Blog Posts tagged with "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