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{{Campaignbox Libya no-fly zone}}
{{Campaignbox Libya no-fly zone}}


'''Operation Odyssey Dawn''' is the [[code name]] for the [[2011 military intervention in Libya|international military operation]] in [[Libya]] by an international [[Coalition#Military|coalition]] that is enforcing [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973]]. The operation is initially being led by United States forces.<ref name=DODNewsArticle/><ref name=DODNewsBriefing>{{cite web|url=http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4786 |title=DOD News Briefing by Vice Adm. Gortney on Operation Odyssey Dawn |publisher=Defense.gov |date=2011-03-19 |accessdate=2011-03-22}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|From [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]], "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."<ref name=Wired>Rawnsley, Adam (March 21, 2011) [http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/whats-in-a-name-odyssey-dawn-is-pentagon-crafted-nonsense/ What’s in a Name? ‘Odyssey Dawn’ Is Pentagon-Crafted Nonsense] [[Wired (magazine)|''Wired'']] </ref>|group=Note}} It implements a [[no-fly zone]] that was proposed during the [[2011 Libyan uprising]] to prevent government forces loyal to [[Muammar Gaddafi]] from carrying out air attacks on [[Anti-Gaddafi forces|rebel forces]]. On 19 March 2011, several countries prepared to take immediate military action at a conference in Paris.<ref>{{cite news|title=Operation Ellamy: Designed to strike from air and sea|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/operation-ellamy-designed-to-strike-from-air-and-sea-2246411.html|publisher=The Independent|accessdate=19 March 2011}}</ref> Operations commenced on the same day with the US and other coalition forces conducting multiple strikes via [[Tomahawk (missile)|Tomahawk]] [[cruise missile]]s and and air assets bombing Gaddafi forces near Benghazi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/19/libya.civil.war/index.html |title=Gunfire, explosions heard in Tripoli|publisher=CNN |accessdate=2011-03-21}}</ref> The goal of coalition forces is to impose a no-fly zone and to destroy loyalist forces that threaten civilians. The US plans to hand over command of the operation to allied forces and take up a support role after a few days. <ref>{{cite web|author=By the CNN Wire Staff |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/21/libya.civil.war/index.html?hpt=T1 |title=U.S. official: Gadhafi's momentum stopped |publisher=CNN.com |accessdate=2011-03-21}}</ref>
'''Operation Odyssey Dawn''' is the US [[code name]] for the larger [[2011 military intervention in Libya|international military operation]] in [[Libya]] that is enforcing [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973]]. Operational command of the operation has been turned over to NATO, while political command remains in the hands an international coalition. It implements a [[no-fly zone]] that was proposed during the [[2011 Libyan uprising]] to prevent government forces loyal to [[Muammar Gaddafi]] from carrying out air attacks on [[Anti-Gaddafi forces|rebel forces]]. On 19 March 2011, several countries prepared to take immediate military action at a conference in Paris.<ref>{{cite news|title=Operation Ellamy: Designed to strike from air and sea|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/operation-ellamy-designed-to-strike-from-air-and-sea-2246411.html|publisher=The Independent|accessdate=19 March 2011}}</ref> Operations commenced on the same day with the US and other coalition forces conducting multiple strikes via [[Tomahawk (missile)|Tomahawk]] [[cruise missile]]s and and air assets bombing Gaddafi forces near Benghazi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/19/libya.civil.war/index.html |title=Gunfire, explosions heard in Tripoli|publisher=CNN |accessdate=2011-03-21}}</ref> The goal of coalition forces is to impose a no-fly zone and to destroy loyalist forces that threaten civilians. The US plans to hand over command of the operation to allied forces and take up a support role after a few days. <ref>{{cite web|author=By the CNN Wire Staff |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/21/libya.civil.war/index.html?hpt=T1 |title=U.S. official: Gadhafi's momentum stopped |publisher=CNN.com |accessdate=2011-03-21}}</ref>


==Naming==
==Naming==
According to the U.S. Africa Command spokesman in Germany, the name Odyssey Dawn "has absolutely no meaning."<ref>[http://thelastword.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/21/6316486-rewrite-operation-odyssey-dawn The Last Word - Rewrite Operation: Odyssey Dawn<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
According to the U.S. Africa Command spokesman in Germany, the name Odyssey Dawn "has absolutely no meaning."<ref>[http://thelastword.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/21/6316486-rewrite-operation-odyssey-dawn The Last Word - Rewrite Operation: Odyssey Dawn<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>{{#tag:ref|From [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]], "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."<ref name=Wired>Rawnsley, Adam (March 21, 2011) [http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/whats-in-a-name-odyssey-dawn-is-pentagon-crafted-nonsense/ What’s in a Name? ‘Odyssey Dawn’ Is Pentagon-Crafted Nonsense] [[Wired (magazine)|''Wired'']] </ref>|group=Note}}


==Command==
==Command==

Revision as of 22:29, 23 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
Date19 March 2011 - present
Location
Libya
Status Operations ongoing
Effective no-fly zone established[1]
Belligerents
 United States of America
 Belgium
 Denmark
 Netherlands
 Norway
 Italy
 Qatar
 Spain		  Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Commanders and leaders

United StatesBarack Obama
United StatesRobert M. Gates[2]
United StatesGeneral Carter Ham

United StatesAdmiral Samuel Locklear

Libyan Arab JamahiriyaMuammar al-Gaddafi
Libyan Arab JamahiriyaAbu-Bakr Yunis Jabr
Libyan Arab JamahiriyaKhamis al-Gaddafi (SF)

Libyan Arab JamahiriyaAli 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
1 F-15E (crashed due to mechanical failure, aircrew survived) Multiple anti-aircraft defenses and air force targets damaged or destroyed
*The Libyan government claims 48 civilians killed; 6 wounded[5]. However this claim has not been independently confirmed and Libyan government figures have been shown as unreliable or misinformation.[6] Neither the U.S. military nor independent news agencies have provided confirmation of Libyan government reports of civilian casualties in the first days of the operation. On March 22, press reports indicated that six Libyan civilians had been wounded by U.S. forces during the nighttime recovery of a U.S. pilot whose F-15E had crashed near Benghazi.[7][8][dubious – discuss]

Operation Odyssey Dawn is the US code name for the larger international military operation in Libya that is enforcing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973. Operational command of the operation has been turned over to NATO, while political command remains in the hands an international coalition. It implements a no-fly zone that 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 and air assets bombing Gaddafi forces near Benghazi.[10] The goal of coalition forces is to impose a no-fly zone and to destroy loyalist forces that threaten civilians. The US plans to hand over command of the operation to allied forces and take up a support role after a few days. [11]

Naming

According to the U.S. Africa Command spokesman in Germany, the name Odyssey Dawn "has absolutely no meaning."[12][Note 1]

Command

The strategic command 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. Tactical command in the theater of operations is under 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.[14][15] President Obama stated the US military action will be scaled back soon[16] and is considering handing over the command of the operation to either UK, France or NATO[17]

Deployed forces

Coalition forces placed under US command

Coalition forces based and operating in the theater of operations are under command of the Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn.

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.[14][38] The U.S. Department of Defense 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.[39] USMC Harriers participated in an air strike against a large military convoy outside Benghazi.[23]

  • Day 2: 20 March 2011

Sustained anti-aircraft fire erupted in Tripoli at around 2:33 a.m. Libyan time.[40] Three B-2 Spirit bombers targeted 45 hardened aircraft shelters at an Libyan airfield near Sirt.[23] 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[41] No US aircraft were lost during the missions. [42] The warplanes included Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier IIs (attacking pro-Gaddafi's ground forces),[43] Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16C Fighting Falcon fighter jets.[44] 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".[45] An EC-130J was recorded warning Libyan shipping "If you attempt to leave port, you will be attacked and destroyed immediately" in Arabic, French and English.[46]

  • 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 still a possible threat to aircraft.[47] In the early hours of the day a building from Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli was completely destroyed by a cruise missile. [48] Twelve more cruise missiles were fired at command and air defense sites.[49]

Crashed aircraft F-15E '91-0304/LN' at Dny NATO in Ostrava, Czech Republic, half a year before. Her crew ejected and was rescued.
  • Day 4: 22 March 2011

At approximately 22:30 CET (evening of March 21), a US F-15E 91-0304 operating out of Aviano Air Base crashed about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Benghazi. Both crew members ejected at high altitude and were subsequently separated. A MV-22 Osprey from the 26th MEU initially recovered the pilot, while the weapons officer was recovered later after being rescued by rebel forces in the area.[50] Two Marine Harriers accompanying the rescue force dropped two 500lb bombs at the request of the ejected pilot, prior to the MV-22 landing in an attempt to deter an unidentified group of people heading towards the area.[51] The UK had a "peripheral involvement" in the rescue of the US pilots.[52][53][54][55][52][56]

Six local villagers, including a young boy, were reported to have been injured by gunfire from the rescuing U.S. forces, [57][58] Although a Marine spokesperson aboard USS Kearsarge denied that shots were fired: "The Osprey is not armed, and the Marines barely got off the aircraft. I was in the landing center the whole time, where we were monitoring what was going on, and firing was never reported"[51], Pentagon sources were later reported to have confirmed that shots were fired.[59]

The source of the civilian casualties is still being investigated.[51] Overnight, the US bombed the wreckage of the downed F-15E "to prevent materials from getting into the wrong hands." [60]

See also

Footnotes

Notes
  1. ^ From Wired, "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."[13]
References
  1. ^ Cohen, Tom (20 March 2011). "Mullen: No-fly zone effectively in place in Libya". CNN. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  2. ^ Title 10 United States Code § 162 (b)
  3. ^ "Serbia-Libya: Serbian Delegation At Weapons Fair In Tripoli - Lybia". ANSAMED.info. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  4. ^ "Gaddafi Attacked City of Misrata; US to Bomb More | The World Reporter: News Opinion and Analysis". The World Reporter. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  5. ^ http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/updates-on-libyan-war
  6. ^ "Gaddafi denounces foreign intervention". Al Jazeera English. 2011-03-20. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
  7. ^ CNN. March 20, 2011
  8. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/world/africa/23plane.html
  9. ^ "Operation Ellamy: Designed to strike from air and sea". The Independent. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  10. ^ "Gunfire, explosions heard in Tripoli". CNN. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  11. ^ By the CNN Wire Staff. "U.S. official: Gadhafi's momentum stopped". CNN.com. Retrieved 2011-03-21. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ The Last Word - Rewrite Operation: Odyssey Dawn
  13. ^ Rawnsley, Adam (March 21, 2011) What’s in a Name? ‘Odyssey Dawn’ Is Pentagon-Crafted Nonsense Wired
  14. ^ a b "News Article: Coalition Launches Operation Odyssey Dawn". Defense.gov. 2011-03-19. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Ian Pannell. "BBC News - Libya: US 'to reduce role in military campaign'". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  17. ^ Sanskar Shrivastava (March 22, 2011). "US to Hand job The Command of Military Operation in Libya to UK, France or NATO". The World Reporter. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
  18. ^ Dagher, Sam. "Allies Press Libya Attacks - WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  19. ^ Media, Defense. "U.S. Naval Forces Open Odyssey Dawn, Prepare No-Fly Zone". Navy.mil. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  20. ^ a b c d "Wide array of U.S. warplanes used in Libya attacks". CNN.
  21. ^ http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=63272 Roughead: Ships Were Ready for Odyssey Dawn, American Forces Press Service March 23, 2011]
  22. ^ "Crisis in Libya: U.S. bombs Qaddafi's airfields - World Watch". CBS News. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  23. ^ a b c B-2 Bombers From Missouri Hit Libyan Targets : NPR
  24. ^ a b c "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)
  25. ^ "'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)
  26. ^ Libya: coalition naval forces gather in Mediterranean - Telegraph
  27. ^ http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/libya032111/s_l18_20016576.jpg
  28. ^ Air Strikes on Libya - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic
  29. ^ "Marine jets involved in Libya airstrikes". Marine Corps Times. March 20, 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  30. ^ "Denmark to send squadron on Libya op" (in Template:Da icon). Politiken.dk. 2011-03-14. Retrieved 2011-03-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  31. ^ http://www.fvn.no/nyheter/innenriks/article848806.ece
  32. ^ http://www.newsinenglish.no/2011/03/23/fighter-jets-go-under-us-command/
  33. ^ http://www.dagbladet.no/2011/03/20/nyheter/libya/utenriks/muammar_kadhafi/kadhafi/15879797/
  34. ^ "La Russa: Presto altri aerei italiani". rainews24.it. 2011-03-22. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
  35. ^ "Libia: nave Andrea Doria nel canale di Sicilia con compiti di difesa aerea da attacchi missilistici". Grnet.it. 2011-03-19.
  36. ^ "UPDATE 1-Qatar fighter jets expected at Greek base". Reuters. 21 March 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  37. ^ Ministerio de Defensa - Dos cazas y el avión de reabastecimiento realizan la primera patrulla aérea en Libia
  38. ^ Jonathan Marcus (March 19, 2001). "BBC News - Libya: Coalition launches attacks from air and sea". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  39. ^ US leads 'Odyssey Dawn' initial attack on Libya Christian Science Monitor. March 19, 2011
  40. ^ Libya live blog: U.S., allies launch missiles against Gadhafi forces CNN.
  41. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/world/africa/21libya.html?_r=1&hp
  42. ^ "Crisis in Libya: U.S. bombs Qaddafi's airfields". CBS News. March 19, 2011.
  43. ^ "Navy, Marine Corps Aircraft Strike Libya". United States Navy. March 20, 2011.
  44. ^ "Libya live blog: Coalition confirms strike on Gadhafi compound – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs". News.blogs.cnn.com. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  45. ^ By Tom Cohen, CNN. "Mullen: No-fly zone effectively in place in Libya - CNN.com". Edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2011-03-21. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  46. ^ "Listen: Secret Libya Psyops, Caught by Online Sleuths". Wired. March 20, 2011.
  47. ^ "News Transcript: DOD News Briefing by Vice Adm. Gortney on Operation Odyssey Dawn". Defense.gov. 2009-03-12. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  48. ^ . 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)
  49. ^ Jelinek, Pauline, and Richard Lardner, "General: Coalition strikes more Libya defenses", Military Times, 21 March 2011.
  50. ^ "US jet crashes in Libya due to apparent equipment malfunction, both crew safe and in US hands". Associated Press. 2011-03-22. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
  51. ^ a b c "Marines Face Questions About Rescue of Officers in Libya". The New York Times. 2011-03-22. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
  52. ^ a b Libya: air strikes continue live updates | World news | guardian.co.uk
  53. ^ BBC News - Live: Libya crisis
  54. ^ U.S. Africa Command Home
  55. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/world/africa/23libya.html?_r=1&hp
  56. ^ Fontaine, Scott (March 22, 2011). "F-15 crashes in Libya; crew 'safe'". Marine Corps Times. Retrieved March 22, 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  57. ^ Daily Mail
  58. ^ Channel Four TV
  59. ^ Business Insider - REPORT: U.S. Marines Shot Six Villagers While Rescuing Downed Pilot
  60. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42231027/ns/world_news-africa
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