WEBVTT 00:04.840 --> 00:08.410 Good afternoon . Hello to everybody 00:08.410 --> 00:10.360 here in brussels uh and to those 00:10.360 --> 00:12.840 joining us in Naples , I'll hand over 00:12.840 --> 00:15.250 to Wing Commander Mike bracken in 00:15.250 --> 00:17.910 Naples for our Libya operational update 00:17.920 --> 00:21.000 in a second . Before I do , I just like 00:21.010 --> 00:23.920 to give you a quick preview of an 00:23.920 --> 00:26.410 upcoming event . The Secretary General 00:26.410 --> 00:29.040 will be in London tomorrow where he 00:29.040 --> 00:31.040 will be addressing the Royal United 00:31.040 --> 00:33.262 Services Institute . The speech is part 00:33.262 --> 00:35.300 of a two day conference on missile 00:35.300 --> 00:37.411 defense and his speech will be called 00:37.411 --> 00:39.340 NATO defending against ballistic 00:39.340 --> 00:42.060 missile attacks . Um in the speech will 00:42.060 --> 00:45.550 consider three key questions . Why do 00:45.550 --> 00:47.770 we need missile defense ? Why do we 00:47.770 --> 00:50.250 need transatlantic cooperation and why 00:50.250 --> 00:52.400 do we want cooperation with Russia ? 00:52.410 --> 00:55.060 And he'll also be taking questions at 00:55.060 --> 00:58.270 Russi in London tomorrow . So for those 00:58.280 --> 01:00.336 wishing to attend , please check the 01:00.336 --> 01:02.447 russi website . While in London , the 01:02.447 --> 01:04.613 Secretary General will also meet Prime 01:04.613 --> 01:06.740 Minister David Cameron , they will 01:06.740 --> 01:08.573 review the progress of operation 01:08.573 --> 01:10.730 Unified protector , I expect . They 01:10.730 --> 01:13.480 will also discuss the need for internet 01:13.490 --> 01:15.990 of the international community to plan 01:16.000 --> 01:18.630 for the post Gaddafi post conflict 01:18.630 --> 01:21.520 Libya . And of course Afghanistan 01:21.520 --> 01:24.070 remains NATO's number one operation 01:24.070 --> 01:26.600 priority . So the Secretary general 01:26.600 --> 01:29.560 will update Prime Minister Cameron on 01:29.560 --> 01:32.170 progress towards transition to Afghan 01:32.170 --> 01:35.360 security lead . Moving to Libya . 01:35.370 --> 01:39.230 We've seen another busy weekend , both 01:39.230 --> 01:41.174 on the diplomatic and the military 01:41.174 --> 01:43.720 fronts . Mike will bring you up to 01:43.720 --> 01:46.200 speed on the military situation . On 01:46.200 --> 01:48.680 the diplomatic front . We've seen 01:48.690 --> 01:51.370 Germany and the United Arab Emirates 01:51.380 --> 01:53.570 recognizing the National transitional 01:53.570 --> 01:56.030 council as the sole legitimate 01:56.030 --> 01:58.141 representative of the libyan people , 01:58.141 --> 02:00.570 which is yet further evidence of the 02:00.570 --> 02:02.840 increasing isolation of the Gaddafi 02:02.840 --> 02:05.550 regime and that quite simply , this 02:05.550 --> 02:09.280 regime has no future . We continue to 02:09.280 --> 02:12.410 maintain a high tempo of operations . 02:12.420 --> 02:15.480 It's clear that NATO has the resources 02:15.480 --> 02:17.647 to keep up the pressure on the Gaddafi 02:17.647 --> 02:20.420 regime . We know it takes time . We 02:20.420 --> 02:22.198 know that following last week's 02:22.198 --> 02:24.410 ministerial meeting , allies and 02:24.410 --> 02:26.521 partners are considering how they can 02:26.521 --> 02:29.230 best provide the necessary resources to 02:29.230 --> 02:32.170 see this mission through . And as 02:32.170 --> 02:34.003 stated last week , the secretary 02:34.003 --> 02:36.170 general is confident that the alliance 02:36.170 --> 02:39.310 will do just that . Um and with that , 02:39.310 --> 02:42.280 I can hand over the floor to Naples uh 02:42.290 --> 02:44.290 and wing Commander Mike , bracken . 02:44.290 --> 02:48.170 Mike , Yeah , thank you . Wanna . 02:48.180 --> 02:50.402 And good afternoon brussels and welcome 02:50.402 --> 02:52.624 to the journalists have joined us today 02:52.624 --> 02:55.160 here in Naples . Um , the past few days 02:55.160 --> 02:57.160 have witnessed considerable dynamic 02:57.160 --> 02:59.290 activity across Libya . With frequent 02:59.290 --> 03:01.346 skirmishes in pockets of the country 03:01.346 --> 03:03.760 where pro Gaddafi and rebel forces are 03:03.760 --> 03:06.700 engaged in fighting . The situation on 03:06.700 --> 03:08.870 the ground is constantly evolving and 03:08.870 --> 03:12.020 at times is resulting in a complex and 03:12.020 --> 03:14.990 uncertain picture . While NATO relies 03:14.990 --> 03:17.046 on highly sophisticated intelligence 03:17.046 --> 03:19.400 reports and information analysis , the 03:19.400 --> 03:21.880 multitude of open source reports can 03:21.880 --> 03:24.860 sometimes be confusing , contradictory 03:25.240 --> 03:27.460 and difficult to independently verify 03:29.340 --> 03:32.080 NATO uses all means , including its own 03:32.080 --> 03:35.050 and partner assets to assess and fuse 03:35.050 --> 03:37.560 information into reliable intelligence 03:37.570 --> 03:40.080 that enables NATO forces to carry out 03:40.080 --> 03:42.136 their mission to protect civilians . 03:42.940 --> 03:44.829 The key is that NATO continues to 03:44.829 --> 03:46.662 monitor the situation across the 03:46.662 --> 03:48.884 country very closely . While the forces 03:48.884 --> 03:51.107 involved in Operation Unified Protector 03:51.107 --> 03:53.218 carry out their military task in this 03:53.218 --> 03:56.350 dynamic and multifaceted environment 03:58.840 --> 04:00.784 in the east , there have been some 04:00.784 --> 04:02.970 reports of skirmishes in the BRega and 04:02.970 --> 04:05.760 Ajdabiya area , but overall it is 04:05.760 --> 04:07.840 assessed to be relatively quiet and 04:07.840 --> 04:09.729 there has been little movement by 04:09.729 --> 04:12.280 either side and no significant changes 04:12.280 --> 04:15.150 to the intensity of activity by pro or 04:15.150 --> 04:19.050 anti Gaddafi forces moving to Misrata . 04:19.640 --> 04:21.751 Over the weekend , there was fighting 04:21.751 --> 04:23.820 between pro and anti Gaddafi forces 04:23.840 --> 04:26.650 along the Mediterranean coast west of 04:26.650 --> 04:29.450 Misrata and east of Tripoli in the 04:29.450 --> 04:32.170 vicinity of the towns of Dafna and 04:32.170 --> 04:35.950 slipped on . On a positive note , 04:35.960 --> 04:37.650 we have reports that some non 04:37.650 --> 04:40.190 government organizations intend opening 04:40.190 --> 04:42.470 a casualty treatment facility in the 04:42.470 --> 04:45.450 vicinity of Dafna to provide additional 04:45.460 --> 04:49.370 medical support west of 04:49.370 --> 04:51.580 Misrata . There was also reports of a 04:51.580 --> 04:53.636 rebel offensive on the important oil 04:53.636 --> 04:57.420 producing port of Zawiya , 30 km west 04:57.420 --> 05:00.720 of Tripoli . This area appears to be a 05:00.720 --> 05:02.860 hotspot for pro and anti Gaddafi 05:02.860 --> 05:06.030 clashes and NATO and NATO continues to 05:06.030 --> 05:07.641 focus intelligence gathering 05:07.641 --> 05:10.360 capabilities in this area to build a 05:10.360 --> 05:12.471 better understanding of events on the 05:12.471 --> 05:16.070 ground at sea 05:16.200 --> 05:18.360 just off the west coast of Misrata . 05:18.440 --> 05:21.240 Early on monday morning , a NATO vessel 05:21.240 --> 05:23.790 spotted two high speed inflatable boats . 05:25.010 --> 05:27.177 Similar craft had been previously used 05:27.177 --> 05:29.750 by Gaddafi special forces in an attempt 05:29.750 --> 05:32.830 to lay mines in the harbor . As a 05:32.830 --> 05:34.850 result , attack helicopters were 05:34.850 --> 05:37.300 rapidly deployed from a NATO warship to 05:37.300 --> 05:39.400 intercept and destroy the boats , 05:41.440 --> 05:43.329 Attack helicopters have become an 05:43.329 --> 05:45.610 important integrated component of the 05:45.610 --> 05:48.370 combined air campaign and they are 05:48.370 --> 05:50.360 regularly achieving success 05:52.940 --> 05:54.662 in the west and in the bourbon 05:54.662 --> 05:56.440 highlands . Anti Gaddafi forces 05:56.440 --> 05:58.530 continued to make steady gains and 05:58.530 --> 06:00.697 appear to control the ground from wasn 06:00.960 --> 06:04.500 to Jadu and Zintan as well as the town 06:04.500 --> 06:06.500 of Yeah , Fran where we can confirm 06:06.500 --> 06:08.930 humanitarian aid supplies are getting 06:08.930 --> 06:12.660 through . Finally , in 06:12.660 --> 06:15.970 Tripoli , NATO strikes have continued 06:15.970 --> 06:18.310 to degrade commander control nodes and 06:18.320 --> 06:21.140 other other military targets in order 06:21.140 --> 06:22.918 to stop the regime's ability to 06:22.918 --> 06:26.270 coordinate attacks . We know that 06:26.270 --> 06:28.048 Tripoli is the linchpin for the 06:28.048 --> 06:30.270 commander control of the Gaddafi regime 06:30.440 --> 06:33.030 and his ability to issue orders to 06:33.030 --> 06:36.920 fielded forces . NATO will 06:36.920 --> 06:38.864 continue to dismantle the regime's 06:38.864 --> 06:40.870 ability to coordinate attacks and 06:40.870 --> 06:43.700 direct violence against the country and 06:43.700 --> 06:45.900 reduce pro Gaddafi forces freedom to 06:45.900 --> 06:49.410 maneuver . It is also 06:49.410 --> 06:51.577 focusing its efforts on destroying the 06:51.577 --> 06:53.743 supply of ammunitions reaching the pro 06:53.743 --> 06:56.090 Gaddafi frontline by targeting the 06:56.090 --> 06:57.812 ammunition storage bunkers and 06:57.812 --> 07:01.390 facilities across the country , thereby 07:01.390 --> 07:03.390 reducing the threat to the civilian 07:03.390 --> 07:07.330 population of attack . I would 07:07.330 --> 07:09.386 like to sum up today's update with a 07:09.386 --> 07:11.608 video clip which shows a NATO strike on 07:11.608 --> 07:14.410 the vast ammunition storage facility in 07:14.410 --> 07:16.960 the desert at wooden , in central Libya 07:17.540 --> 07:20.800 video please , you can see here the 07:20.810 --> 07:23.530 storage facility and the space between 07:23.530 --> 07:26.650 the entrance and the sighting as the 07:26.650 --> 07:29.760 aircraft continues to track the target . 07:36.840 --> 07:39.007 You can see the strike as the aircraft 07:39.007 --> 07:41.229 releases the weapon and then subsequent 07:41.229 --> 07:43.590 explosions , as the ammunitions within 07:43.590 --> 07:46.710 the bunker and the storage facility are 07:46.710 --> 07:47.550 taken out 07:50.340 --> 07:52.173 NATO and its partner forces will 07:52.173 --> 07:54.340 continue to hit these types of targets 07:54.340 --> 07:56.520 to cut off the supply of pro Gadhafi 07:56.530 --> 07:59.020 military machine and prevent his forces 07:59.020 --> 08:01.020 being able to launch attacks on the 08:01.020 --> 08:04.190 civilian population of Libya . That 08:04.190 --> 08:06.301 concludes my statement . I'm happy to 08:06.301 --> 08:08.150 take questions . Wanna 08:14.140 --> 08:17.080 we have the Belga news agency , Yes , 08:17.080 --> 08:19.700 Chicago damaging news agency . Could 08:19.700 --> 08:23.280 you tell us how many give a breakdown 08:23.280 --> 08:27.160 breakdown of um the helicopters mission 08:27.160 --> 08:29.940 that have been flown since uh they have 08:29.940 --> 08:31.718 been engaged in the operation . 08:35.640 --> 08:38.100 Thank you . Um as you know , there was 08:38.110 --> 08:39.832 the introduction of the attack 08:39.832 --> 08:41.888 helicopters over the period of three 08:41.888 --> 08:44.080 August , August , my goodness , time 08:44.080 --> 08:47.650 flies . Um of of June um 08:47.660 --> 08:49.860 since then we've we've integrated them 08:49.860 --> 08:52.400 into the air campaign as part of the 08:52.400 --> 08:54.456 activities across the whole piece of 08:54.456 --> 08:56.820 the operation . And similar to our fast 08:56.820 --> 08:59.620 jets , our air to air refueling , our 08:59.620 --> 09:02.020 surveillance aircraft are now commander 09:02.020 --> 09:04.187 control aircraft . I'm not going to go 09:04.187 --> 09:06.020 into specifics of the numbers of 09:06.020 --> 09:08.076 aircraft and which days they fly and 09:08.076 --> 09:10.960 don't fly . The commander will issue 09:10.970 --> 09:13.192 the requirements of the day and we will 09:13.192 --> 09:15.510 use whatever assets available to him to 09:15.510 --> 09:18.040 carry out those tasks during that 24 09:18.040 --> 09:19.484 hour period . Thank you . 09:22.540 --> 09:24.596 I don't see any further questions in 09:24.596 --> 09:26.840 brussels so with that we can go to you 09:26.850 --> 09:30.750 in Naples mike , Okay . 09:35.540 --> 09:37.596 Hi Jeff says , although it's a stars 09:37.596 --> 09:39.840 and stripes , um , regarding the 09:39.850 --> 09:42.900 refugee crisis we've seen at sea , um , 09:42.910 --> 09:45.132 you know , thousands and thousands of , 09:45.132 --> 09:47.299 of libyans , uh , fleeing , you know , 09:47.299 --> 09:49.410 via the waters , uh , you know , what 09:49.410 --> 09:52.030 is NATO doing to help them ? And , uh , 09:52.040 --> 09:54.151 you know , under the mandates of this 09:54.151 --> 09:56.151 mission ? Are are you allowed to do 09:56.151 --> 09:58.920 anything , uh , to assist refugees and , 09:58.920 --> 10:01.198 uh , kind of tied into that ? You know , 10:01.198 --> 10:03.364 what are the other at sea duties ? And 10:03.364 --> 10:04.510 does that in fact leave anytime ?