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.
"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."
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.
"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:
· 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.
· Destroyer Jean Bart already on the scene.
· French land-based strike aircraft spearheaded the March 19 attacks on Libya.
· At least 4 Tornado strike aircraft and 4 other combat aircraft are available.
· 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.
· 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.
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
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)
"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
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