four Rafales, took off at 11 a.m. from Saint-Dizier-Robinson Air Base to assure the interception mission over Benghazi, an area of 150 km by 100 km. They were refueled in the air and directed by the AWACS aircraft, which flew from Avord air base. Two other Rafales flew reconnaissance missions, one equipped with the Reco NG intelligence gathering pod. Six C135 inflight refueling tankers from Istres air base took part in the operations.
Two Mirage 2000D fighter-bombers took off from Nancy air base, and two Mirage 2000-5 multirole aircraft flew from Dijon to perform ground strike and escort missions.
A patrol of two Rafales from Saint Dizier was equipped with the Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) smart bomb to provide close air support and also armed for air defense.
French Navy frigates Forbin and Jean Bart are sailing off the Libyan coast, providing support.

French Planes Stopping Air Strikes on Benghazi: Sarkozy

PARIS - French war planes are overflying Benghazi, preventing Moamer Kadhafi's air strikes on the Libyan rebel bastion, and are ready to attack his tanks, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on March 19.
"In agreement with our partners, our air force will oppose any attack by Colonel Kadhafi's planes on the people of Benghazi. Our planes are already preventing air strikes on the city," Sarkozy said.

R

"Already other planes, French, are ready to intervene against tanks that might threaten unarmed civilians," he said after a summit drawing together international leaders to discuss what action to take on Libya.
"There's still time for Kadhafi to avoid the worst, by obeying without delay or reserve all the demands of the international community," Sarkozy said. "The door of diplomacy will reopen when the attacks end."
"Today we are intervening in Libya under a U.N. Security Council mandate," he said. "With our partners, notably our Arab partners, we will do so to protect the civilian population from the murderous folly of a regime that, by killing its own people, has lost all legitimacy."
"We are intervening to allow the Libyan people to themselves choose their destiny. They cannot be deprived of their rights through violence and terror," Sarkozy said.

Israel Navy Snags Another Smuggling Ship

tel aviv - The Israel Navy's seizure last week of Iranian C704 anti-ship missiles and other munitions marked the latest in the escalating, yet still indirect, tit-for-tat confrontations between Jerusalem and Tehran.
The nonviolent intercept of the Liberian-flagged Victoria container ship, and its estimated 50-ton concealed arms cache, occurred some 380 kilometers off Israel's southern coast. The incident again demonstrated the long arm of Israeli intelligence and Israel's readiness for maritime operations following the bloody, botched takeover of a Gaza-bound Turkish ship last May.

The successful seizure of Iranian weaponry - Israel's fourth in a decade - also was a sweet reward for security officials here, who stood by in frustration as the Iranian Navy tested the post-Mubarak Egyptian waters with its first Suez Canal passage in more than 30 years.
Israeli officials said the ship carrying Iranian-produced, Chinese-designed C704 missiles, 120mm mortars and other munitions was headed for the Egyptian port city of Alexandria. From there, the cache was to have been transported through the Sinai and into Gaza via underground tunnels along the Gaza-Egyptian border.
Israeli intelligence said the cargo was loaded at the Syrian port city of Latakia, sailed to Cyprus, then Beirut and then to a port in southern Turkey before Israel Navy commandos intercepted it en route to Alexandria.
"Iranian arms flowing into Gaza are not coming in drip by drip but wave by wave," Danny Ayalon, Israeli deputy foreign minister, told diplomats invited to Israel's Ashdod port to view the confiscated contraband.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel's battle against the axis of Iran, Syria and Lebanon-based Hezbollah - each working to support terror groups in the Gaza Strip - would continue "by air, sea and land in every place and from every direction, both near and far."
The C704s would have introduced a new capability into the Gaza theater of operations that would have required the Israeli military to modify its operating and protective procedures, given the missile's 35-kilometer range.

Cracks Turn Up in U.S. Navy's First LCS

A 6-inch crack in the hull of the littoral combat ship USS Freedom caused the ship to abort sea-keeping trials on Feb. 12 and return to its homeport of San Diego for repairs, the U.S. Navy confirmed March 18.
The crack, about three and a half feet below the waterline in a weld seam between two steel plates in the hull, allowed water to enter a void space in the ship, according to Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). Flooding was contained, however, and, at a speed of about 8 knots, the vessel sailed about 600 miles to San Diego to begin repairs.

NAVSEA and Lockheed Martin, the ship's prime contractor, are reviewing the ship's design, construction drawings and welding procedures to determine what caused the hull crack. It is not yet clear, NAVSEA said, whether the problem is due to a design flaw or faulty construction techniques.
"Lockheed Martin is working closely with the Navy to confirm the root cause and have made all necessary repairs to the ship," Lockheed spokeswoman Kimberly Martinez said in a March 18 e-mail. "We are also supporting the Navy in additional testing along the hull to confirm this crack was an isolated anomaly."
The hull crack was first reported March 18 by Bloomberg News.
The crack appeared while the ship was performing heavy-weather sea trials off the northern California coast, said Cmdr. Jason Salata of Naval Surface Forces in San Diego.
A watch was kept on the space throughout the ship's return to San Diego, and the problem did not restrict the ship's maneuverability or speed, NAVSEA said. The 8-knot speed back to San Diego, Salata said, was based on fuel economy.
The horizontal crack measured just over 6 inches on the outside of the ship, and was about 3 inches long on the inside. It was amidships, at a point where the hull turns sharply inward.
Repairs to the hull were completed March 12 at San Diego after a cofferdam was built and installed around the crack. The hull repairs were made while the ship was undergoing a scheduled repair period.
A separate issue regarding hull cracks in the aluminum superstructure was dealt with during the repair period, NAVSEA said.
"Several small cracks" appeared aboard the ship last fall, NAVSEA said in a statement, correlating to predicted high-stress areas in the superstructure. Those areas had been "instrumented" before that time to detect problems, and "cracks were identified within the welds, indicating lack of fusion or weld defects."
Changes already have been made in the ship's design to correct the superstructure stress, metal fatigue and cracking, NAVSEA said, and many of those changes are being done in the current repair period.
USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), the next ship being built to the LCS 1 design, "had detail changes incorporated which mitigate these high stress areas," NAVSEA said.

West Mobilizes For Libya Air Strikes

BRUSSELS, Belgium - A coalition of Western nations mobilized Friday to launch quick air strikes against Libya after the United Nations approved military action to prevent Moammar Gadhafi from crushing insurgents.
The United States, Britain and France were expected to scramble fighter jets against Gadhafi's forces after they secured the UN Security Council's blessing.

Paris warned military action was imminent.
The strikes will come "rapidly ... within a few hours," French government spokesman Francois Baroin said after the UN Security Council approved "all necessary measures" to impose a no-fly zone on Libya.
The goal of the operation would be to "protect the Libyan people and to allow them to go all the way in their drive for freedom, which means bringing down the Gadhafi regime," Baroin told RTL radio.
The three military powers could be joined by Canada, which according to Canadian media planned to deploy six CF-18 fighter jets.
Norway said it would take part in the operation and Denmark awaited parliamentary approval before joining the action with F-16 warplanes. Poland offered logistical support but no role in a military strike force.
NATO was holding a meeting to decide what, if any, role it may take.
The West could be joined by Arab nations in the endeavor after the Arab League pressed for the international community to impose a no-fly zone against Gadhafi's forces.
Qatar's foreign ministry said the Gulf state would "contribute in the efforts aiming at stopping bloodshed and protecting civilians in Libya" and urged quick action to impose the no-fly zone, the state news agency said.
The UN's approval of the measures sparked celebrations in the rebel bastion of Benghazi in eastern Libya where the opposition had urged the international community to act quickly.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UN measures were needed to "avoid greater bloodshed" and stop Gadhafi from attacking his own people.
"This places a responsibility on the members of the UN and that is a responsibility to which the United Kingdom will now respond," Hague said.
Britain's Royal Air Force is expected to send Tornado attack aircraft equipped with precise weapons from their bases in Marham, east England, and Lossiemouth in Scotland.
NATO convened a meeting to debate whether the 28-nation military alliance would take part of the international effort.
"For any NATO operation, there needs to be a demonstrable need for the alliance to act, firm regional support and a clear legal basis," said NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.
"Under those three conditions, NATO stands ready to act as part of the broad international effort," she said.
NATO allies have been divided about intervening in Libya, with Germany and Turkey voicing opposition to a military intervention.
Germany was among five nations, alongside China and Russia, that abstained from voting for the UN resolution, which passed 10-0 late Thursday.
Warning of "considerable risks and dangers," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle insisted no German troops would participate in military intervention.
"We remain eminently skeptical on the option of military intervention ... anticipated in this resolution. We see in it considerable risks and dangers. That is why we could not approve this part of the text," a statement said.
Russia also ruled out taking part in the operation.
The UN Security Council also agreed to protect civilian areas and impose a ceasefire on Gadhafi's military, but ruled out sending ground troops.

U.S. Navy Orders Two More Littoral Combat Ships

The U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship program continued its shift into series production with the announcement March 17 that two more ships have been ordered.

Lockheed Martin and Austal USA each received new contracts March 17 to build an LCS ship. Lockheed's third ship, the Fort Worth, was launched in December at Marinette, Wisc. (Navy via Lockheed Martin)

The announcement follows by less than three months the previous award of two ships on Dec. 29.

Under the new contracts, Lockheed Martin received a $376.6 million contract modification to build the yet-to-be-named LCS 7. Based on the steel-hull design of LCS 1, the ship will be built at Fincantieri's Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wis. The work is expected to be completed by April 2016.
Austal USA's deal is for $368.6 million for LCS 8. Austal builds its LCS 2-class all-aluminum ships at Mobile, Ala., and work on that contract is expected to be completed by October 2015.
The contract awarded Dec. 29 to Lockheed for LCS 5 was for $437 million, while Austal's LCS 6 contract was for $432 million.
The contracts are far below the congressional cost cap of $480 million for LCS ships. Sean Stackley, the Navy's top acquisition official, said at the time of the December contract award that the average per-ship target price for Lockheed ships is $362 million, with a goal of $352 million for each Austal ship.
Congress on Dec. 21 approved the Navy's request to buy more ships of each design, shifting from the earlier plan to choose a single type. The Dec. 29 contracts to each shipbuilding team were for one ship, paid for with 2010 funds, with options for nine more. The March contracts are the first options to be exercised, and are funded under the 2011 continuing resolutions, which continue programs that were in effect the previous year.
Fort Worth (LCS 3) was launched Dec. 4 at the Marinette shipyard. Austal plans to launch the Coronado (LCS 4) this year.
Freedom (LCS 1), commissioned in November 2008 as the first Lockheed LCS, is at its home port of San Diego undergoing an overhaul, according to the Navy. The Independence (LCS 2), the first of Austal's breed, was commissioned in January 2010 and is undergoing tests and trials at Mayport, Fla.
The Navy intends to field a total fleet of 55 LCS ships.

USAF to Tightly Control Tanker Requirements Changes

U.S. Air Force leaders are taking draconian steps to ensure the service's prized Boeing KC-46A tanker program stays in line.

U.S. Air Force leaders said its KC-46 program will be scrutinized microscopically. (Boeing)

To protect the aerial refueling plane from ever-expanding requirements, changes will not be allowed except at the "highest level," Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told the Senate Armed Services Committee March 17.

Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force chief of staff, who was testifying alongside Donley, added that the KC-46 program would be scrutinized "microscopically" to make certain the "offeror delivers what he promised.
"The level of approval for engineering change orders is not going to be at the program office level," Schwartz said.
Though it has yet to be decided who will have final authority to approve such changes, it might be at the very top level of the Air Force leadership.
"It might be at our level," Schwartz said. "The bottom line is, we intend to maintain discipline on this thing."
Analysts applauded the Air Force's move. Historically, contractors would bid low to win competitions and then use the engineering change order mechanism to avoid fulfilling their contractual obligations, said Loren Thompson, an analyst at the Lexington Institute, Arlington, Va.
"It used to be a common practice in the industry that people would bid low and then try to use engineering changes to restore [profit] margins on the program," he said.
With the new approach, the Air Force cuts off that loophole for any potential contractor, Thompson said.
Byron Callan, an analyst at Capital Alpha Partners in New York, also applauded the move.
"That's pretty prudent on their part. … It's the only way they're going to keep the tanker at the cost that it was bid for," he said.
"It may not be great from a Boeing standpoint," Callan added.
However, in cases where a technology is particularly cutting edge, such an approach could backfire.
"If you were to limit engineering changes on something revolutionary like the F-35 [Joint Strike Fighter], you could really foul up the program," Thompson said.
Callan agreed that the new approach to the tanker program would not be a good idea if it were to be applied to all Air Force contracts.
"Trying to think you can just freeze a design that will last five or six years, that's locking yourself into obsolescence," he said.

U.S. Army Awards Deal for Afghan Training Helos

PHOENIX - MD Helicopters Inc. of Mesa has been awarded a $186 million contract by the U.S. Army to build rotorcraft for training exercises in Afghanistan.
The deal is good news both for the helicopter manufacturer, which has been on the rebound since it nearly collapsed financially six years ago, and for financially strapped Mesa, which is aggressively pursuing industrial recruitment and expansion.

The contract calls for six MD 530F helicopters to be built initially as the Army's primary training aircraft in Shindand, Afghanistan, according to the Army. As many as 54 aircraft would be manufactured at the company's Falcon Field Airport plant in Mesa over the life of the four-year contract.
Advisers from the U.S., United Kingdom and New Zealand have conducted joint training with Afghan Air Force student pilots and Afghan national army non-commissioned-officer trainees at Shindand air base, according to a NATO-Afghanistan news release.
"This is so huge for us, not just in terms of the dollar amount," said Lynn Tilton, MD's CEO and chairwoman. "It's a vote of confidence from the government and the U.S. Army, and I believe it's the first such contract since MD was owned by Boeing years ago."
She said the contract will create jobs, but she would not say how many.
"We will need to hire people," Tilton said. "But we need to be very intelligent about that, coming off the industry's downturn."
The contract also provides some stability for the company's current well-paid workforce.
The contract is a significant development that could lead to additional work for the company from the Defense Department, Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said.
Although MD is known for its extensive line of commercial helicopters, it also manufactures military aircraft and is in discussions with The Boeing Co. on a contract to collaborate on production of the Boeing AH-6i light-attack/reconnaissance helicopter for the global market.
Boeing builds its Apache helicopters at sprawling facilities just northwest of Falcon Field.
Company officials said the MD 530F is a perfect fit for the Army training mission.
The helicopter is equipped with the 650 shaft horsepower Rolls-Royce 250-C30 engine and longer main-rotor blades. It is described as the company's finest high-altitude performer in extremely hot weather.
Company officials said the helicopter also has greater takeoff power at significantly higher hover-ceiling levels than its competitors, and is known for its speed, agility, low direct operating costs and the ability to operate with ease in confined spaces.

NATO Chief Hopes Poland EU Presidency Boosts Russia Ties

WARSAW - NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said March 17 he hoped Poland would use its upcoming presidency of the European Union to enhance the military alliance's ties with Russia.
"Poland can ... play a special role in improving the relationship between Russia and NATO in the European Union and that would be beneficial in our endeavors to improve the overall Euro-Atlantic security," Rasmussen said at a joint press conference with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski in Warsaw.

"We look very much forward to the Polish presidency of the European Union in the second half of this year," he said.
Having joined the European Union in 2004, Poland will take over the 27-member bloc's rotating presidency on July 1.
The NATO chief was in the Polish capital to mark the 12th anniversary of Poland's NATO entry along with fellow ex-communist states Hungary and the Czech Republic, a move that outraged their Soviet-era master Russia.
Poland's ties with Moscow have remained rocky since it peacefully shed communism in 1989, but its increasing importance as an EU member has seen Warsaw take on a conciliatory tone towards the Kremlin.
Rasmussen said he also thought Poland could play a role in enhancing cooperation between NATO and the European Union.
"Poland is a strong ally and has a strong position within the European Union and based on that Poland can play a special role in advancing our mutual cooperation," Rasmussen added.

Divided NATO Presses Ahead with Libya Military Plans

BRUSSELS - NATO's chief urged the U.N. on March 17 to quickly act on Libya to stop Moammar Gadhafi from crushing rebels, but the alliance was divided even as it pressed ahead with plans for a no-fly zone.
"If Gadhafi prevails it will send a clear signal that violence pays. That would be unacceptable from a humanitarian and democratic perspective," Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

"But time is running out. The sooner the United Nations can reach an agreement the better," he said on his Facebook page.
France, Britain and the United States are pressing for a U.N. Security Council vote Thursday on a resolution that includes a no-fly zone to prevent Gadhafi from using his air force to bomb his population.
Russia, Germany and other countries of the 15-member Security Council have expressed opposition or doubts about military action in Libya.
"I can't imagine the international community and the United Nations will stand idly by if the Libyan regime continues to attack its own civilian population systematically," Rasmussen told reporters during a visit in Warsaw.
He said attacks by Gadhafi's regime on civilians "may amount to crimes against humanity."
NATO military officials presented to ambassadors this week a range of plans for a potential role in Libya, including assisting humanitarian relief efforts, enforcing an arms embargo and grounding the Libyan air force, diplomats said.
"NATO stands ready to protect the civilian population if there is a demonstrable need, clear legal basis and strong regional support," Rasmussen said.
But divisions exist within the 28-nation alliance as well, with Germany and Turkey voicing opposition to a military intervention.
In addition, France, which has taken a hawkish stance in the Libyan crisis, "does not want NATO in the front line," a NATO military official said.
This could leave NATO, already with its hands full leading the war in Afghanistan, on the sidelines in a no-fly zone in Libya.
France and Britain, which has also led clarion calls for a no-fly zone, could end up taking action outside the NATO club alongside Arab nations.
The United States has also shown "little enthusiasm" in trying to bring Turkey and Germany in line with the rest of the alliance, the military official said.
The official said the Americans believe that a no-fly zone would not be enough to defeat Gadhafi, and that ground troops would be needed, an option the United States would not take part in given its commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice suggested as much on March 16, saying that action might have to "go beyond a no-fly zone at this point, as the situation on the ground has evolved, and as a no-fly zone has inherent limitations in terms of protection of civilians at immediate risk."
NATO ambassadors could meet again March 18 and this weekend to review the alliance's contingency plans for Libya and decide the next steps, diplomats said.
"NATO wants these operational plans to be ready by the end of the week or early next week," an alliance diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the planning.
The alliance "is accelerating the preparations, but no green light has been given," the diplomat said.
Even if the U.N. approves a no-fly zone and all allies agree to back the move, it would take two weeks for NATO to be operational, the NATO military official said, adding: "The chances that NATO will have a role are minimal."