Posted on 04/21/2011 1:40:39 PM PDT by jazusamo
President Obama has authorized the use of aerial drone strikes in Libya to aid rebels fighting to oust dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Thursday.
Gates stressed that even though the United States will begin using the armed Predator drones in Libya, American soldiers will not be deployed to the country. He said the Libyan people will have to remove Gadhafi themselves, though the U.S. "can provide them with some cover from the air."
The announcement falls in line with the Obama administration's pledge to not put American boots on the ground to remove Gadhafi from power. Obama has called for Gadhafi to step down, and authorized military strikes to enforce a no-fly zone but has repeatedly said that the U.S. would not deploy ground forces to topple the regime.
After the United Nations passed a Security Council resolution approving a multinational no-fly zone over Libya in March, the United States briefly took the lead in enforcing the no-fly zone before NATO assumed command.
Gates said that as of Thursday the U.S. had two armed predator drones flying on missions in Libya.
"They are uniquely suited for areas — urban areas where you can get low collateral damage, and so we're trying to manage that collateral damage, obviously, but that's the best platform to do that with," Gates said. "They're out there for a full day working the targets."
The announcement by Gates comes a day after other nations in the multinational effort to remove Gadhafi from power announced that they were sending military advisers to help the rebels. On Wednesday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa announced that their respective nations were joining Britain in sending military advisers to help the rebels.
Gates said the U.S. will not be following in their footsteps.
"They're not our boots on the ground," Gates said. "We never made that commitment for anyone else."
—Last updated at 4:13 p.m.
I have a friend who was supposed to be deployed to Afghanistan early next year. He was ordered to report earlier (June) for early deployment. He suspect a possible deployment to Libya.
Good thing the CIA dudes are partial to sandals.
“They’re not our boots on the ground”, Gates said. He continued, “Them boots was made in Canada.”
Unless the 26MEU has been rotated back with its ARG, there are two MEUs in the Med. The 22MEU sailed 14 days ago. Also there are about 3500 troopers of the 173rd A’borne BDE in Vincenza Italy. That’s as many as 7K high quality light infantry within a day’s deployment of Libya.
He’s pulling another Bill Clinton trick.
Clinton not only fought the war against Yugoslavia on the wrong side, he expended almost all our military supplies in the process, particularly cruise missiles.
So he could say he was not spending much on his good little war. And so the Democrats could blame Bush when he had to spend a ton of money just to fill the empty supply warehouses back up.
Yep, it’s been awhile but the last count I saw on cruise missiles was a little over 120, that’s a bunch.
Typical liberal view of compassion.
If it makes you feel good about yourself the results don't matter.
He doesn't have to. Everyone in DC already is a drone.
Yowser! Thought she was on a healthy food kick:)
Soon my kids will be deployed to Libya. For what? This is madness. From an incompetent idiot. God help us, can we survive 18 more months of this?
What a tub.
This turkey being the CINC is a tragedy that I pray we can survive until 2013 but I sometimes wonder.
Prayers for our military, Indy!
What happened to the days when this great country started or joined wars to win?
I’m praying.
Nobel Peace Prize winner!
Impeach him. He has become a dictator and has no authority— Not even the crappy UN. It is a fricken “NO FLY ZONE”!! Those people are not “flying” Stop this illegal assault on the people of libya NOW!!
And so it begins.
Massive mistake.
I fear Libya will become the next “Forgotten War”.
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