NATO Sees Momentum Gain in Protecting Libyans

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2011 – NATO has gained momentum in the last few days in Libya, British Defense Secretary Liam Fox said at the Pentagon today.

At a news conference, Fox thanked the United States for adding Predator drones to the skies over Libya.

“We’ve seen some progress on the ground in Misrata, and it seems clear that the regime is on the back foot,” he said. “The sooner Col. [Moammar] Gadhafi recognizes the game is up, either today or shortly, the better.”

Fox spoke after he and Gen. Sir David Jackson of the British army met with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for more than three hours.

“Our talks included military operations over Libya, where the U.S. continues to be in a supporting role in the NATO-led campaign, along with our Arab allies,” Gates said. “We talked about the way ahead in Afghanistan, where more than 9,000 British troops are in the thick of the fight.”

They also discussed the historic changes under way across the Middle East, with both Gates and Fox making it a point to condemn the use of violent tactics against peaceful protests.

The defense leaders also shared thoughts on the challenges facing the U.S. and British militaries in the face of fiscal constraints.

“For seven decades, the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom and the special bond forged in blood between our militaries has been a force for good in this world,” Gates said. “I’m pleased that our dialogue today sustained and advanced that relationship at such a challenging time.”

Afghanistan is the main theater of operations for U.S. and British efforts, Fox said. About 100,000 American servicemembers and 9,000 British troops are in Afghanistan. “We discussed how the process of transition was moving forward, and increasingly, while we have control of the military space in Afghanistan, the situation in the political space becomes of ever greater importance,” Fox said.

U.S. and British forces also confront piracy in the Persian Gulf and off the coast of Somalia.

Values and principles apply to all countries, Gates said, “in terms of peaceful protests, in terms of the need to address political and economic grievances of populations.”

“That said,” he added, “our response in each country will have to be tailored to that country and the circumstances peculiar to that country.”

In Libya, the Arab League actually started the diplomatic effort against Gadhafi. The Gulf Cooperation Council also weighed in, followed by the United Nations.

“There was a degree of international support for this humanitarian mission … that was unprecedented,” Gates said.

Gates defended bombing of Gadhafi’s compound, maintaining that as a command and control node to the Libyan military, which continues to attack its own people, the compound is a legitimate target.

Pentagon Tallies Coalition Actions in Libya

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2011 – By the fifth day of coalition task force operations supporting a no-fly zone in Libya and protecting Libyan civilians, the 13-nation alliance had flown more than 300 sorties in the North African country, Pentagon officials said yesterday.

By 3 p.m. EDT yesterday, the United States had flown 212 sorties, other coalition sorties totaled 124, and Tomahawk missile launches numbered 162, officials said.

Officials said the 336 sorties included 108 strike sorties, meaning they encountered opposition from Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.

The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1973 on March 17, demanding an end to violence against Libyan citizens and authorizing enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya.

Task Force Odyssey Dawn, including forces from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada and Arab states, immediately shifted from humanitarian and refugee evacuation missions under way since March 4 to military air operations enforcing the resolution.

Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, task force commander, said yesterday the strikes are intended to open the door for international and nongovernmental organization humanitarian assistance efforts.

Locklear said the coalition’s top priority is protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

With the no-fly zone established and “robust,” the admiral said, “we are looking at the battle space as it changes, looking at the disposition of … Gadhafi's forces that are not complying with the U.N. Security Council resolution, and we are able to produce more of an effect.”

Strikes Degrade Libya's Defenses, But Threats Remain

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2011 – While the attacks on Libya’s integrated air and missile defense system have been successful, thousands of anti-aircraft artillery emplacements and portable missile launchers still pose threats to coalition air crews, the director of the Joint Staff said today.

On the second day of Operation Odyssey Dawn, Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney said the coalition cruise missile strikes against selected air defense systems and facilities were successful, and that coalition ships and submarines launched 124 Tomahawk missiles against these targets.

“We judge these strikes to have been very effective in degrading the regime’s air defense capability, to include their ability to launch many of their SA-5s – their long range missiles – their SA-3s and SA-2s,” Gortney said during a Pentagon news conference.

Moammar Gadhafi’s regime has not launched aircraft, and the coalition has not detected any radar emissions from the air defense sites targeted, the admiral said.

“There has been a significant decrease in the use of all Libyan air surveillance radars,” he added. “These seem to be limited to the areas around Tripoli and Sert.”

Air Force B-2 bombers also attacked Libyan airfields, flattening the hardened shelters Libyan fighter-bombers use, Gortney said. Coalition tactical fighters also hit Gadhafi’s ground forces on the outskirts of Benghazi, where 15 U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, French and British aircraft participated in the action about 10 miles south of the opposition stronghold. “We judge these also to have been highly successful at halting the regime ground movement in this region,” Gortney said.

Libya’s fixed surface-to-air missile threat and early warning radars are gone. The threat that remains comes from mobile surface-to-air missiles -- SA-6 and SA-8 systems – as well as thousands of shoulder-fired SA-7 missile launchers, the admiral told reporters.

The coalition has not directly targeted anti-aircraft artillery, Gortney said, because many are near homes and there are thousands of these guns.

The coalition has grown and will continue to increase, Gortney said, noting that it includes the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Italy, Qatar, Belgium, Norway and Denmark. More nations will directly participate in the coalition, he said, and other nations will provide overflight rights, basing and logistics. Gortney said those nations will make their announcements at their own times.

The United States leads the coalition effort now, but that will change, the admiral said.

“Our intent is to be a part of the coalition throughout, and transfer the command to a coalition command,” he said. The United States would shift to more of a support function that would include aerial tankers; electronic warfare aircraft; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft; and logistics.

Coalition Answers Libyan People’s Call, Flournoy Says

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2011 – Operation Odyssey Dawn is a coalition effort responding to the calls of the Libyan people, Arab nations and the international community as a whole, the undersecretary of defense for policy said today.

In a BBC interview, Michele Flournoy spoke about the operation aimed at protecting the people of Libya from forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi and establishing a no-fly zone over the nation.

Yesterday’s attacks set the conditions to establish the no-fly zone, she said.

“The first steps of establishing any no-fly zone are taking out the adversary’s air defenses,” she explained. U.S. and British warships fired 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Libyan integrated air and missile defense system, and American B-2 bombers attacked Libyan airfields.

To date, the countries that have announced they are part of the Odyssey Dawn coalition are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada and Qatar. More are expected to announce support in the coming days.

“This is an increasingly broad international coalition that includes not only the United States and European nations, but a number of Arab nations that are stepping up to provide various forms of assistance, whether it is military participation, access, basing, financial support and so forth,” Flournoy said.

The mission does not end with establishing the no-fly zone, she said, noting that U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 calls for the coalition to protect Libyan civilians. Gadhafi’s forces were moving on Benghazi – the opposition strongpoint in eastern Libya. Flournoy said coalition forces will use all assets “to stop Gadhafi’s forces from moving in to those urban areas, to cut supply lines, command and control and so forth.”

“We will do whatever we can to enforce the U.N.’s resolution,” she added.

The undersecretary said directing coalition air power against Gadhafi’s tanks and armored vehicles in the cities will be difficult, but time is not on Gadhafi’s side.

“The will of the international community is quite strong,” she said. “The solidarity across … the region is quite strong. He’s lost his legitimacy by attacking his own people. Time will tell the outcome of this operation.”

Flournoy would not discuss anything beyond the current operation. “It’s too early to speculate about where this is going to end up,” she said. “Gadhafi and his military are going to be under enormous pressure. I think their efforts to turn against their own population will be thwarted. We will have to see how the days play out before we will know exactly how this end game will play out.”

Coalition Launches 'Operation Odyssey Dawn'

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2011 – Coalition forces launched “Operation Odyssey Dawn” today to enforce U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 to protect the Libyan people from the country’s ruler.

The goal of the military coalition is to prevent further attacks by regime forces on Libyan citizens, officials said, adding that the coalition also wants to degrade the ability of Moammar Gadhafi’s regime to resist a no-fly zone being implemented.

U.S. military forces are on the leading edge of the coalition operation, taking out Libya’s integrated air and missile defense system, Defense Department officials said. The ordnance is aimed at radars and anti-aircraft sites around the capital of Tripoli and other facilities along the Mediterranean coast.

Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn is commanded by U.S. Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear aboard the command ship USS Mount Whitney. The Mount Whitney joins 24 other ships from Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom and France in launching the operation.

Cruise missiles from U.S. submarines and frigates began the attack on the anti-aircraft system. A senior defense official speaking on background said the attacks will “open up the environment so we could enforce the no-fly zone from east to west throughout Libya.”

In addition to the cruise missiles, the United States will provide command and control and logistics. American airmen and sailors also will launch electronic attacks against the systems.

The United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada already have announced that they are part of the coalition. Officials expect Arab countries will publicly announce their participation soon.

General: Afghanistan Planning Yields Steady Progress

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2011 – U.S. and coalition troops have spent 18 months carrying out the first comprehensive campaign plan linking their efforts with those of their Afghan counterparts, a senior U.S. commander said today.

“Last year saw the implementation of a plan that demanded focus and synchronization,” Army Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commander of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, told Pentagon reporters in a video teleconference. “And we all saw that where we do that, we make steady progress.”

The plan was based on a strategy of “synchronizing efforts in time and space,” Rodriguez said. ISAF and the three Afghan security ministries -– interior, defense, and national security –- put the plan together and carried it out, he added.

The plan focused effort “where it was most important: population centers, commerce routes and areas of economic potential,” the general said.

The first foray employing the plan was a coordinated civil-military effort into the central Helmand River valley. That initial trial of the strategy yielded some lessons learned, Rodriguez noted.

The first lesson, he explained, is that security gains happen faster than increases in government capacity, so several lessons involved more planning for government activities to follow future security gains. Other lessons involved improving the “complementary effects” of conventional and special operations forces, while “the minister of interior learned some lessons on recruiting and training police forces, which were much more effective in the follow-on operations,” Rodriguez said.

“And we all learned that building local political bodies that represent the people is an iterative process,” he added. “If more and more people are mobilized, the representative councils become more representative and more effective.”

The lessons learned in Helmand informed operations in and around Kandahar City over the summer and fall of 2010, the general said, noting that Arghandab, a district just outside Kandahar City, had been a Taliban stronghold where people could not move around without fear.

“In that 18-month period, the district governor was killed, the district police chief was maimed, and there were no government officials or police present any place … but the district center, which some of the Afghans described as a combat outpost,” he said.

The ISAF-Afghan combined approach to establishing security and fostering local government growth effected a transformation, Rodriguez said.

“I was there two weeks ago, and there were 16 government employees working with a new district governor,” he said. “There's a new police chief who has a police force that's out and about. And the people on a Friday afternoon, Afghan family time, were out picnicking in the Arghandab River Valley -- a significant change from 18 months ago.”

The partnered forces made similar, but smaller gains, in Kabul province’s capital and in Afghanistan’s east, north and west, Rodriquez said.

Extending security and fostering Afghan forces’ ability to lead operations -- while expanding the government’s ability to serve its people at the same time -- are essential to the goal of transitioning security responsibility to Afghanistan lead by the end of 2014, Rodriguez said.

“So we're going to stick with the current approach,” he said.

This year, the updated plan focuses on expanding security to more population centers and important roads, while building slow but steady progress in the north and west, the general said. The planning effort now involves U.S. and United Kingdom embassies and additional civilian Afghan ministries, Rodriguez explained.

The Afghan independent director of local governance and the minister of rural rehabilitation and development helped to develop the current plan, Rodriguez said, and their participation is “altogether helping to bring better coordinated effects to a common plan.”

Also important this year, he said, is building the Afghan forces’ durability and sustainability.

“We put a tremendous effort last year to get the infantry forces fielded to increase the number of [Afghan] boots on the ground,” Rodriquez said. “And this year [we] will focus on logistics, the other enablers, [and] the engineers, to support the long-term sustainability of the Afghan army.”

While 70,000 new Afghan soldiers and police were trained over the past 18 months, efforts continue to build literacy and leadership capability in those forces, he said.

Afghan forces already have established a stronger presence in places like the Helmand River Valley, where ISAF-to-Afghan troop ratios have shifted from 1-to-5 18 months ago to 1-to-1 today, the general said, while ratios are now 1-to-1.2 in areas around Kandahar City.

“The Afghan national security forces are increasing significantly in the important places,” Rodriguez said, adding that the challenge is to help the Afghans as they increasingly take the lead to make the progress durable.

The plan also must address building Afghanistan’s civil service work force, Rodriguez said.

“In the last 18 months, there's been a significant effort to train civil servants by [the U.S. Agency for International Development] and the U.S. embassy,” the general said. “So rather than have just one or two people in the district government trying to do something, they now have … 10, 15, in some cases more, to try to build that stability.”

As security improves and the Afghan population’s confidence grows, “more of them will come out to serve,” Rodriguez said. “And that's what has to occur over time, … so that they can maintain the hold to properly build this long-term stability that they desire.

“We'll continue to support the building of the local governance that serves the people,” he continued. “I'm confident that … we're helping to set the conditions for the people to participate more fully in building a better future for themselves.”

Rodriguez said the real question in preparing to draw down the number of ISAF troops in Afghanistan is whether Afghan forces can provide security in their country without the assistance of coalition forces.

“Can they do it with less of us?” the general posited to reporters. “Can they provide that security for the Afghan people so that they can go about their daily business? And is there sufficient governance out there that doesn't negatively impact on security?”

Those factors will determine when and where ISAF can reduce its troop presence, he said, and such progress already has happened in some places. Helmand province’s Now Zad district had an ISAF presence last year of two Marine battalions, Rodriguez noted. “Now,” he added, “there's a company-plus.”

The Afghan army and the Afghan police, augmented by that bolstered Marine company and “a few enablers,” Rodriguez said, now can provide the same level of security that just over a year ago required two Marine battalions.

The Afghan government is now building its processes to initiate the transition process, the general said.

“It's going to be another month or two until … all that gets worked out so that we can officially start moving along the transition process,” he said.

When the ISAF troop reduction does get under way, Rodriguez said, some combat troops may be shifted to a training role, and those troops who will remain in Afghanistan longest will be those who can augment the Afghans’ efforts to build their own capacity.

“The things that require a longer time to develop are the command and control that the headquarters provides, the integration of a significant level of intelligence, access to joint effects -- air being the most important one, but some artillery -- and then logistics and medevac,” he said. “Those things take a longer time to build than an infantry company. So as we look over time, [those are] the ones that will be there longer, relative to all the combat troops.”

Head of Mission for Helmand’s Provincial Reconstruction Team to Brief Live from Southern Afghanistan

Michael O'Neill, head of mission for the United Kingdom-led Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team – a multinational civilian-military collaboration in Southern Afghanistan – will brief the media live from Afghanistan at 10:30 a.m. EST, Jan. 25, in the Pentagon Briefing Room (2E973) to provide an update on joint Afghan-coalition efforts towards stability.

Journalists without a Pentagon building pass will be picked up at the River Entrance only.  Plan to arrive no later than 45 minutes prior to the event; have proof of affiliation and two forms of photo identification.  Please call 703-697-5131 for escort into the building.

U.S. General Leads Hostage Death Investigation

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2010 – The investigation into a kidnapped aid worker’s death in Afghanistan during an Oct. 8 attempt to rescue her will be “as expeditious as possible,” a Defense Department spokesperson said here today.

Army Maj. Gen. Joseph L. Votel, U.S. Special Operations Command chief of staff, will head the investigation to determine how British national Linda Norgrove died during a U.S. forces assault on the compound where she was being held in the Korengal Valley, Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan told reporters.

The United States and the United Kingdom will work in close cooperation during the investigation, Lapan said. Norgrove was kidnapped Sept. 26 by insurgents in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan. Lapan said U.S. and U.K. officials cooperated in the planning of Norgrove’s rescue operation, but the 36-year-old woman died of injuries she suffered when U.S. troops stormed the remote compound where she was held hostage.

Initial reports indicated Norgrove was killed by a captor’s suicide bomb. Lapan said the mission commander reviewed surveillance video and spoke to team members after the operation, and found some inconsistencies. He reported his concerns to Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

At that point, Petraeus requested an investigation. Marine Gen. James N. Mattis, U.S. Central Command commander, appointed Votel to lead the inquiry.

Lapan said the investigation is fact-finding in nature, and Votel has the option to recommend further proceedings if warranted by the team’s findings.

Lapan said the investigative team would include U.K. representatives. While the team will focus on determining the facts as quickly as possible, Lapan said, it’s too soon to speculate on when the investigation will conclude.

While the investigation will determine the sequence of events during the rescue attempt, Lapan said, ultimate responsibility for Norgrove’s death rests with the kidnappers.

“This rescue mission would not have been necessary had she not been kidnapped,” he said.

President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Petraeus and many other officials from both nations have expressed their condolences to Norgrove’s family, friends and colleagues in the days since her death.

Obama said Norgrove’s service in Afghanistan illustrated her extraordinary commitment to advance the lives of others.

Petraeus said: “Linda was a courageous person with a passion to improve the lives of Afghan people, and sadly she lost her life in their service. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family during this difficult time.”

This article was sponsored by Police Books.