From Military.com:
US Pulls Punches with Libya ROE
March 26, 2011
Military.com
by Bryant Jordan
U.S. and coalition aircraft attempting to force the Libyan army to lay down arms are pulling their punches by not attacking in the contested cities, according to a senior Defense Department official. Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, director of the Joint Staff, said the coalition has adopted restrictive rules of engagement to avoid killing the civilians.
“We’re not attacking with tactical aircraft [Gadhafi’s] forces inside of a city,” Gortney said. The restrictive ROE, coupled with the coalition’s determination not to put troops on the ground in Libya, puts U.S. and NATO forces in the position of delivering on protecting civilians by airpower alone.
The coalition has rained down missiles and bombs on Gadhafi’s air defense systems, command and control centers, supply lines and some mechanized army units. There are currently 10 countries involved in enforcing the no-fly zone, including the U.S., France, Britain, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Qatar and the UAE are the only Arab state to announce their participation, though the Arab League backed the United Nation’s resolution to impose the no-fly zone and get humanitarian aid to the beleaguered, rebel-held areas.
The coalition has extended the no-fly zone across the entire northern coastline and deep to the south, effectively keeping Gadhafi’s air forces out of the sky. One Libyan fighter that ventured into the air was destroyed on the runway at Misurata by a French fighter.
Gortney identified three cities – Ajdabiya, Misurata and Zintah – where Gadhafi forces are fighting to regain control from the rebels. He said there is no sign that Gadhafi’s forces are pulling back.
When pressed for details on how the coalition can carry out its mission of protecting civilians without engaging Gadhafi’s troops in the cities, Gortney said the job is “to do what we can to meet our collateral damage concerns, to put pressure on Gadhafi’s forces that are outside the city.
“If you can work on the supply lines, their logistics capability [to] cut them off … they’re not going to be able to sustain their efforts inside the city.”
Under the current ROE, he said, that’s all the coalition can do, “unless we can find mechanism to achieve the affect without harming the very people we’re trying to protect.”
While Operation Odyssey Dawn’s senior leaders have backed away from conclusively saying they can accomplish the mission with air power alone, some outside observers say they can – with time.
“These things don’t happen instantly,” said former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper, who recalled the air war over Kosovo in 1999 when he was commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe. “It took us about 78 days in Kosovo for Slobodan Milosevic to decide he was taking the wrong course and begin to withdraw his forces.”
The coalition’s capabilities continue to grow, Jumper said, while Gadhafi’s forces have been unable to actually take the contested cities.
Rebecca Grant, director of the Billy Mitchell Institute for Airpower Studies at the Air Force Association, said airpower can deliver over time by going after the forces Gadhafi would need to secure the rebel areas. Gadhafi already cannot use his air force because of the no-fly zone.
“What they’re using airpower to do right now is to prevent the use of his maneuver forces … so Gadhafi cannot go in and completely overwhelm” the cities, she said. “There’s no question that airpower has made tougher problems for Gadhafi’s forces, and that is the intent.”
The question, she asked, “is how much can a military force accomplish?”
“Airpower is in the lead and so we’re asking about airpower, but it’s really how much can outside intervention do?” Grant wondered. “We’re all kind of waiting to see if Gadhafi will magically disappear. Will there be a resolution without having to ramp up the level of military force?”
© Copyright 2011 Military.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
US Pulls Punches with Libya ROE
March 26, 2011
Military.com
by Bryant Jordan
U.S. and coalition aircraft attempting to force the Libyan army to lay down arms are pulling their punches by not attacking in the contested cities, according to a senior Defense Department official. Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, director of the Joint Staff, said the coalition has adopted restrictive rules of engagement to avoid killing the civilians.
“We’re not attacking with tactical aircraft [Gadhafi’s] forces inside of a city,” Gortney said. The restrictive ROE, coupled with the coalition’s determination not to put troops on the ground in Libya, puts U.S. and NATO forces in the position of delivering on protecting civilians by airpower alone.
The coalition has rained down missiles and bombs on Gadhafi’s air defense systems, command and control centers, supply lines and some mechanized army units. There are currently 10 countries involved in enforcing the no-fly zone, including the U.S., France, Britain, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Qatar and the UAE are the only Arab state to announce their participation, though the Arab League backed the United Nation’s resolution to impose the no-fly zone and get humanitarian aid to the beleaguered, rebel-held areas.
The coalition has extended the no-fly zone across the entire northern coastline and deep to the south, effectively keeping Gadhafi’s air forces out of the sky. One Libyan fighter that ventured into the air was destroyed on the runway at Misurata by a French fighter.
Gortney identified three cities – Ajdabiya, Misurata and Zintah – where Gadhafi forces are fighting to regain control from the rebels. He said there is no sign that Gadhafi’s forces are pulling back.
When pressed for details on how the coalition can carry out its mission of protecting civilians without engaging Gadhafi’s troops in the cities, Gortney said the job is “to do what we can to meet our collateral damage concerns, to put pressure on Gadhafi’s forces that are outside the city.
“If you can work on the supply lines, their logistics capability [to] cut them off … they’re not going to be able to sustain their efforts inside the city.”
Under the current ROE, he said, that’s all the coalition can do, “unless we can find mechanism to achieve the affect without harming the very people we’re trying to protect.”
While Operation Odyssey Dawn’s senior leaders have backed away from conclusively saying they can accomplish the mission with air power alone, some outside observers say they can – with time.
“These things don’t happen instantly,” said former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper, who recalled the air war over Kosovo in 1999 when he was commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe. “It took us about 78 days in Kosovo for Slobodan Milosevic to decide he was taking the wrong course and begin to withdraw his forces.”
The coalition’s capabilities continue to grow, Jumper said, while Gadhafi’s forces have been unable to actually take the contested cities.
Rebecca Grant, director of the Billy Mitchell Institute for Airpower Studies at the Air Force Association, said airpower can deliver over time by going after the forces Gadhafi would need to secure the rebel areas. Gadhafi already cannot use his air force because of the no-fly zone.
“What they’re using airpower to do right now is to prevent the use of his maneuver forces … so Gadhafi cannot go in and completely overwhelm” the cities, she said. “There’s no question that airpower has made tougher problems for Gadhafi’s forces, and that is the intent.”
The question, she asked, “is how much can a military force accomplish?”
“Airpower is in the lead and so we’re asking about airpower, but it’s really how much can outside intervention do?” Grant wondered. “We’re all kind of waiting to see if Gadhafi will magically disappear. Will there be a resolution without having to ramp up the level of military force?”
© Copyright 2011 Military.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
No comments:
Post a Comment