In Libya mission, US is 800-pound gorilla

By Dale McFeatters

The U.S. was supposed to be a supportive junior partner in enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya, but after the opening weekend of that engagement it became openly clear that the U.S. was the senior managing partner.

French fighter planes flew the first missions, but they were quickly joined by Marine Harrier jets launched from a Navy amphibious assault ship; and B-2 stealth bombers from Missouri that flew a 25-hour round-trip mission to drop 45 satellite-guided 2,000-pound bombs, a capacity that only the U.S. has.

The U.S. launched swarms of Tomahawk cruise missiles from offshore. British subs and ships also fired missiles, but the cruise missile has come to be seen as a signature American weapon.

The operation's command and control was supposed to be in other hands, but as of Monday it was being directed by Army Gen. Carter Ham, head of the U.S. Africa Command.

The goals of the no-fly mission were said to be two: protecting civilians from Moammar Gadhafi's murderous reprisals and ensuring the safe flow of humanitarian relief supplies. But the opening airstrikes were largely in direct support of the Libyan rebels who were retreating to their stronghold of Benghazi.

The result seemed almost a rerun of Gulf War I. For 15 miles west from Benghazi, the road was littered with burned-out tanks, armored personnel carriers and trucks, some with multiple rocket launchers and discarded military equipment.

The airstrikes worked. The rebels were able to stop retreating and resume advancing. Now they are seeking similar help in lifting the Libyan army's siege of the rebel-held cities of Misrata and Ajdabiya. Of such incremental steps is mission creep made.

The mission is further clouded by an unclear end game. President Barack Obama says Gadhafi "must leave." But how is that to be accomplished? Hope that he departs voluntarily for exile in some place like Venezuela? Bottle him up in Tripoli and hope for a coup? Or, as the British defense minister suggested, kill him?

That still leaves the long-term and very important issues of what kind of government takes his place and who runs it.

The Pentagon promises that command and control of the no-fly mission will pass out of U.S. hands, perhaps to the British, French or NATO, "in a matter of days." The Pentagon also says that the majority of missions are now being flown by the British and French and that they will soon be joined by Danish, Canadian and Belgian pilots.

It seems unlikely, but the U.S. may succeed in lowering the profile of its military and portraying itself as just a member of the supporting cast. But after those first swift, deadly strikes, it's doubtful the rest of the world will buy it.

Dale McFeatters is an editorial writer of Scripps Howard News Service (www.scrippsnews.com).