Via Armed Forces Press Service: Navy Vice Adm. Wlliam E. Gortney, director of the Joint Staff, briefed reporters at the Pentagon on the launch of "Operation Odyssey Dawn."
"The goals of these initial operations are essentially twofold: first, to prevent further attacks by regime forces on Libyan citizens and opposition groups, especially around Benghazi, and second, to degrade the regime's capability to resist the no-fly zone we are implementing under that United Nations resolution," Gortney said shortly after the attacks were launched.
Most of the targets were on or near the coast and around the Libyan capital of Tripoli, Gortney said. The coalition carefully picked the targets, he added, which either threatened coalition pilots or through use by the regime, posed a direct threat to the people of Libya.
For now, Gortney told reporters, Operation Odyssey Dawn is under the command of Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command. Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III is the commander of Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn aboard the command ship USS Mount Whitney. Locklear commands U.S. Naval Forces in Europe and Africa, as well as NATO Allied Joint Forces Command.
Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, director of the Joint Staff, briefs reporters at the Pentagon on the launch of Operation Odyssey Dawn.
Operation Odyssey Dawn - VADM Gortney's briefing slidesCoalition Order of Battle - Associated Press
Remarks by the President on Libya - White House transcript
Coalition Launches 'Operation Odyssey Dawn' - Armed Forces Press Service
Operation Takes Aim at Libyan Air Defenses - Armed Forces Press Service
West Pounds Libya with Missiles; Gadhafi Vows Retaliation - Voice of America
France Fires First Shots Against Libya - Washington Post
France Takes Reins on Libya, Sarkozy Triumphs - Los Angeles Times
French Plane Fires First Shot in Libya Intervention - Reuters
U.S. Missiles Strike Libyan Air Defense Targets - New York Times
Allied Forces Attack Libya - Wall Street Journal
Coalition Airstrikes Batter Libyan Targets - Toronto Star
U.S., Allies, Launch Air Attacks - Globe and Mail
U.S., Allies Strike Libyan Air Defenses - Los Angeles Times
'Odyssey Dawn' Starts: U.S. Fires Cruise Missiles - Washington Times
U.S. Leads 'Odyssey Dawn' Initial Attack - Christian Science Monitor
Military Strikes: 20 Targets, Claims of 48 Dead - Sydney Morning Herald
West Launches Air Strikes on Libya - The Australian
U.S., U.K. Tomahawks 'First Phase' to Open Airspace - Bloomberg
U.S. Pounds Libyan Air Defenses, Assesses Damage - Associated Press
Coalition Begins Attacks on Air Defense Systems - Stars and Stripes
Coalition Launches Libya Attacks - BBC News
International Forces Bombard Targets in Libya - Al Jazeera
U.S. Fires More than 100 Missiles in Attacks - New York Post
Allies Launch Libya Force as Gadhafi Hits Rebels - Associated Press
West Pounds Libya, Kadhafi Vows Retaliation - Agence France-Presse
Libya: British Forces Attack Gaddafi - Daily Telegraph
Cameron: British Forces in Action Over Libya - Reuters
MoD: U.K. Forces Hit 'Tripoli Air Defence' - Sky News
U.S. Says Five-Nation Coalition Launched Libya Strikes - Reuters
U.S. Says Missile Strikes on Libya Only 'First Phase' - Reuters
Europe Pressure, Arab Support Helped Turn U.S. - Wall Street Journal
As War Widens, Obama Stays in Background - Los Angeles Times
Obama, Clinton Stress U.S. Supporting Role in Libya - Reuters
U.S. Actions May Speak Louder than Words - Washington Post
Mullen: No-fly Zone Effectively in Place in Libya - CNN News
Why is U.S. Backing Force in Libya, Not Bahrain, Yemen? - BBC News
Military Buildup for Libya Mounts at Italian Bases - Associated Press
Gadhafi: U.N. Resolution on Libya 'Invalid' - Voice of America
Qaddafi Defiant in the Face of Allied Strikes - Christian Science Monitor
Gadhafi Promises 'Long War' after Allies Strike Libya - USA Today
Gaddafi Says Libyans will Defeat Western Forces - Reuters
Sarkozy Announces Action Against Kadafi - Los Angeles Times
Benghazi Hit by Artillery, Rocket Fire - Washington Post
In a Field of Flowers, the Wreckage of War - New York Times
Allied Planes Fly Over Libya as Gaddafi Hits Benghazi - Reuters
Gadhafi's Forces Attack Rebels in Benghazi - Washington Times
Benghazi Fights for its Life as Gaddafi Attacks - Daily Telegraph
Rebels Say Repulse Gaddafi Attack on Benghazi - Reuters
Qaddafi Pledges 'Long War' - New York Times
At Qaddafi Compound, a Human Shield - New York Times
Moammar Kadafi's Thinning Human Shield - Los Angeles Times
Mullen Says Gadhafi Could Cling to Power - Associated Press
ICRC Calls on All Sides in Libya to Spare Civilians - Reuters
Gates Delays Russia Trip to Monitor Libyan Crisis - Associated Press
Clinton: Fears of Libyan 'Unspeakable Atrocities' - Associated Press
Libya U.N. Resolution 1973: Text Analysed - BBC News
Libya Assault: U.N.'s Calculated Gamble - BBC News
Map: Tracking Events in Libya - Washington Post
Map: How the Rebellion Is Unfolding in Libya - New York Times
Libya Uprising in Maps - BBC News
A Primer on No-Fly Zones - Detroit Free Press
The Libya Tightrope - Los Angeles Times editorial
No-Fly Zone in Libya. Will it Work? - The Economist editorial
What is the Strategic Objective? - Investor's Business Daily editorial
Qaddafi Must Go - Weekly Standard opinion
Obama's Shift Toward Military Action in Libya - Washington Post opinion
Behind Obama's Turnaround on Libya - Foreign Policy opinion
What's Our Plan in Libya? - New York Post opinion
Confronting Gadhafi Is Not Enough - Wall Street Journal opinion
War with Libya? What the U.N. Resolution Means - Time opinion
The Best Military Option for Libya - The Daily Beast opinion
On Libya, Suspicious Minds - New York Times opinion
Return of the Global Policeman - Globe and Mail opinion
Comments
What is the End State?
The topic of Libya was discussed at length in my CGSS class today, so I thought I would put down some thoughts. These thoughts venture beyond the tactics, operations and the "How do we?" and move into the national strategy and "Should we?"
If given the chance, I would like to ask the Commander in Chief the question above as it regards to Operation Odyssey Dawn (OOD?). The desired end state for operations in Libya has not been clearly stated.
The UN resolution feels like an encounter with my two sons as they battle over a toy. If I stop them from fighting but do nothing else, I have failed to solve the root problems in their souls that brought about the altercation. Until I do that, no change is made for good and the fighting will continue to occur.
Likewise, stopping the fighting in Libya does not solve the problem, but it can be considered a starting point. It appears that the United States, after urging from the Arab League, has decided to step in (within a coalition) and break up this fight, but it has done so without considering (or at least stating) the desired end state. What President Obama has done is state two objectives that are embodied in the UN resolution: 1) Establish a no-fly zone and 2) End attacks on civilians. There is also the caveat that Libyan forces pull back troops from cities where they have attacked anti-government forces.
So, is that the end state? If those objectives are achieved, then we will have another post-Desert Storm Iraq on our hands, with Qaddafi still in power and no hope of bringing about democratic reform in Libya. Protestors will be free to protest, protected from above by coalition aircraft. Carrying this further - if those protesters remain armed and use the cover of our airpower to attack Tripoli, are they a legitimate force for the coalition to support? Does Qaddafi have a right at that time to defend the capital? Would the UN resolution be expanded beyond the protection of civilians in order to protect the rebel (insurgent) forces? It would seem so for at least France, since they have declared the Libyan Transitional National Council as the "legitimate representative of the Libyan people." If not supported militarily, will this be another case similar to the Shia and Kurdish uprisings in southern Iraq that we instigate and then fail to support?
The United States has been persuaded to jump into another sticky situation, but why here and why now? Why didnt the US intervene in Cambodia, Rwanda, Sudan, Chechnya, Georgia, or even Tibet? More recently, it seems that the civilians killed in Bahrain and Yemen were too small in number to garner more than a verbal reprimand from the world at large. It seems as if we have chosen our new fight all in the name of saving face among Arab nations.
Ultimately, it is still too early to judge the success or failure of our actions. Even if Qaddafi is not removed from power, the United States may be able to call the operation a success by 1) stopping the repression of Libyans by Qaddafi and 2) gaining wasta among the Arab nations.
I doubt that the world will be satisfied with an end state that allows Qaddafi to remain in power. In essence, the world has grown tired of him and has semi-collectively decided that it is his time to exit stage right. How that will occur and what will then happen in Libya is anyones guess. Ultimately, the imperative remains that our nation must define its end state in Libya so that we do not march down a road of regret.