Article

2011-03-18 Africa North

How would a no-fly zone work over Libya?

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Posted by tu3031 2011-03-18 00:15|| || Front Page|| [11124 views ] Top

#1 How would a no-fly zone work over Libya? Not well:

... no immediate U.S. action was expected... U.S. Joint Forces Command said the Pentagon could implement a no-fly zone 'within a couple of days.'... U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz said... "upwards of a week." Schwartz... said there were "nations within the Arab League with capable air forces that under the right circumstances might be brought to bear." If the United States chose not to get involved, Britain and France probably have the military capabilities to mount a limited... U.S. officials believe the Pentagon... would do the heavy lifting... likely be required to pull air assets from Europe and the United States... possibly even from Iraq and Afghanistan. "There are limited intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets," Schwartz said.... In a sign of reservations within the U.S. military, Schwartz said a no-fly zone alone would not be sufficient to reverse the momentum of Gaddafi's troops.

Posted by Pappy 2011-03-18 01:16|| 2011-03-18 01:16|| Front Page Top

#2 How about some cruise missiles on some runways. Is that too much too ask?

Posted by imoyaro 2011-03-18 02:17|| 2011-03-18 02:17|| Front Page Top

#3 Cratering runways only slows down the Libyan Air Force, a No Fly Zone requires blowing out of the sky any Libyan aircraft that passes a line of control.

Posted by Shieldwolf 2011-03-18 04:33|| 2011-03-18 04:33|| Front Page Top

#4 You're thinking of a traditional NFZ, Shiedwolf. I suspect the Euros and company are thinking of a virtual NFZ, where the line of control is monitored and violations result in strongly worded memos that will ultimatly result in tough sanctions - really tough sanctions.

Posted by Bobby 2011-03-18 06:01|| 2011-03-18 06:01|| Front Page Top

#5 1. Develop ROE.
2. If rebels are still resisting, return to step 1 and revise. If not proceed to step 3.
3. Do a SEAD run and fly by to show who's boss.
4. Reconcile with triumphant Daffy and welcome him to lunch at the Human Rights Club.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2011-03-18 07:26|| 2011-03-18 07:26|| Front Page Top

#6 It would seem that enforcing a no-fly zone would require "blinding" Qadaffy radar, destroying his missile and anti-aircraft capability, destroying his communications and destroying his airforce.

Posted by JohnQC 2011-03-18 09:51|| 2011-03-18 09:51|| Front Page Top

#7 Saudi Arbai voted for the no-dfly zone. that is a good reason to be aganisnt it. Another poit is that the rebels seem to be as anti-western and, probably, pro-terrorism as Gaddaffi except that from time to time Gadafi has fits iof anti-arabism and anti-islamism. My advice would be to watch and order pop-corn.

Also Western planes would have to fly from Lybia. That is too far away for many models so it would have top be done with carrier aviation. US carrier aviation since UK has no real acrriers and France has only one a and quite small.

Posted by JFM 2011-03-18 10:14|| 2011-03-18 10:14|| Front Page Top

#8 Opponents of the no-fly zone say that would be an act of war.

With or without UN blessing attacking a sovereign country is "an act of war". Has there ever been a NFZ estsablished without prior military action?

Others believe pre-emptive strikes against Libya's outdated Soviet surface-to-air missiles
would not be needed and NATO warplanes could wait until Libyan radar "locked on" to them.

OK, here we fucking go. Already, they're considering the ROE to first fit their diplomatic concerns. Oh Great. What's next...making sure the force will be proportional?

Posted by DepotGuy 2011-03-18 10:19|| 2011-03-18 10:19|| Front Page Top

#9 Gadafi has fits iof anti-arabism and anti-islamism.

Given his past affiliations with terrorist groups, I'd bet that Gaddafi is basically a Marxist-Leninist, and everything else is a pose.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2011-03-18 10:20|| 2011-03-18 10:20|| Front Page Top

#10 It's kind of weird how the media made things really tough for Bush over Iraq, a mere 18 months after 9/11. But 10 years after 9/11, it's practically tripping over itself inviting Obama to invade Libya. All this despite Gaddafi having carried out a fraction of Saddam's atrocities, and Saddam having previously overrun Kuwait thereby threatening the West's economic jugular, Saudi Arabia, custodian of the biggest oil reserves around.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2011-03-18 10:25|| 2011-03-18 10:25|| Front Page Top

#11 Has there ever been a NFZ established without prior military action?

Well, not a NFZ, but the Cuban Blockade was imposed without prior military action.

Posted by Procopius2k 2011-03-18 11:05|| 2011-03-18 11:05|| Front Page Top

#12 What's a NFZ gonna do about Daffy's tanks and artillery?

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2011-03-18 12:02|| 2011-03-18 12:02|| Front Page Top

#13 In other news Field Marshal Rommel is still dead

Posted by European Conservative 2011-03-18 15:09|| 2011-03-18 15:09|| Front Page Top

#14 Another tail wagging the dog senario, like Clinton in Bosnia. That wasnt our fight but Clinton needed to get the public off the Lewinski scandal. Obama needs to divert our attn away from the economy, Japan, inflation, unemployement, healthcare - oh and an election is coming. He needs some new street creeds as a tough guy.

And why go to Rio now. Could it be that a radiation cloud is going to roll over the US when those reactors go critical. Strange Rio is in the southern hemisphere isnt it. Yeah I know that sounds over the top - but he has put off trips for less reason.

Posted by Retired LEO 2011-03-18 17:46|| 2011-03-18 17:46|| Front Page Top

#15 ...Actually - and this is just a guess - look for the 27th and/or 94th FS's out of Langley AFB VA to deploy. The USAF will welcome an excuse to get the F-22 into combat, and the guys there were the first line units to get the Raptor. I would be very surprised if they weren't standing by.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2011-03-18 20:31|| 2011-03-18 20:31|| Front Page Top

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