Blog Posts tagged with "Libya"

As I look back on 2011, I think we had a reasonably good year in the operational sense.  Lots of good “end of the year” retrospectives are appearing in various magazines and on-line sites, and I thought I’d chip in with my own top five operational moments for the Alliance this past year – and a hope that it stays at least relatively quiet between now and the end of the year.

Libyan Operations.  At the top of my list is the seven month operation we undertook at the request of the United Nations to protect the people of Libya from a repressive and ruthless dictator.  It was successfully completed in late October. 

DECIMOMANNU - A Dutch F-16 fighter takes off from Sardinia, Italy. The Netherlands contribute to the enforcement of the Operation Unified Protector No-Fly Zone. (NATO photo)

We conducted 26,000 aircraft sorties and intercepted over 3,000 ships in the course of conducting a no-fly zone and an arms embargo.  In order to limit the ability of the Libyan regime to attack its own people, we conducted nearly 9,000 strike sorties and hit well over 6,000 targets, effectively destroying much of the “kill chain.”  While no operation is perfect, we tried very hard to limit collateral damage to the minimum.  Overall we learned a great deal and will work on improving targeting, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, air refueling, and other aspects of our capabilities.

Afghanistan Transition and Operations.  In November, the government of Afghanistan announced a second group of provinces and districts that began transition to Afghan Security Force-led operations.  This brings about 50% of the entire population of Afghanistan under the protection of Afghan Army and Police units, with the international coalition and NATO in a support, mentorship, and training role in this area.

Our plan to complete a full transition by the end of 2014 remains on track, although significant challenges remain, especially in relations with Pakistan.  We suffered from a cross-border incident that included the tragic deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers and is under investigation today.  We’re hoping to improve coordination and cooperation across the border as the New Year unfolds.

Due to a series of violent incidents in northern Kosovo, our NATO Commander requested and has in hand an over-the-horizon security force to help maintain a safe and secure environment.  I’ll be headed there personally soon to evaluate and present options to NATO.  Clearly, this is a politically charged situation and the EU is working hard to bring the parties together.

Reductions in Piracy.  After several years of rising attack levels, we may be seeing progress against attacks in the second half of 2011.  Success rates for attacks have dropped considerably, and there are fewer attacks than during this period last year.  Some of the reasons for this include patrolling by NATO, EU, and various national forces at sea; pressure ashore militarily and in the area of development; better practices at sea by civilian mariners (convoys and citadels, for example); and the addition of armed security teams. 

NATO remains committed to the counter-piracy mission, and our ships will continue to sail in the area off the coast of Africa for the foreseeable future.

Missile Defense Unfolding.  The first steps in creating a new, alliance-based missile defense system in Europe are in progress.  The United States, providing a sea-based AEGIS system initially, has sent ships to sea as a framework.  NATO is putting in place the command-and-control system to ensure we do this right.  The hope is to offer an initial capability in time for the May 2012 summit in Chicago.  While a challenging timeline, I think we can and will make it.  Stay tuned!

Overall, we’ve done quite a bit in NATO operations in 2011 – with 170,000 operators on three continents at our peak during Libyan operations.  We’re also doing things in cyber, restructuring and stream-lining our command structures (cutting 6 major HQ and 4,000 billets, for example), air policing, and many other things.

It’s been a busy year, but a good one overall. 

Admiral James Stavridis
Commander
U.S. European Command

This coming week, the 28 Ministers of Defense of the NATO alliance will gather in Brussels for meetings and discussions. They will be accompanied by another 22 Ministers from additional troop contributing nations in Afghanistan — in essence, the entire coalition will be represented.

NAC meeting in Defence Ministers session in June 2011.

As Supreme Allied Commander, one of my jobs is to brief the Ministers.

I’ll be talking about Afghanistan, but also about Libya, Kosovo, and several other key topics. It should be a busy and important week as our Secretary General, Anders Rasmussen, really begins the push toward the big NATO summit in late summer of 2012.

Adm Stavridis during his visit to Camp Ghazi, Afghanistan, watching NCO training, June 2011

On Afghanistan, I will present an honest picture of a challenging operation. My own sense is that we continue to make reasonable progress in the security sphere. I can tick off the indicators of progress, including topping 300,000 Afghan security forces trained and in the field; many key insurgents captured or killed; a successful transition to Afghan led security in 25% of Afghanistan, with a plan for another 25% in the coming months; 120,000 Afghan security personnel in literacy training to give a few examples.

There are, of course, challenges. Of note, recent attacks in Kabul (although deaths were very few, they achieved a great deal of publicity) and the assassination of Professor Rabbanni, who had led the reconciliation commission are setbacks. And the Haqanni network continues to be a thorn in the side of progress, as well as ongoing need to tackle corruption. So it is a mixed picture, but one that I would say shows progress toward our goal of turning over full transition to Afghan led security operations by the end of 2014.

In terms of Libya, the picture is reasonably good. Our missions of protecting civilians, conducting an arms embargo, and enforcing a no-fly zone are coming to a successful conclusion. When the last few Kaddaffy forces surrender, which I would anticipate within a few weeks at most, we will be prepared to recommend an end to NATO military operations.
When to conclude and under what criteria are of course political decisions, but I’m sure the Ministers will discuss that following my operational brief.

SACEUR during his visit to Kosovo, May 2011

As I look at the Balkans, I’m a bit worried by recent violence in the north. It is incumbent on all parties to work toward a peaceful, negotiated solution. Our NATO forces, ably led by German two-star General Erhard Dreves, will continue to preserve a safe and secure environment so that the EU can facilitate a peaceful dialog.

So it is a busy time around the alliance, with 160,000 Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen engaged in active service on three continents. I will do my best to present an honest, balanced, and coherent picture to the Ministers as they undertake the hard policy and political work of deciding how we go forward in our important work.

Best,
Jim

Admiral, USN
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander, US European Command
“Stronger Together”

I spent much of last night working on what appears to be the endgame of the Libyan campaign. By the morning of 22 August, it appears that the end was in sight for the Kaddaffy regime, although events are moving fast and nothing is ever sure until it actually occurs.

Commander Operation Unified Protector, Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard visits HMCS Charlottetown.

When I think back five months to the beginnings of this air-sea campaign, it seems a long time ago. Our mission has always been clearly defined by the United Nations:

- Arms embargo
- No-fly zone
- Protect the people of Libya

The mission, called Operation Unified Protector, stood up in record time-- less than a week from a UN Security Council Resolution that directed NATO to take over operations. By comparison, when NATO undertook a similar mission in Kosovo a decade ago, it took many months to begin the first no-fly zone. Here it was a matter of a few days.

This required about 20,000 NATO airmen and seamen, working at sea, in the skies over Libya, and in logistics, planning, and intelligence on a dozen different NATO bases around the Mediterranean.

The effort was led by a Joint Task Force in Naples, Italy, commanded by a superb Canadian Lieutenant General and airman, Charlie Bouchard. The maritime side of the mission was led by an Italian Vice Admiral, Rinaldo Veri. In fact, of the 20 or so Generals and Admirals directing the effort, only three were from the US.

Likewise, the bulk of the resources to conduct the operation came from NATO partners, not from the US. Of the 18 ships typically on station for the arms embargo, only one was normally from the US. The allies did nearly all of the strike sorties, and the majority of all flights were non-US. This is a very different model than we've seen in other NATO operations, notably in Afghanistan where the US provides about two thirds of the troops.

In addition to the French, British, and other European allies, the effort was joined by Arab partners who contributed a great deal to the final outcome. The Joint Force Naples HQ, ably led by Admiral Sam Locklear, continued to work on other key missions at the same time, across the Mediterranean, in Iraq, and in Kosovo.

A Norwegian F-16 fighter plane getting ready to take off from Souda Air Base on Crete.

But now we come to the endgame for this mission. As the NATO Secretary General said this morning: "The Qadhafi regime is clearly crumbling. The sooner Qadhafi realizes that he cannot win the battle against his own people, the better -- so that the Libyan people can be spared further bloodshed and suffering. The Libyan people have suffered tremendously under Qadhafi's rule for over four decades. Now they have a chance for a new beginning."

There are still many challenges ahead for Libya, but it seems clear that NATO's role in its UN mandated missions has played an important part in protecting the people of Libya from a brutal and repressive regime during a dangerous time. A new dawn is breaking in Libya, and it seems that the future of Libya will be in the hands of the Libyan people -- as it should be.

Best,

James Stavridis
Admiral, USN
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander, US European Command
"Stronger Together"

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I hosted the French Chief of Defense last Friday for important talks at my headquarters in Mons, Belgium. One of the key topics was Libya.

DECIMOMANNU - A Dutch F-16 fighter takes off from Sardinia, Italy. The Netherlands contribute to the enforcement of the Operation Unified Protector No-Fly Zone. (NATO photo)

NATO is conducting operations over Libya to support UN resolutions 1970 and 1973, which call for establishing an arms embargo, instituting a "no-fly" zone, and protecting the civilian population of Libya. These missions are going reasonably well, particularly the no-fly zone and arms embargo which are both clear mission successes.

In terms of protecting the people of Libya, over the past four months the alliance has flown over 16,000 sorties including more than 6,500 strikes against Qadhafi’s cumulative system of lethal force – which runs from the muzzle of a weapon, to the tank or armored personnel carrier, to the fuel that goes into it, to the ammo storage site, and ultimately to the command and control system that directs it. We have significantly degraded the regime's ability to hurt and kill the civilian population of Libya.

Our European partners are in the lead in this operation. Given the location of Libya and the potential for mass migration across the Mediterranean, this seems appropriate. The US continues to provide key enablers, including fuel, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, while other nations -- both in the air and at sea -- perform the bulk of the kinetic missions.

Crew members from the Spanish frigate Mendez Nunez board a vessel for inspection as part of NATO's Operation Unified Protector, which includes the enforcement of the arms embargo under UNSCR 1973. (NATO photo)

It seems clear that events are moving against the Qadhafi regime. There are many defections, both military and civilian. The regime's military machine is a shadow of its former capability, when Qadhafi was threatening the gates of Benghazi and predicting "streets running with blood." The civilian population is gaining ground in the mountains, around the important city of Misrata, and on the coastal road. Over thirty countries have recognized the opposition as the sole legitimate government of Libya.

NATO operators are proud to be engaged in supporting these important UN Security Council resolutions, and we have sufficient military capacity to continue. And it is worth noting that while not every member of the alliance is engaged in all of the missions, the entire command structure -- all 28 nations represented -- is the command and control for the operation. We are smoothly integrating several Arab nations as well, a historical first.

From a NATO operational perspective, we'll continue to energetically and aggressively enforce the UN Security Council resolutions. We are also involved with the coordination of humanitarian assistance operations -- nearly a thousand of them so far. And we'll be ready if called upon for further operations in Libya.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Since NATO took over the Libyan mission at the end of March (see my earlier blog for a description of the mission), we have launched almost 6,000 total aircraft sorties.  Over 2,500 of them have been strike and suppression of air defenses.  While the US provides about 25 percent of the support sorties (intelligence, refueling, surveillance, reconnaissance, suppression of enemy air defense), the rest of the coalition provides the remaining 75 percent.

We are using the robust NATO command structure, with bases all around the southern Mediterranean.  The operation is commanded out of the Joint Force Command in Naples, where the Joint Task Force is established.

Last testing before Danish F-16 take off from Sigonella military airbase, Italy.

This effort is internationally led by Lt.Gen. Charles Brouchard of the Canadian Air Force, with Italian Vice Adm. Rinaldo Veri in charge of the maritime effort.  Only five US senior officers are in the nearly 35 admirals and generals directing the operation, which is employing over 9,000 military personnel on any given day.

We are routinely striking targets all around the enormous land mass of Libya to protect the people from Qadhafi's military.

Our tempo of strikes and operations is the same as that of the two-week effort by the coalition loosely headed up by the US.  What has changed is the location of these targets, as Qadhafi has routinely and purposely placed military equipment and hardware in close proximity to civilian institutions, schools and houses.  As a result, there is an increased difficulty in ensuring the absolute minimal collateral damage to infrastructure when damaging and destroying these targets.

NATO has established essentially a 100 percent effective arms embargo, and have hailed / boarded / inspected hundreds of ships.  Over 18 ships are on station at any given time (of which only a couple are from the US).

We have also established essentially a 100% effective no fly zone which stretches over the entire country.  This includes the efforts of five NATO AWACS, as well as 40 other coalition aircraft.

Libya's second largest city of Benghazi has held, preventing the loss of tens of thousands of civilians after Qadhafi's threats to make the "streets run with blood."  Misrata has held as well, also preventing the loss of tens of thousands.  Qadhafi continues to illegally and indiscriminately shell the city, including relief ships and convoys.

We are coordinating with humanitarian convoys and working to ensure their safe arrival -- dozens have come in and out so far, from Misrata to Bengazi. Thousands have been evacuated safely.

We have seen a number of reports in recent days of migrants from Libya dying at sea. These are tragic stories, and they show the desperation to which people in Libya have been reduced by the Qadhafi regime. The humanitarian crisis is the direct result of the regime's violence. It is still more proof that Qadhafi and his followers have lost all claim to legitimacy.  While
NATO's mission is to prevent attacks on civilians and civilian populated areas in Libya, ships under NATO command will always respond to calls from ships in distress.

The entire 28-nation NATO alliance, plus six additional nations (Sweden, Ukraine, and four Arab countries) are supporting the NATO effort in Libya in some capacity, albeit doing different tasks as per national views.  Despite some divergence of views among the various alliance and coalition members, overall the effort is holding together well, putting real pressure on
Qadhafi, fulfilling the UNSCR 1970 / 1973, and -- coupled with economic and political pressure -- enacting a reasonable response to the violence of Qadhafi against his people.

NATO today has 150,000 soldiers, sailors, and airmen on three continents in active operations -- engaged in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, the Balkans, piracy, cyber, missile defense -- and is still conducting military exercises and training to maintain collective defense.

The 28 nations of NATO represent over half of the world's GDP, and can field collectively millions of military personnel and thousands of ships and aircraft.  It is an alliance that is active in the real world doing real operations -- not perfectly, to be sure, but effective.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Not surprisingly, I’ve received a lot of questions about what is happening in Libya in both my capacity as Commander of the US European Command (USEUCOM) and as the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR).

Given the amount of interest, let me address the role of both USEUCOM and Allied Command Operations (ACO) in Libya – the former in a supporting role, the latter acting upon direction from the North Atlantic Council (NAC). Forgive me if this blog runs a little longer than most – we’ve got a lot to cover!

Allow me to underscore that in both cases – as a US Combatant Commander and as SACEUR – our purpose with respect to Libya is to support the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR). The Resolution calls for humanitarian assistance; enforcement of the arms embargo; support of a no fly zone; and the protection of civilians. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read the actual UNSCRs 1970 and 1973.

Now, let’s start with USEUCOM. As most of you know, the United States military is organized into geographic and functional Combatant Commands. The Combatant Command with the lead role in ongoing US military operations in Libya – titled Operation ODYSSEY DAWN – is the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM), under the very able leadership of GEN Carter Ham. USEUCOM is involved in support of USAFRICOM.

“Alright, Admiral,” you might think to yourself. “What exactly does that mean?” To be more precise, some of the ways USEUCOM is providing support include manpower augmentation (e.g., intelligence, operations, public affairs, etc.), contingency planning, communications connectivity and infrastructure, logistical support at bases within the European theater, and basing/overflight rights. Overall, USEUCOM has helped to enable the effective execution of the operation in a complex and dynamic environment; however, USAFRICOM is the lead combatant command capably directing forces in support of Operation ODYSSEY DAWN.

Let’s turn next to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Of course, all NATO decisions are based on the consensus of the 28 member nations. Any decision is, therefore, the expression of the nations’ collective will. While numerous committees and groups exist to explore issues and guide discussion, the primary decision making body is the NAC, chaired by the NATO Secretary General and formed of Ambassadors, Defense Ministers, Foreign Ministers, or Heads of State and Government. In permanent session, NATO nations have Ambassadors in the NAC, also known as Permanent Representatives or PERMREPS.

As you’d expect, gaining consensus amongst 28 sovereign nations is not always a simple matter, but when it does occur, it is a very powerful expression of the collective will that I mentioned earlier. NATO has reacted to the crises in Libya with unprecedented speed. If you’re interested in learning more about how NATO works, there’s a good interactive introduction to the organization here.

On March 22, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced the NAC’s agreement to enforce the UN-mandated arms embargo on Libya within the context of UNSCRs 1970 and 1973. NATO operations for Libya have been named Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR. Under the scope of UNIFIED PROTECTOR, NATO is authorized to enforce the arms embargo and the no-fly-zone (NFZ). This was just five days after the UNSCR passed.

The arms embargo mission is focused on assisting the international community to reduce the flow of arms and material into and from Libya in order to reduce acts of aggression against the Libyan civilian population. Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR will assist in reducing the flow of arms, related material and mercenaries to and from the coastal waters off Libya only. NATO nation ships and aircraft will conduct operations to monitor, report and, if needed, interdict vessels and intercept aircraft where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that they are carrying cargo in violation of the arms embargo or suspected of carrying illegal arms or mercenaries. This is being conducted in close coordination with international maritime authorities, commercial shipping, and regional organizations to ensure the free flow of legitimate shipping to and from Libya.

As for the NFZ, it was originally initiated by a coalition of primarily NATO countries coordinating under Operation ODYSSEY DAWN. It quickly became apparent that NATO is uniquely qualified to assume leadership of the NFZ, bringing both capabilities through its members' military commitments and coherence through NATO’s well established command and control structure. As we have seen in Kosovo, Afghanistan, operations supporting counter-piracy and other missions, NATO has the experience and expertise to lead this effort. On March 24, the NAC took the next step to approve enforcement of the NFZ, which puts NATO in that leadership role, just seven days after the UNSCR.

And finally, just last night, NATO Allies decided to take on the whole military operation in Libya, ten days after the UNSCR. As defined by the United Nations Security Council Resolution, our goal is to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack. NATO will implement all aspects of the UN Resolution.

The bottom line is that in both cases – on the US side and within NATO – we are seeking to protect innocent lives and allow Libyans the freedom to decide the future of their country. Important work, indeed.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

We just finished an excellent two-day meeting in Brussels with the 28 NATO Defense Ministers -- including, of course, my bosses Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The meeting focused on one expected challenge -- Afghanistan -- and one new issue, Libya.

North Atlantic Council (NAC) in Defence Ministers Session. Photo by SGC Edouard Bocquet, French Air Force

On Afghanistan, the meeting was attended by not only the 28 NATO Defense Ministers, but also their counterparts from around the world. There are 48 troop contributing nations in the coalition in Afghanistan today and all were represented at a very senior level. As an example of the "larger than NATO" group, I had a good meeting with the Honorable Stephen Smith, the Defense Minister of Australia -- they contribute more than 1,500 troops in Uruzgan Province and are doing superb work.

I briefed the Ministers as did General Dave Petraeus, who flew into Brussels en route to the US, where he will testify in front of the US Congress about our progress and challenges in Afghanistan.

Both our briefs highlighted the progress to date and the challenges ahead. In the progress category, we addressed the "silent surge" of nearly 70,000 Afghan Security Forces; there are now 270,000 Afghan police and army across the country. Operations in southern Afghanistan are conducted in a ratio of 1:1 coalition and Afghan forces. The Afghans absorb 75% of the casualties. They are showing their readiness to begin the transition process this summer.

The challenges include corruption, difficulties across regional borders (we just discovered a significant cache of Iranian projectiles in western Afghanistan), and implementing governance evenly across the country. Yet even there we see progress: Marjah, in southern Afghanistan, which just over a year ago was run by the Taliban, recently had a 75% turnout for their local elections. Schools are literally packed to capacity. And the numbers of weapons caches revealed to coalition troops by local Afghans has increased fivefold in a year -- a key counter-insurgency metric.

So both Dave and I spoke of "cautious optimism" and "progress that is fragile," but compared to where we were a year ago, I'm heartened.

NATO Secretary General, H.E. Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, during his welcome remarks at the meeting of Defence Ministers, NAC, NATO HQ, Brussels, Belgium. Photo by SGC Edouard Bocquet, French Air Force

Libya was a complicated discussion, as all the nations realize the challenges of the situation there. NATO is conducting 24/7 surveillance with AWACS -- NATO’s eyes in the sky -- and ships under my command from the central Mediterranean, and we are preparing detailed plans for a range of options, as Secretary-General Rasmussen said after the conclusion of the conference. A United Nations Security Council mandate will be key, and whatever the Alliance does must meet the tests of need, legality, and regional support. Much will change over the next few days, as the situation is very fluid.

The Ministers also touched on everything else we are doing operationally, from piracy to air policing to plans for missile defense and new technology to relations with Russia and the situation in the Balkans.

For an Alliance passing 60 years, we sure are busy!

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe