In a briefing on March 21, Ham, the military commander in charge of the
U.S. operation in Libya, acknowledged uncertainty as well as difficulties in
the NATO mission, titled Operation Odyssey Dawn. The general said U.S.
fighter-jets and warships have found it difficult to distinguish between
civilians and rebel fighters.
"It's a very problematic situation," Ham said. "Sometimes these are
situations that brief better at the headquarters than in the cockpit of an
aircraft."
The commanders said the U.S. military, which has also sent more than
4,000 Marines to the Mediterranean Sea, has not been informed of the goal
of the Libyan mission. Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, differed from his European colleagues in saying that the NATO mission
could end with Gadhafi still in power.
"I have no mission to attack that person [Gadhafi], and we are not
doing so," Ham said. "We are not seeking his whereabouts or anything like
that."
So far, the U.S. contingent has lost one F-15E fighter-jet in operations
over Libya. The commanders said U.S. participation could slow down over the
next week as France or Britain takes over the operation.
"We believe that air defense system elements are severely degraded or
destroyed, and have been by these coalition forces," U.S. Navy Rear Adm.
Gerard Hueber said on March 23. "We will continue our focus on the regime's
air force network that continues to pose a threat to coalition air
operations enforcing the no-fly zone."
In the initial stage of the operation, the United States flew half of
combat sorties over Libya as well as fired more than 160 Tomahawk cruise
missiles toward Tripoli and other Gadhafi targets. The commanders said
Washington has been steadily reducing its operations despite
Gadhafi's offensive against the rebel movement.
"It's my judgment, however, that despite our successes to date, that
Gadhafi and his forces are not yet in compliance with the United Nations
Security Council resolution, due to the continued aggressive actions his
forces are taking against the civilian population of Libya," Adm. Samuel
Locklear, a senior commander of the U.S. contingent, said.
The commanders said the U.S. military wanted to refocus on Afghanistan
and the prospect of a Taliban offensive in the spring of 2011. They said
major assets have not been diverted from Afghanistan for the U.S. contingent
in Libya.
"There was an examination of whether certain intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance assets of an actually quite limited nature might be
needed to help out with the operation in Libya," Gen. David Petraeus,
commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said on March 23. "But in
the end there have been no assets taken from the effort in Afghanistan and I
don't foresee that happening at this point in time."
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