"... But Defense Secretary Bob Gates made clear Tuesday that, with 150,000 U.S. forces already deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq and unrest simmering from Algeria to Yemen, he's reluctant to commit U.S. military forces elsewhere in the Middle East. However, the United States ordered the deployment this week of two Navy vessels, including the amphibious assault ship the Kearsarge, and 400 U.S. Marines toward Libya from the Persian Gulf. "We also have to think about, frankly, the use of the U.S. military in another country in the Middle East," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday. "If we move additional assets, what are the consequences of that for Afghanistan, for the Persian Gulf?" Gates said. "And what other allies are prepared to work with us in some of these things?" Top U.S. military brass also warned Congress Tuesday that imposing a NATO no-fly zone over Libya to protect civilians from air attack by Gaddafi's forces would be a far more complex endeavor than many appreciate. It would require first taking out Libya's air defenses. "So no illusions here," CENTCOM Commander Gen. Jim Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "It would be a military operation. It wouldn't be just telling people not to fly airplanes."..... But even as military advisers urge restraint, some in Congress are urging the Obama administration to take more forceful measures ... Former State Department Middle East official Joel Rubin said even a no-fly zone will not be a panacea. "At this point, Gaddafi is strong because he has guns and money. By deploying a no fly zone … you attempt to reduce his guns, and by utilizing sanctions and asset freezes, you attempt to take away his money. Once those are both gone, yes he is beatable," Rubin said. "But there's no single magic bullet. There's no shock and awe."
"No no-fly zone!"
"...Sikorski, a former fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), has longstanding ties to the conservative foreign policy community in Washington. He awarded Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland on Tuesday at an event at the Atlantic Council.
In accepting the award, McCain plead for the imposition of a Libya no-fly zone and accused the Pentagon of avoiding such a move. "We are spending over $500 billion dollars, not counting Iraq and Afghanistan, on our nation's defense. Don't tell me we can't do a no-fly zone over Tripoli," McCain said. "... Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been warning of the difficulties of implementing a no-fly zone and testified on Wednesday that doing so "begins with an attack on Libya to destroy the air defenses." Either way, Sikorski threw cold water on the notion that NATO should be the organization to take on such a mission. ..."
Posted by G, Z, or B at 6:51 PM
Uprooted Palestinian
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