Blog Posts from August, 2011

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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