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In the last few days, Obama administration officials have frequently faced the question: Is the fighting in Libya a war? From military officers to White House spokesmen up to the president himself, the answer is no. But that leaves the question: What is it? In a briefing on board Air Force One Wednesday, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes took a crack at an answer. "I think what we are doing is enforcing a resolution that has a very clear set of goals, which is protecting the Libyan people, averting a humanitarian crisis, and setting up a no-fly zone," Rhodes...

Air War over Libya, in The Pilots' Words U.S. A-10 and F-15E pilots who are flying missions over Libya tell us their stories from the front lines of Operation Odyssey Dawn. By Joe Pappalardo A pilot photographed himself and a three-ship formation of F-15E Strike Eagles from the 492nd Fighter Squadron at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Lance Cheung Peace one day, war the next: It's the life of a combat pilot. And because Operation Odyssey Dawn—the U.S.-NATO effort to curtail Muammar Gaddafi's suppression of a revolt in Libya—so far relies exclusively on air power,...

abiya. Gen Abdelfatah Yunis said the deadly air strike had occurred despite a warning to Nato that the tanks were being moved to the front line. Nato said it was investigating the claim, without giving further details. Rebels said four rebels died, while local doctors told the BBC at least 13 fighters had been killed in the strike. "We would like to receive answers about what happened. We would like a rational and convincing explanation," Gen Yunis said. He also said such mistakes must not be repeated and called for better co-operation in the future

BREGA, Libya – Libyan government forces on Tuesday unleashed a withering bombardment of the rebels outside a key oil town, pushing them back despite NATO reports that nearly a third of Moammar Gadhafi's heavy weapons have been destroyed. The rebels managed to take part of the oil town of Brega the day before, aided by an international air campaign, but the rocket and artillery salvos unleashed on the rebels indicates the government's offensive capabilities remain very much intact.

An operation billed as a humanitarian intervention in Libya by President Obama was described in starkly more military terms Thursday by the administration’s top two defense officials. [snip] In his testimony, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, blamed the rebels’ losses in recent days on the heavy cloud cover in Libya, which has prevented U.S. and allied jets from attacking Gaddafi’s ground forces. ...Although Gates said that unseating Gaddafi was not the stated goal of the military mission, he made clear that the United States and its allies intended to use military force to aid...

As Japan struggles to pick up the shattered, often glowing pieces after the recent Earthquake tragedy, we noted that London has also recently fallen victim to a force of nature, but this time it was a riotous, masked, black-clad "youth movement" of over 25,000 arguing for more "free stuff," in addition to the riots occurring the world over. This chain of protest events seemingly hearkening back to our own previously gruntled labor "Freebie Crowd" in Wisconsin. But, now our blurred and bothered gaze must wearily turn back to Libya, along with our quickly becoming strategically comic efforts, as our Government...

ROME (Reuters) - At least 40 civilians have been killed in air strikes by Western forces on Tripoli, the top Vatican official in the Libyan capital told a Catholic news agency on Thursday, quoting witnesses. "The so-called humanitarian raids have killed dozens of civilian victims in some neighborhoods of Tripoli," said Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, the Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli. "I have collected several witness accounts from reliable people. In particular, in the Buslim neighborhood, due to the bombardments, a civilian building collapsed, causing the death of 40 people," he told Fides, the news agency of the Vatican missionary arm. Libyan...

Commando Solo: Libya PSYOPs Mission Broadcast Had excellent (almost epic) sunspot activity today. Managed to log Alaska, Argentina, Australia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Japan, Korea, Libya, Mexico, Sudan and Trinidad and Tobago. The Libya logging was the most special to me because it involved a crew I’ve been trying to intercept for some time. ‘Commando Solo’ is a United States Air Force EC-130J designed for one purpose and that’s psychological operations (PsyOps). The aircraft is equipped with high powered television and radio transmitters intended to broadcast pre-recorded propaganda messages. The following audio clip is a broadcast they made today on 10405...

Agree or disagree with the proposed no-fly zone over Libya, in order to make the no-fly zone safe you must prevent the enemy from endangering friendly aircraft. The purpose of the launch of Odyssey Dawn strikes is to degrade the Qadhafi regime’s ability to resist future allied air operations. Operation Odyssey DawnThe initial air and guided missile strike operations in Libya are designed to destroy Qadhafi’s Air Defenses. The primary targets were airfields and fixed anti-aircraft missile (SAM) batteries. The second strikes were aimed at disrupting Command and Control Communications networks and military operations against opposition forces in Benghazi. Future...

What if they gave a war and nobody was allowed to say it? The debate over military action in Libya has lately taken an absurd twist, driven by the Obama administration’s bizarre unwillingness to call a war a war. Everyone knows what is going on in Libya is a war, but the administration has placed a moratorium on plain English. Hence White House press secretary Jay Carney prefers to talk about a “time-limited, scope-limited military action,” which could actually describe most wars. And at a press briefing on Wednesday when Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn Chief of Staff Rear Admiral...

In Homer's Odyssey, protagonist Odysseus spends 10 years trying to reach Ithaca, encountering sirens and a cyclops along the way. In President Obama's "odyssey," the U.S. military gets involved in a limited engagement against the "mad dog" of the Middle East -- only one that's supposed to settle down in a matter of days. As the U.S. military now concedes, perhaps "Operation Odyssey Dawn" wasn't the best name for this supposedly in-and-out mission. "We probably should have chosen something else, because people have read into that -- some type of long, enduring voyage," Eric Elliott, spokesman for U.S. Africa Command,...

March 23, 2011 President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: Thank you for your letter dated March 21, 2011, outlining your Administration’s actions regarding Libya and Operation Odyssey Dawn. The United States has long stood with those who seek freedom from oppression through self-government and an underlying structure of basic human rights. The news yesterday that a U.S. fighter jet involved in this operation crashed is a reminder of the high stakes of any military action abroad and the high price our Nation has paid in blood and treasure to advance...

The Obama administration is sending mixed messages about the direction, purpose and effect of the U.S.-led missile strikes on Libya, with conflicting statements from the top about leader Muammar al-Qaddafi's grip on power five days into the campaign. The campaign may be in the midst of a key transition. A senior defense official told Fox News that missile strikes have essentially ended and that no more Tomahawk missiles are expected to be fired unless necessary. The next step is to hand control over to coalition commanders for patrol of the no-fly zone. But administration officials have not offered a clear...

The allies in the U.S.-led military operation in Libya debated a new command structure Tuesday, with differences over the ultimate aims and scope of the campaign impeding an agreement, as forces loyal to dictator Moammar Gadhafi shelled the coastal city of Misurata. There were also growing questions about how much the Odyssey Dawn operation will cost and who will pay for it [Hint: We will, as usual], as many participating nations are dealing with budget constraints in the aftermath of the global economic downturn.

Speaking in Chile to defend his decision to launch Operation Odyssey Dawn, President Obama couldn’t resist taking a swipe at George Bush, in a clumsy attempt to make himself look superior. As reported by Fox News, the President declared: "In the past there have been times when the United States acted unilaterally or did not have full international support, and as a consequence typically it was the United States military that ended up bearing the entire burden." As the folks at Fox quickly pointed out, Bush actually had twice as many international allies for the invasion of Iraq as Obama...

It is rare indeed that the allies in an international military intervention of the scale witnessed in Libya are unsure about who should command the operation. Initially it was run by the United States and their Africa Command out of Germany. But the Americans have made it clear they don't want the leadership role. President Obama has said they will transfer the command of Operation Odyssey Dawn in a couple of days, but to whom? Either the operation would be under British/French command or Nato. And there the problems and disputes begin. The French - certainly initially - were against...

USS MOUNT WHITNEY, Mediterranean Sea, Mar 22, 2011 — Two crew members ejected from their U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle when the aircraft experienced equipment malfunction over northeast Libya, March 21, 2011 at approximately 10:30 p.m. CET. Both crew members ejected and are safe. The aircraft, based out of Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, was flying out of Aviano Air Base in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn at the time of the incident. The cause of the incident is under investigation. The identities will be released after the next of kin have been notified. Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn...

Coalition nations involved in the first phase of UN-sanctioned operations against the regime of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi have provided details of their offensive activities mounted during the opening hours of hostilities. Spearheading the campaign under the banner Operation “Odyssey Dawn” were assets from the US Air Force and US Navy. The former deployed Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bombers, Boeing F-15Es and Lockheed Martin F-16CJs to participate in air strikes staged in the early hours of 20 March local time “Three B-2 Spirit aircraft from Whiteman AFB, Missouri, led strikes on a variety of strategic targets over Libya,” the...

Democrats want Congress to sign off on Libya attack By: John Bresnahan and Jonathan Allen March 19, 2011 04:27 PM EDT Even as American warships have begun bombing military targets inside Libya, several leading House Democrats are pushing for President Barack Obama to seek congressional approval to allow U.S. forces to help enforce a “no-fly” zone over Libya. Rep. John Larson (Conn.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, is setting up a conference call with members this afternoon to discuss U.S. involvement in Libya. Larson is one of those Democrats who want Obama to get congressional approval for American involvement...

While demurring that he really didn't want to say what went on in the closed Situation Room meeting at the White House today, Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican, went on Fox News shortly after and pretty much told the story. For that we thank him. President Obama spoke first, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "outlined the situation," Rogers said. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave some military particulars, followed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, "who just kind of laid out what the options were and what the possibilities were and where we were...