Libya War Ends [Debka]

DebkaFile ^ | July 14, 2011 | DEBKA

[monkeyshine]

Bar the shouting, the war in Libya virtually ended Thursday morning, July 14, when US President Barack Obama called Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to hand Moscow the lead role in negotiations with Muammar Qaddafi for ending the conflict - provided only that the Libyan ruler steps down in favor of a transitional administration.

The US president thus accepted the Russian-Libyan formula for ending the war over the heads of the NATO chiefs who rejected it when they met Russian leaders at the Black Sea resort of Sochi last week...

...By the time Obama had decided to call Medvedev, individual governments which had spearheaded the anti-Qaddafi campaign were quietly melting away. From Saturday, July 9, debkafile's military sources report, NATO discontinued its air strikes against Libyan pro-government targets in Tripoli and other places. The halt though unannounced was nonetheless an admission that 15,000 flight missions and 6,000 bombardments of Qaddafi targets had failed to achieve their object: Col. Qaddafi, without deploying a single fighter jet, firing an anti-air missile or activating terrorist cells in Europe, had waited for NATO to run out of steam and was still in power.

In an overview of the war to British air force commanders Wednesday, July 13, British Defense Secretary Liam Fox remarked that while no one knows when it will end, British ground corps, naval and air forces do not have the means to continue the war....

[monkeyshine]

That last sentence I independently verified - Financial Times of London on June 27 reported that British Air Chief Marshal Sir Simon Bryant warned that prolonged intervention in Libya could harm UK's defense capabilities. I have strong feelings about the implications of that comment, e.g. if NATO partners cannot sustain an air attack due to the gutting of the EU defense industry what good is NATO?

I know some here don't trust the source which is why I searched for backup. Anyway let's see what happens in the next few days. US media has a lot on their plate, important stuff like what Juror number 7 has to say...

[Obadiah]

So the US spent all these resources and then handed Russia Libya? Is that about right? And against the NATO commander’s advice?

Brilliant Obama, brilliant. Obama has absolutely no regard for the United States - none. Not to mention western civilization.

[swain_forkbeard]

Another fustercluck. SOP nowadays.

[trek]

what good is NATO?

Answer? It isn't any good, at least for Americans. And that is important to know. One consequence of the debt limit farce should be a realization that the days of unlimited Federal spending are over. This has implications at home and abroad. For example, the United States can no longer afford its current global defense posture. Being forward deployed everywhere in the world is no longer possible. And massive cutbacks in our position in Europe sounds like a good place to start to me.

[Venturer]

Besides saving millions in spent ammunition and wear and tear exactly what did Obama get out of sticking his nose in this mess?

Of course we will not hear any complaints out of the Media, no shouts od Obama’s war, it will quietly die down like it never happened. Teflon Obama rides again.

[monkeyshine]

I agree for the most part. It is in our interests to maintain some forward offensive or second-strike capabilities, but the defense of Europe should be Europe’s primary obligation not ours.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

“Obama has absolutely no regard for the United States - none. Not to mention western civilization.”

Obama has the Greatest regard for the US and Western Civilization. It Nauseates and Terrifies him, and That’s why he keeps dragging it Into and through the mud.

[GonzoGOP]

NATO partners cannot sustain an air attack due to the gutting of the EU defense industry what good is NATO?

The UK has reduced it supply of land attack curise missiles to single digits. The US Navy's supply of Maverick missiles is less than 100. They have had to upgrade the software on the FA-18s to allow them to use Vietnam era Zuni rockets that they dug out of storage. Without massive weapons procurements we are virtually unarmed. And there is no money to buy new weapons.

[trek]

Some forward deployments certainly make sense, e.g., the Persian Gulf and Australasia just to name two.

[dfwgator]

It’s the 30s all over again, the West will retreat, and another Hitler will rise on the scene.

[Gator113]

Obama’s incompetent planning FAILED, so Obama surrenders and turns what’s left over to Russia.

[Thunder90]

DEBKA is usually wrong on most things. However, Obama has allowed Russia to come in and take the lead on negotiations.

[Iron Munro]

[GonzoGOP]

It’s the 30s all over again, the West will retreat, and another Hitler will rise on the scene.

It is actually a lot worse. It was during the 30s that we built the Ranger, Yorktown and Wasp class carriers, North Carolina class Battleships as well as the Northampton, Portland, New Orleans and Brooklyn class cruisers. Those were the ships that formed the basis of the US fleet in the critical opening years of WWII. Today there is nothing new on the way, and everything we have is being used up or just worn out.

[AliVeritas]

ping

[Vermont Lt]

Funny, isn’t that what happened to the USSR. Methinks we’ve been duped.

[yldstrk]

Obama thrives on the doublecross

[robowombat]

An echo from the distant past. In 1935 as Italy made it clear that it would use armed force against Ethiopia irrespective of any League acts including military ones the British naval staff prepared a detailed finding for the First Lord to provide to the Cabinet and PM. The conclusions were that the Royal Navy could alone defeat Italian sea and air forces and stop any Italian maritime re-enforcement of their East African forces. However, the Navy Staff continued such an operation would so deplete and diminish the capabilities of the RN that British naval forces would be unable to carry out significant missions for several years if a war occurred. This was effectively saying that the government would be rolling the dice with national survival if it supported League actions with armed force. This seems to be what the Defense Staff is saying to the Cameron government only this time a month or so of air operations has consumed so much of the RAF”’s stores and inflicted so much wear and tare on equipment that it approcpaching a stand down condition. This shows how hollow and weak the most operationally oriented military outside the US in NATO is. The events of 1935 led to significant increases in the navy budget that led to the RN being much more ready when war did come. Unfortunately that will not be the case today and the RAF is likely to see more cuts in the future due to the UK budget crisis.

[monkeyshine]

That’s some scary information. I am consoled only by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s quote “You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.” Let’s make sure, even if they disarm the army, that they won’t disarm us.

[Mike Darancette]

Yet another profile in courage.