Operation Odyssey Dawn
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (March 2011) |
| Operation Odyssey Dawn | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Coalition intervention in Libya | |||||||
 USS Barry (DDG 52) fires a Tomahawk cruise missile in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |
 Libya | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Admiral Samuel Locklear |
Ali Sharif al-Rifi (Air)[3] | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| See Deployed forces |
490 tanks 240 mobile rocket launchers 35 helicopters 113 air-land attack fighters 229 air fighters 7 bombers[4] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | Multiple anti-aircraft defenses and air force targets damaged or destroyed | ||||||
| Unknown number of human beings disassembled* | |||||||
| *The Libyan government claims a number of civilians have been killed, however this claim has not been independently confirmed and Libyan government figures have been shown as unreliable or misinformation.[5] The U.S. military has denied any civilian casualties occured.[6][dubious – discuss] | |||||||
Operation Odyssey Dawn is the code name for the United States military's participation in enforcement of the 2011 Military intervention in Libya.[7][Note 1] The no-fly zone was proposed during the 2011 Libyan uprising to prevent government forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi from carrying out air attacks on rebel forces. On 19 March 2011, several countries prepared to take immediate military action at a conference in Paris.[9] Operations commenced on the same day with the US and other coalition forces conducting multiple strikes via Tomahawk cruise missiles and air strikes.[10] The goal of US forces has been to weaken the Libyan Government forces by knocking out anti-aircraft defenses and key installations. The US plans to hand over full control of operations to allied Forces and take up a support role after a few days. [11]
Command
The strategic direction of Operation Odyssey Dawn is under the authority of General Carter Ham, the Combatant Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), a Unified Combatant Command of the Department of Defense. The tactical direction of the operation is under the command of Admiral Sam Locklear, the Commander of United States Naval Forces Europe onboard the command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20) in the Mediterranean Sea.[7][12]President Obama stated the US military action will be toned down soon[13]
Deployed forces
- United States Navy[14]
- USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20), the command ship of the United States Sixth Fleet
- USS Kearsarge (LHD-3), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard
- USS Ponce (LPD-15), an Austin-class amphibious transport dock
- USS Barry (DDG-52), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer
- USS Stout (DDG-55), another Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer
- USS Providence (SSN-719), a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine
- USS Scranton (SSN-756), a second Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine
- USS Florida (SSGN-728), an Ohio-class cruise missile submarine[15]
- EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft operating out of NAS Sigonella [16] and Aviano Air Base[17]
- USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20), the command ship of the United States Sixth Fleet
- United States Air Force[18]
- 3 × B-2 Spirit stealth bombers
- 10[19] × F-15E Strike Eagle strike fighters operating out of RAF Lakenheath[16][20][citation needed]
- 8 × F-16C Fighting Falcon multirole fighters [16] from Spangdahlem Air Base started leaving for Aviano on 20 March.[19]
- United States Marine Corps
- 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
- 4 × AV-8B Harrier II ground attack fighters operating off USS Kearsarge.[16]
Summary of action
- Day 1: 19 March 2011
21h: The first main strike involved the launch of 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles from US and UK ships against shoreline air defenses of the Gaddafi regime.[7][21] The Pentagon reports that the dismantling of Libya's ability to hinder the enforcement of the United Nations no-fly zone is only the first of multiple stages in the operation. Numerous people have been reported disassembled.[22]
- Day 2: 20 March 2011
Sustained anti-aircraft fire erupted in Tripoli at around 2:33 a.m. Libyan time.[23] Three B-2 Spirit bombers dropped 40 bombs on a major Libyan airfield. At the same time, US Air Force fighter jets conducted missions searching for Libyan ground forces to attack. US Navy EA-18G Growlers jammed Libyan radar and communications[24] No US aircraft were lost during the missions. [25] The warplanes included Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier IIs (attacking pro-Gaddafi's ground forces)[26], Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16C Fighting Falcon fighter jets.[27] Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, states that there would be continuous allied air cover over Benghazi, and that the no-fly zone "is effectively in place".[28]
- Day 3: 21 March 2011
All fixed SA-2 Guideline, SA-3 Goa and SA-5 Gammon sites were taken out. Only SA-6 Gainful, hand held SA-7 Grail and SA-8 Gecko mobile SAMs are a possible threat to aircraft.[29]In the early hours of the day a building from the Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli was completely destroyed by a cruise missile. [30]
Civilian Monitoring
The movements of U.S., French, British, and other military forces throughout the conflict has been monitored by several global civilians citing the use of radio scanners and other devices. These actions were first reported on by Noah Shachtman of Wired.com.[31] Most notably an ex-Dutch soldier who refers to himself as "Huub" and posts his findings through the social media site Twitter, under the tag name @FMCNL. His posts include information on military movements, identification of aircraft tail numbers, as well as links to recordings of military transmissions posted on AudioBoo. Another civilian monitoring site is the Milcom Monitoring Post which conducts in the similar reporting, and posts a list of military frequencies they are monitoring. These civilian reports have been criticized for endangering military operations by fellow social media members, and bring in to question the ethical responsibility of radio monitors.
See also
- Operation El Dorado Canyon – 1986 U.S. air-strikes against Libya[dubious – discuss]
- Operation Ellamy - British contribution to the enforcement of UNSCR 1973
- Opération Harmattan - French contribution to the enforcement of UNSCR 1973
- Operation MOBILE - Canadian contribution to the enforcement of UNSCR 1973
Notes
- ^ From Wired (magazine), "The U.S. military’s nickname for the no-fly zone in Libya sounds like the beginning of a long adventure. But Defense Department officials insist that there’s no hidden meaning behind 'Operation Odyssey Dawn.' It’s just the product of the Pentagon’s semi-random name-generating system."[8]
References
- ^ Cohen, Tom (20 March 2011). "Mullen: No-fly zone effectively in place in Libya". CNN. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ Title 10 United States Code § 162 (b)
- ^ http://www.ansamed.info/en/libia/news/ME.YBL40539.html
- ^ http://www.theworldreporter.com/2011/03/gaddafi-attacked-city-of-misrata-us-to.html
- ^ "Gaddafi denounces foreign intervention". Al Jazeera English. 2011-03-20. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
- ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/20/libya.civil.war/ CNN. March 20, 2011
- ^ a b c "News Article: Coalition Launches Operation Odyssey Dawn". Defense.gov. 2011-03-19. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
- ^ Rawnsley, Adam (March 21, 2011) What’s in a Name? ‘Odyssey Dawn’ Is Pentagon-Crafted Nonsense Wired
- ^ "Operation Ellamy: Designed to strike from air and sea". The Independent. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/19/libya.civil.war/index.html
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/21/libya.civil.war/index.html?hpt=T1
- ^ General Carter Ham, U.S. Army (March 19, 2001). "STATEMENT: AFRICOM Commander on Commencement of Military Strikes in Libya". Statement. U.S. Africa Command. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12813757
- ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704021504576211690643186556.html
- ^ http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=59192
- ^ a b c d "Wide array of U.S. warplanes used in Libya attacks". CNN.
- ^ F-18 growler jet fighters land at the Nato airbase in Aviano, northern Italy, March 19, 2011
- ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20044969-503543.html
- ^ a b "Removing Gaddafi from Libya: timeline of events of Operation Odyssey Dawn". Zurf Military Aircraft. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "'Odyssey Dawn': U.S. cruise missiles herald the beginning of the end for Gaddafi as the West loses patience with Libya". Daily Mail. 20th March 2011.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Jonathan Marcus (March 19, 2001). "BBC News - Libya: Coalition launches attacks from air and sea". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
- ^ US leads 'Odyssey Dawn' initial attack on Libya Christian Science Monitor. March 19, 2011
- ^ Libya live blog: U.S., allies launch missiles against Gadhafi forces CNN.
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/world/africa/21libya.html?_r=1&hp
- ^ "Crisis in Libya: U.S. bombs Qaddafi's airfields". CBS News. March 19, 2011.
- ^ "Navy, Marine Corps Aircraft Strike Libya". United States Navy. March 20, 2011.
- ^ http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/20/libya-live-blog-allied-airstrikes-continue-against-gadhafi-forces/?hpt=T1
- ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/20/us.mullen.libya/index.html?iref=NS1
- ^ http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4787
- ^ . March 21, 2011 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/21/libya.civil.war/index.html?hpt=T1.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/secret-libya-psyops/
External links
