WEBVTT 00:00.640 --> 00:03.440 We're pleased to be joined today by U . 00:03.440 --> 00:05.607 S . Navy Admiral Samuel J . Locklear , 00:05.607 --> 00:08.100 the third Commander of US Naval Forces 00:08.100 --> 00:10.930 europe and Africa . He's joining us 00:10.930 --> 00:14.300 today via phone from his command ship , 00:14.490 --> 00:16.340 the USs Mount Whitney currently 00:16.340 --> 00:18.930 underway in the mediterranean . Admiral 00:18.930 --> 00:20.930 Locklear assumed command of U . S . 00:20.930 --> 00:23.170 Naval forces europe and Africa on 00:23.180 --> 00:26.970 october 6th of 2010 . He is 00:26.970 --> 00:29.137 also the Commander of Joint Task Force 00:29.137 --> 00:30.803 Odyssey Dawn . The task force 00:30.803 --> 00:32.970 established to provide operational and 00:32.970 --> 00:35.137 tactical international response to the 00:35.137 --> 00:37.303 unrest in Libya and to enforce U . N . 00:37.303 --> 00:40.220 Security Council resolution 1973 to 00:40.220 --> 00:42.980 protect the libyan people again . He's 00:42.980 --> 00:45.290 joining us from his ship in the med . 00:45.290 --> 00:47.890 So this will be an audio only feed from 00:47.890 --> 00:50.001 the ship and with that Admiral , I'll 00:50.001 --> 00:51.557 turn it over to you . Mhm . 00:54.940 --> 00:56.829 Well , thank you and good morning 00:57.340 --> 00:59.780 ladies and gentlemen , afternoon here 00:59.790 --> 01:01.957 uss Mount Whitney for operating in the 01:01.957 --> 01:04.630 Mediterranean sea . Before I give you 01:04.630 --> 01:06.963 an overview of operation obviously gone . 01:07.440 --> 01:09.496 Let me just take a moment to address 01:09.496 --> 01:12.710 the USF 15 aircraft that went down has 01:12.710 --> 01:15.560 been in the news in the last hours 01:16.740 --> 01:19.190 late last night . Uh Central european 01:19.190 --> 01:21.650 time who U . S . Air Force crew members 01:21.650 --> 01:24.870 ejected from their F 15 . He strike 01:24.870 --> 01:27.340 eagle after the aircraft encountered an 01:27.340 --> 01:29.618 equipment malfunction in Eastern Libya . 01:30.440 --> 01:32.551 Both crew members ejected and they're 01:32.551 --> 01:34.662 safe . I remember one crew member was 01:34.662 --> 01:37.190 recovered by coalition forces . The 01:37.190 --> 01:39.357 other crew member was recovered by the 01:39.357 --> 01:41.680 people of Libya . He was treated with 01:41.680 --> 01:44.290 dignity and respect . Now in the care 01:44.290 --> 01:47.390 of the United States . The F 15 was 01:47.390 --> 01:49.446 assigned to conduct a strike mission 01:49.446 --> 01:51.168 against Gaddafi regime missile 01:51.168 --> 01:53.670 capabilities Action compliance with the 01:53.670 --> 01:55.503 provisions of the United Nations 01:55.503 --> 01:58.900 Security Council Resolution 1973 and we 01:58.900 --> 02:00.733 all know military operations are 02:00.733 --> 02:02.400 inherently dangerous and I am 02:02.400 --> 02:04.456 continually impressed by the bravery 02:04.456 --> 02:06.622 and courage of the young men and women 02:06.622 --> 02:08.511 put themselves forward to protect 02:08.511 --> 02:10.678 others day in and day out . Now let me 02:10.678 --> 02:12.570 address operations under U . N . 02:12.570 --> 02:15.250 Security Council resolution 1973 . 02:16.140 --> 02:17.862 International forces have been 02:17.862 --> 02:19.640 authorized to use all necessary 02:19.640 --> 02:21.807 measures to protect civilians that are 02:21.807 --> 02:23.751 under threat of attack from forces 02:23.751 --> 02:26.170 loyal to libyan leader four more al 02:26.170 --> 02:28.840 Gaddafi yesterday , you heard from 02:28.840 --> 02:31.007 General carter ham Commander , U . S . 02:31.007 --> 02:32.840 Africa , command baton commander 02:32.840 --> 02:35.040 responsible for this operation . He 02:35.040 --> 02:37.262 briefed you on how coalition forces are 02:37.262 --> 02:39.680 working together to encourage stop you 02:39.680 --> 02:42.530 to end the hostilities . So today I'd 02:42.530 --> 02:44.810 like to discuss what Joint task force 02:44.810 --> 02:46.866 Hardisty Dawn has achieved to date , 02:47.640 --> 02:50.060 how these operations have affected the 02:51.040 --> 02:54.950 affected the farmers . Um First , 02:54.950 --> 02:57.006 let me talk about the countries that 02:57.006 --> 02:59.228 have come together to defend the libyan 02:59.228 --> 03:01.339 people here on the Mount Whitney with 03:01.339 --> 03:03.780 me , I have a coalition represent 03:03.780 --> 03:05.724 leadership representation from the 03:05.724 --> 03:07.836 french Navy and the U . K . Navy have 03:07.836 --> 03:09.724 Eleanor's from a variety of other 03:09.724 --> 03:11.891 navies . I have by several jean Pierre 03:11.891 --> 03:13.780 Leaud ball from the french Navy . 03:13.780 --> 03:16.058 Graham Morris harding from the UK Navy . 03:17.340 --> 03:19.118 We're coordinating closely with 03:19.118 --> 03:21.284 coalition partners . In fact , there's 03:21.284 --> 03:23.340 13 nations are either here or moving 03:23.340 --> 03:25.451 forces in this direction . Together , 03:25.451 --> 03:27.673 we have formed a partnership to support 03:27.673 --> 03:29.840 international responses to this crisis 03:30.740 --> 03:32.240 today . In the area of our 03:32.240 --> 03:34.184 responsibility , our coalition has 03:34.184 --> 03:35.851 multiple ships and submarines 03:36.140 --> 03:38.084 highlighted by the french aircraft 03:38.084 --> 03:40.370 carrier Charles de Gaulle . I had the 03:40.370 --> 03:42.203 opportunity to visit yesterday . 03:42.740 --> 03:45.160 Million aircraft carrier Sarah baldy 03:46.040 --> 03:48.240 and the amphibious assault ship Uss 03:48.240 --> 03:50.580 Care Sergeant . There's numerous 03:50.580 --> 03:53.020 coalition land and sea based aviation 03:53.020 --> 03:55.800 assets to include reconnaissance , 03:56.010 --> 03:59.430 early warning back fighter 03:59.440 --> 04:02.440 aircraft and support aircraft that are 04:02.450 --> 04:04.672 airborne daily in increasing numbers to 04:04.672 --> 04:07.750 enforce the no fly zone here on Mount 04:07.750 --> 04:09.861 Whitney . As I said , I'm accompanied 04:09.861 --> 04:12.540 by bag liaison officers and uh we are 04:12.550 --> 04:15.860 coordinating closely as we as we 04:15.860 --> 04:18.560 conduct the operation . Now let me 04:18.560 --> 04:20.782 briefly recap what we have done today . 04:21.440 --> 04:23.460 On March 18 , the coalition forces 04:23.460 --> 04:26.520 began a graduated sequence campaign 04:26.520 --> 04:29.530 against the Government of Liberty Libya 04:29.540 --> 04:31.707 to establish a no fly zone in order to 04:31.707 --> 04:34.750 protect innocent civilians . Following 04:34.750 --> 04:36.980 initial operations in Benghazi , by our 04:36.990 --> 04:39.720 french partners , Donnie Kingdom and U . 04:39.720 --> 04:41.887 S . Cruise missile attacks accompanied 04:41.887 --> 04:43.887 by significant coalition airstrikes 04:44.040 --> 04:45.929 rendered Kadhafi's long range air 04:45.929 --> 04:47.873 defenses and his air force largely 04:47.873 --> 04:50.310 ineffective . Thus enabling the 04:50.310 --> 04:52.450 coalition to establish a no fly zone 04:53.140 --> 04:55.307 and opening the door for international 04:55.307 --> 04:57.196 and non governmental organization 04:57.196 --> 04:59.920 humanitarian assistance efforts . We 04:59.920 --> 05:02.142 continue to expand the effectiveness of 05:02.142 --> 05:04.290 our coalition no fly zone , our other 05:04.290 --> 05:07.310 coalition capabilities . It's my 05:07.310 --> 05:09.310 judgment however , that despite our 05:09.310 --> 05:11.730 successes debate that Gaddafi and his 05:11.730 --> 05:13.841 forces are not yet in compliance with 05:13.841 --> 05:15.841 the United Nations Security Council 05:15.841 --> 05:17.674 resolutions due to the continued 05:17.674 --> 05:19.897 aggressive actions his forces are taken 05:19.897 --> 05:21.841 against the civilian population of 05:21.841 --> 05:23.897 Libya . I'll now take your questions 05:25.940 --> 05:28.510 bob Ed roast of bob burns from 05:28.510 --> 05:31.790 Associated Press . Have a question for 05:31.790 --> 05:33.623 you about the limitations of the 05:33.623 --> 05:35.623 mission , as it's been described by 05:35.623 --> 05:37.234 President Obama and others , 05:37.540 --> 05:40.080 particularly how it applies in a place 05:40.080 --> 05:42.460 like Misurata where reports on the 05:42.460 --> 05:44.310 ground say that conditions for 05:44.310 --> 05:46.960 civilians are growing increasingly tire 05:47.640 --> 05:51.310 uh , libyan forces are in the 05:51.310 --> 05:54.460 city and there's a fighting going on 05:54.460 --> 05:56.730 there . How can you protect civilians 05:56.730 --> 05:58.480 in a situation like that and 05:58.480 --> 06:00.670 distinguish between between rebels and 06:00.670 --> 06:02.960 civilians and government forces ? 06:08.240 --> 06:10.407 Well , that's a great question . As we 06:10.440 --> 06:12.530 put together our operational plans , 06:12.540 --> 06:15.120 first of all protection of civilians 06:15.170 --> 06:17.740 and civilian infrastructure . Number 06:17.740 --> 06:20.940 one priority for us worked very 06:20.940 --> 06:22.718 carefully . Unfortunately , the 06:22.718 --> 06:25.060 coalition brings together a wide array 06:25.060 --> 06:26.893 of capabilities that allow us to 06:27.440 --> 06:29.750 minimize the collateral damage . When 06:29.750 --> 06:32.800 we have to take kinetic operations in 06:32.800 --> 06:34.950 the case of Misurata , I won't talk 06:34.950 --> 06:37.160 about operation the construct , but 06:37.740 --> 06:39.962 we're aware of the difficulties of that 06:39.962 --> 06:42.480 situation . We are aware of what we 06:42.480 --> 06:45.310 believe that intelligence situation in 06:45.310 --> 06:49.160 the city is and we will 06:49.740 --> 06:53.480 under the Security Council resolution 06:53.780 --> 06:56.140 mandate that we have we will continue 06:56.140 --> 06:59.840 to through operations that that we 06:59.840 --> 07:02.570 believe will be ultimately effective in 07:02.580 --> 07:04.960 ensuring that meet the end . State 07:05.540 --> 07:08.850 described by by the Security Council 07:09.340 --> 07:12.840 and our individual leadership of our 07:12.840 --> 07:15.062 individual countries in the coalition , 07:16.640 --> 07:18.807 the quick follow , are you saying that 07:18.807 --> 07:20.640 Air power alone will effectively 07:20.640 --> 07:22.529 protect civilians in that kind of 07:22.529 --> 07:21.950 situation ? 07:28.240 --> 07:30.351 I think your question was , I'll be a 07:30.351 --> 07:32.351 little bit like a bit of a week . I 07:32.351 --> 07:34.296 think your question was , will our 07:34.296 --> 07:36.190 power alone effectively protect 07:36.200 --> 07:39.430 civilians in that situation at this 07:39.430 --> 07:41.560 point in time ? Uh , the Security 07:41.560 --> 07:43.449 Council resolution has given us a 07:43.449 --> 07:47.230 mission to part of played our 07:47.230 --> 07:50.270 mission using the no fly zone , using 07:50.270 --> 07:52.860 those powers that are specified in the 07:53.340 --> 07:55.340 in the Security Council resolutions 07:55.340 --> 07:57.562 expanded things in the Security Council 07:57.562 --> 07:59.673 resolution . I'm not going to comment 07:59.673 --> 08:01.618 on future operations . What future 08:01.618 --> 08:03.840 operational designs might be . Uh right 08:03.840 --> 08:06.260 now we are building the no fly zone and 08:06.260 --> 08:08.260 that's our primary goal . 08:10.040 --> 08:13.190 If David martin with cBS , 08:13.880 --> 08:16.570 there's a report , I think a british 08:16.570 --> 08:19.570 report that during the , The rescue of 08:19.580 --> 08:22.430 one of the F 15 , the F 15 pilot , I 08:22.430 --> 08:26.320 guess the the Marine Osprey opened 08:26.330 --> 08:29.060 fire on villagers and actually killed 08:29.640 --> 08:32.630 Uhh five villagers . So I'd like to ask 08:32.630 --> 08:36.190 you if that report is true . And also 08:36.190 --> 08:40.160 yesterday , General ham made a a 08:40.160 --> 08:42.050 point of saying that there was no 08:42.440 --> 08:45.950 official communication with the 08:46.740 --> 08:50.000 the rebel forces during this operation . 08:50.000 --> 08:52.167 Were there any communications with the 08:52.167 --> 08:54.650 rebel forces in the course of 08:55.040 --> 08:57.500 recovering either of these two airmen ? 09:02.340 --> 09:04.284 Let me answer your second question 09:04.284 --> 09:08.240 first , I had no communication with 09:08.250 --> 09:10.820 any front body from the rebel force in 09:10.820 --> 09:13.240 this coalition . Hearing the Recovery 09:13.240 --> 09:16.730 operations . First question you asked 09:16.730 --> 09:19.890 was about was there any collateral 09:19.890 --> 09:22.550 damage during the recovery operations ? 09:23.340 --> 09:25.320 Every operation is the best course 09:25.330 --> 09:28.610 anything time we have a aircraft 09:28.610 --> 09:30.832 malfunction and we lose that aircraft . 09:30.832 --> 09:32.999 There will be a complete investigation 09:32.999 --> 09:35.110 constructive . So I'm not prepared to 09:35.110 --> 09:38.400 talk about the what's what that 09:38.410 --> 09:41.080 investigation affair may not reveal . I 09:41.080 --> 09:43.960 will say that the that the recovery 09:43.960 --> 09:46.140 mission , from my perspective was 09:46.150 --> 09:48.483 executed as I would have expected to be . 09:48.940 --> 09:52.660 But given the circumstances , okay , 09:53.240 --> 09:56.150 you can't even say if if you open fire 09:57.440 --> 10:01.350 Yeah , what I'm going to 10:01.350 --> 10:03.030 say is that we are doing an 10:03.030 --> 10:06.750 investigation , we are only hours away 10:06.750 --> 10:08.806 from having that incident occurred . 10:09.540 --> 10:13.210 Have a so we're in the middle of a 10:13.210 --> 10:15.260 major operation out here . This 10:15.260 --> 10:17.371 investigation will will take time and 10:17.371 --> 10:19.482 it will be looked at very carefully . 10:19.482 --> 10:21.649 I'm sure about that opponents as we go 10:21.649 --> 10:24.320 forward . I've got the ongoing 10:24.320 --> 10:26.542 operations throughout this campaign and 10:26.542 --> 10:28.653 so we're going to focus on those from 10:28.653 --> 10:31.470 my office here Elizabeth . Two 10:31.470 --> 10:33.414 questions . When do you anticipate 10:33.414 --> 10:36.350 handing over command of this operation 10:36.360 --> 10:38.990 to the Allies and is it possible that 10:38.990 --> 10:42.090 you would assume command is uh under 10:42.100 --> 10:44.267 NATO auspices ? And secondly , there's 10:44.267 --> 10:47.290 been some reports that Gaddafi tried to 10:47.290 --> 10:49.290 put a plane in the sky and that was 10:49.290 --> 10:51.179 shot down . Could you do you know 10:51.179 --> 10:52.401 anything about that ? 10:56.840 --> 10:59.660 Let me first talk about the 11:00.140 --> 11:02.670 transition of a coalition to another 11:02.670 --> 11:05.350 command and control structure . Um That 11:05.350 --> 11:07.461 also is something I'm not focusing on 11:07.461 --> 11:09.350 out here . I've got a we've got a 11:09.350 --> 11:12.120 pretty busy plate . Uh that's things I 11:12.120 --> 11:14.231 think for our political leadership to 11:14.231 --> 11:16.231 the side . What I can assure you is 11:16.231 --> 11:18.009 that the coalition that will be 11:18.009 --> 11:20.120 prepared to transition it to whatever 11:20.140 --> 11:22.362 manning code , control relationships as 11:22.362 --> 11:24.890 decided by the leadership of the 11:24.890 --> 11:27.720 nations involved . And we'll ensure 11:27.720 --> 11:31.160 that there won't be a break in the 11:31.540 --> 11:34.230 beverage or the break into capabilities 11:34.230 --> 11:36.452 that we provide to enforce the Security 11:36.452 --> 11:39.150 Council resolutions . I have no 11:39.150 --> 11:41.600 knowledge of the second question about 11:41.610 --> 11:45.220 Gadhafi's jet or you're talking about 11:45.230 --> 11:48.740 the been our stated policy that uh , 11:48.750 --> 11:51.630 that Gaddafi nor his family have been 11:51.630 --> 11:53.840 the targeted in this . In this case , 11:53.840 --> 11:56.700 I'm not focusing on whereabouts or the 11:56.700 --> 11:59.280 actions of uh Colonel Gaddafi , I'm 11:59.290 --> 12:01.920 focusing on the protection of civilians 12:01.930 --> 12:05.570 in Libya based on what you know now , 12:05.580 --> 12:07.580 how soon would you be ready to hand 12:07.580 --> 12:10.740 over command to someone to one of the 12:10.740 --> 12:13.500 european allies ? We're talking that 12:13.500 --> 12:15.722 we've been hearing day . So is that are 12:15.722 --> 12:17.444 you still on course for that ? 12:20.340 --> 12:23.540 Well , like I said , that C2 discussion 12:23.540 --> 12:26.290 structural had to be decided by the 12:26.300 --> 12:28.356 leadership , political leadership of 12:28.356 --> 12:30.578 the nations and that hasn't happened to 12:30.578 --> 12:32.689 my knowledge , the actual turnover of 12:32.689 --> 12:36.080 the operation . Um this is a military , 12:36.090 --> 12:38.146 do this all the time . We transition 12:38.146 --> 12:40.440 between organizational constructs . 12:40.440 --> 12:43.980 It's not difficult for us . We largely 12:43.980 --> 12:47.100 as a round of coalition , we have 12:47.100 --> 12:50.360 similar procedures , we operate 12:50.360 --> 12:53.060 together , we exercise together , we 12:53.060 --> 12:55.060 speak of similar language , we have 12:55.060 --> 12:57.630 similar procedures . Um and that part , 12:57.640 --> 12:59.584 I don't think anyone should be too 12:59.584 --> 13:01.529 concerned about once the political 13:01.529 --> 13:03.529 leadership decides how they like to 13:03.529 --> 13:05.910 manage it . Admiral Hi , it's David 13:05.910 --> 13:08.077 cloud with the L A . Times . I want to 13:08.077 --> 13:10.132 return to Misurata for a second . Um 13:10.540 --> 13:12.429 What is your understanding of the 13:12.429 --> 13:14.651 situation on the ground there Now , Are 13:14.651 --> 13:16.707 you aware of forces loyal to Colonel 13:16.707 --> 13:18.484 Gaddafi carrying out attacks on 13:18.484 --> 13:21.540 civilians ? And if so , are your 13:21.540 --> 13:23.460 coalition aircraft carrying out 13:23.470 --> 13:25.490 tactical strikes in an effort to 13:25.490 --> 13:26.490 prevent that ? 13:29.640 --> 13:32.760 Uh First my intelligence tells me that 13:32.770 --> 13:35.960 there are Gadhafi forces in Misurata , 13:36.640 --> 13:38.862 but they are conducting attacks against 13:38.862 --> 13:42.480 civilians in Misurata . Uh and in 13:42.480 --> 13:44.740 violation of the Security Council 13:44.740 --> 13:48.100 resolution construct of , I'm not gonna 13:48.100 --> 13:50.740 talk about future operations , but I am 13:50.740 --> 13:54.190 aware of it and we are considering all 13:54.190 --> 13:56.690 options as we look across the entire 13:56.700 --> 13:59.660 country of Libya of this country is 14:00.340 --> 14:03.380 just about the size of Alaska . Uh The 14:03.390 --> 14:06.330 forces of Gaddafi are were fairly 14:06.330 --> 14:08.620 significant land force that he is 14:08.620 --> 14:10.640 arrayed in various locations around 14:10.640 --> 14:13.120 that country . We are dealing with it . 14:13.130 --> 14:15.820 No fly zone is in place . Those no fly 14:15.820 --> 14:18.980 zone is effective . We have uh 14:18.990 --> 14:21.101 diminished his ability , I think from 14:21.101 --> 14:22.879 an air defense and an air force 14:22.879 --> 14:24.823 perspective to the point where I'm 14:24.823 --> 14:26.980 comfortable with the no fly zone and 14:26.980 --> 14:29.147 then we're going to continue to pursue 14:29.147 --> 14:31.050 all actions necessary to make him 14:31.050 --> 14:33.330 comply with the Defense Security 14:33.330 --> 14:36.760 Council Resolution 1973 correctly . 14:36.760 --> 14:38.704 That as of now there have not been 14:38.704 --> 14:42.250 tactical airstrikes in Misurata . I'm 14:42.250 --> 14:44.306 not asking about future operations . 14:44.306 --> 14:46.250 I'm asking about past operations . 14:48.440 --> 14:50.980 Uh There have been a tactical 14:50.990 --> 14:53.490 operations , airstrike operations 14:53.500 --> 14:56.170 throughout the coastal areas of 14:56.180 --> 14:58.360 military targets throughout Libya . 15:01.940 --> 15:05.560 Yeah . Admiral Jim NBC news . 15:06.160 --> 15:09.160 There are reports out of Ajdabiya that 15:09.320 --> 15:12.500 Gaddafi forces are dug into the city uh 15:12.510 --> 15:16.140 and that armed rebel forces are 15:16.140 --> 15:19.280 attacking the Gadhafi forces and being 15:19.280 --> 15:22.600 repelled by their overwhelming air 15:22.600 --> 15:25.020 power . But at the same time we were 15:25.020 --> 15:28.400 told that Marine Harrier jets dropped 15:28.400 --> 15:32.290 bombs on Gaddafi military positions 15:32.480 --> 15:36.460 in and around Ajdabiya . Isn't that 15:36.460 --> 15:38.700 essentially the U . S . Coalition 15:38.700 --> 15:41.640 forces providing air cover for the 15:41.640 --> 15:44.600 rebels . And are there specific orders 15:44.610 --> 15:46.777 or understanding or whatever you would 15:46.777 --> 15:49.980 call it that coalition forces will in 15:49.990 --> 15:52.980 no way prevent rebels from carrying out 15:52.990 --> 15:56.070 armed attacks on Gaddafi forces ? 15:59.740 --> 16:01.940 Well that's a great question . Um I 16:01.940 --> 16:05.070 would uh I view it this way . Um I 16:05.080 --> 16:07.136 think our president was pretty clear 16:07.136 --> 16:09.247 when he laid out the construct in his 16:09.640 --> 16:11.700 Otis Speech on 18 March of what his 16:11.700 --> 16:14.310 expectations were . One of those that 16:14.320 --> 16:16.520 the regime forces of Gaddafi have to 16:16.520 --> 16:19.580 stop advancing from Benghazi . They 16:19.580 --> 16:22.280 have to pull back from Zawiya as you 16:22.280 --> 16:26.090 Baya Misurata . They have 16:26.090 --> 16:29.660 not done that . Benghazi . We have we 16:29.670 --> 16:31.503 basically have forced him out of 16:31.503 --> 16:33.980 Benghazi In the other three places . 16:33.980 --> 16:36.710 They have not complied direction from 16:36.710 --> 16:40.230 our President . So I take a look at 16:40.240 --> 16:43.990 how I my mission here , I apply that 16:44.000 --> 16:46.890 type of standard to operations that are 16:46.890 --> 16:50.710 occurring if uh if Colonel 16:50.710 --> 16:53.420 Gaddafi would would meet that 16:53.420 --> 16:55.860 requirement , but have a ceasefire 16:55.860 --> 16:58.310 implemented , stop all attacks against 16:58.310 --> 17:01.350 citizens and withdraw from the places 17:01.350 --> 17:03.128 that we've told him to withdraw 17:03.540 --> 17:05.762 established water , electricity and gas 17:05.762 --> 17:07.540 supplies to all areas and allow 17:07.540 --> 17:11.030 humanitarian assistance . Uh then uh 17:11.040 --> 17:13.970 the fighting would stop our our job 17:13.970 --> 17:15.560 would be uh over 17:18.290 --> 17:20.512 sir Tony capacity with Bloomberg News . 17:20.670 --> 17:22.837 Two quick questions . Can you give the 17:22.837 --> 17:25.620 public a sense of the I . S . R . 17:25.630 --> 17:28.110 Aircraft flying over Libya right now to 17:28.110 --> 17:30.530 enforce the no fly zone , some specific 17:30.530 --> 17:33.970 examples like Global Hawk and J Stars . 17:34.040 --> 17:36.040 And then I have a second question . 17:36.040 --> 17:35.770 Follow up . 17:39.940 --> 17:42.051 Well , again , I'm not gonna give you 17:42.051 --> 17:44.190 lay down of our I . S . Our forces as 17:44.190 --> 17:46.301 they go over the country of Liberty , 17:46.301 --> 17:48.357 but I can assure you that across the 17:48.357 --> 17:50.810 coalition that we have moved efficient 17:50.810 --> 17:54.690 is our assets into the theater , that 17:54.700 --> 17:56.922 includes some of the ones you mentioned 17:56.922 --> 18:00.060 as we uh prepare the 18:00.640 --> 18:02.807 environment here to ensure that we can 18:02.807 --> 18:05.110 properly enforce the no fly zone . The 18:05.110 --> 18:08.470 conditions of mandated by Security 18:08.470 --> 18:11.870 Council Resolution 1970 . To what 18:11.870 --> 18:14.370 extent are allied attacks being focused 18:14.370 --> 18:17.580 on the 32nd and ninth special brigades 18:17.580 --> 18:19.700 of Colonel Gaddafi , his best 18:19.700 --> 18:22.430 conventional units apparently . And how 18:22.430 --> 18:24.530 what's your assessment right now of 18:24.530 --> 18:26.308 whether they have been degraded 18:26.308 --> 18:28.530 sufficiently to stop attacks or do they 18:28.530 --> 18:30.308 need to be attacked some more ? 18:36.040 --> 18:38.860 Well , I think your question is uh , is 18:38.860 --> 18:42.220 well articulated in that The 32nd 18:42.220 --> 18:44.770 Brigade We have recognized is a 18:45.840 --> 18:48.790 premier force for Colonel Gadhafi . We 18:48.790 --> 18:51.860 have been watching that closely . It 18:52.340 --> 18:54.600 initially it had been widely arrayed 18:54.600 --> 18:57.150 around the Tripoli and defensive 18:57.150 --> 19:00.040 Tripoli and it appears to me that some 19:00.040 --> 19:03.100 of that force has has moved to other 19:03.100 --> 19:06.450 areas to reinforce uh places that were 19:06.460 --> 19:09.360 being uh pressurized by the coalition . 19:10.740 --> 19:12.851 However , I can tell you that we will 19:12.851 --> 19:14.851 continue to watch carefully . Their 19:14.851 --> 19:17.460 positions , we will shape our 19:17.460 --> 19:21.330 operations include ensuring that 19:21.330 --> 19:23.163 they comply with the UN Security 19:23.163 --> 19:25.860 Council resolution mandates . So 19:25.860 --> 19:27.416 besides , just watch them . 19:33.440 --> 19:35.551 Say that again ? I'm not sure I heard 19:35.551 --> 19:37.607 you those units versus just watching 19:37.607 --> 19:38.607 them . 19:41.840 --> 19:44.420 Ah no , we're not watching . I mean , 19:44.420 --> 19:47.040 we're conducting a wide range of 19:47.050 --> 19:49.590 operations across Libya . I'm not going 19:49.590 --> 19:51.790 to talk about the specifics of those , 19:51.790 --> 19:54.420 but uh certainly the 32nd Brigade is 19:54.420 --> 19:56.642 always considered in the calculation of 19:56.642 --> 19:59.810 how we expand the no fly zone and how 19:59.810 --> 20:02.560 we conduct operations future . 20:03.740 --> 20:06.540 So several uh dealing with politico , 20:06.550 --> 20:09.140 can you give us your assessment as of 20:09.140 --> 20:11.450 now , of the libyan Air Force , is how 20:11.450 --> 20:13.506 many fixed wing and helicopters have 20:13.506 --> 20:15.570 you destroyed and how many are you 20:15.570 --> 20:18.150 willing to leave extent as you stand up 20:18.150 --> 20:20.261 this ? No fly zone or you're going to 20:20.261 --> 20:21.983 try to destroy as much of that 20:21.983 --> 20:24.094 capability as possible before you get 20:24.094 --> 20:26.206 to the point where you can get the no 20:26.206 --> 20:26.170 fly zone where you want it . 20:30.740 --> 20:33.050 Well , when we begin this , my 20:33.050 --> 20:36.040 estimation that his Air force uh was 20:36.050 --> 20:38.980 not generally in good repair compared 20:38.980 --> 20:41.700 to most what you would consider most 20:41.700 --> 20:45.170 world standards for air forces . He had 20:45.170 --> 20:47.830 a lot of equipment that was uh aged , 20:47.840 --> 20:50.820 uh much of it was sitting uh part of 20:50.820 --> 20:53.060 the runways that it could not be used . 20:53.990 --> 20:55.712 He was , however , effectively 20:55.712 --> 20:58.390 employing a tactical Air Force , a 20:58.400 --> 21:01.190 helicopter Air force of uh , I would 21:01.190 --> 21:03.740 say on the order of several dozen 21:03.740 --> 21:07.060 rather than than large numbers of 21:07.640 --> 21:10.960 when we began the coalition brakes , 21:11.540 --> 21:14.680 one of our objectives was to prayed the 21:14.680 --> 21:16.930 effectiveness of the remaining those 21:16.930 --> 21:19.760 remaining Air force assets . I believe 21:19.760 --> 21:22.650 that we have done that and state we 21:22.650 --> 21:26.400 have not seen any significant movement 21:26.400 --> 21:29.280 of those forces . Yeah , good 21:29.280 --> 21:31.280 indication that our airstrikes were 21:31.280 --> 21:34.460 very effective And I am completely 21:34.460 --> 21:37.260 confident that the Air Force of Pro 21:37.260 --> 21:40.670 Gaddafi not will not have a negative 21:40.670 --> 21:44.460 impact on the coalition and 21:44.460 --> 21:47.160 that we will be able to manage if there 21:47.160 --> 21:49.490 are if there were anything that we 21:49.490 --> 21:52.260 didn't didn't see or that we didn't 21:52.940 --> 21:55.270 been able to influence bar initial 21:56.040 --> 21:58.140 campaign that he would we be able to 21:58.140 --> 21:59.140 manage that . 22:02.340 --> 22:04.451 This is animal run with the christian 22:04.451 --> 22:06.673 science monitor . I wanted to ask a you 22:06.673 --> 22:08.507 all said that there have been no 22:08.507 --> 22:10.820 official communications with rebel 22:10.820 --> 22:12.709 forces on the ground . I was just 22:12.709 --> 22:14.820 wondering if you could talk about the 22:14.820 --> 22:16.764 unofficial communications and what 22:16.764 --> 22:19.098 they've involved and I have a follow up . 22:22.040 --> 22:23.651 I haven't had any unofficial 22:23.651 --> 22:25.151 communications or official 22:25.151 --> 22:27.440 communications with the think what you 22:27.450 --> 22:31.060 refer to as opposition forces . I'm 22:31.440 --> 22:33.690 spending most of my time talking with 22:33.690 --> 22:37.100 the coalition and planning are our 22:37.110 --> 22:39.110 coalition activities to enforce the 22:39.110 --> 22:41.400 Security Council resolution . And to 22:41.400 --> 22:43.344 what extent have there been ? Have 22:43.344 --> 22:45.650 there been communications or even 22:45.650 --> 22:47.890 psychological warfare outreach to 22:47.960 --> 22:50.270 libyan ground forces in the past ? 22:50.270 --> 22:52.381 There's been leafleting saying things 22:52.381 --> 22:55.180 like if you point your tanks uh east or 22:55.180 --> 22:57.730 west rather than east , you're 22:57.730 --> 23:00.080 considered officially stood down , we 23:00.080 --> 23:02.302 won't fire on you . I mean , you know , 23:02.302 --> 23:04.480 to what extent are Gaddafi's forces 23:04.480 --> 23:06.650 considered if not surrendered then 23:06.650 --> 23:10.070 sufficiently stood down not to sustain 23:10.080 --> 23:11.950 an attack . Mhm . 23:15.640 --> 23:17.696 Well , in this type of operation , a 23:17.696 --> 23:19.640 key component of it is information 23:19.640 --> 23:23.410 operations . Uh we are executing some 23:23.410 --> 23:25.880 information operations to ensure that 23:25.890 --> 23:29.340 type of information could be is me 23:29.340 --> 23:31.430 being made available to the Gadhafi 23:31.430 --> 23:35.260 forces of and that's all I'll say 23:35.260 --> 23:39.020 about that at this time . Admiral Chris 23:39.020 --> 23:41.076 Lawrence from CNN you mentioned that 23:41.076 --> 23:43.187 the down crew member was treated with 23:43.187 --> 23:45.409 dignity by the rebels . How do you know 23:45.409 --> 23:47.900 that ? Is that what he told his 23:47.900 --> 23:49.900 american rescuers when they came to 23:49.900 --> 23:52.122 pick him up and how long how many hours 23:52.122 --> 23:53.789 did he spin with the rebels . 23:57.740 --> 23:59.740 I haven't gone through a debriefing 23:59.740 --> 24:02.740 with that down pilot yet . Um he is in 24:02.750 --> 24:06.710 US custody uh , and he's safe . His 24:06.720 --> 24:10.060 injuries were modern . I understand it 24:10.070 --> 24:13.660 that the libyan people who , who 24:14.340 --> 24:16.284 we're treating him digging respect 24:16.284 --> 24:18.780 ensured he had medical care . That's , 24:18.790 --> 24:21.230 that's the extent of my , my 24:21.230 --> 24:23.230 understanding of the situation this 24:23.230 --> 24:26.480 time . Hope . All right . Let's see a 24:26.490 --> 24:28.930 couple more minutes . Yes Sir . Admiral 24:28.930 --> 24:31.263 Nathan hodge of the Wall Street Journal . 24:31.263 --> 24:33.460 Two questions . First , our aircraft 24:33.470 --> 24:35.692 from gutter flying in support of the no 24:35.692 --> 24:37.650 fly zone and second we were told 24:37.650 --> 24:39.720 yesterday there was a shift in focus 24:39.730 --> 24:42.410 from the first day of heavy strikes , 24:42.410 --> 24:45.010 the cruise missile attacks . two more 24:45.010 --> 24:47.620 of Overwatch . Would it be correct to 24:47.630 --> 24:50.940 characterize activity today as stepping 24:50.940 --> 24:54.770 back up strikes on ground 24:54.770 --> 24:55.320 forces . 25:00.440 --> 25:02.720 Let me answer your first question about 25:02.730 --> 25:06.290 Guitar . Guitar as , as you know , 25:06.290 --> 25:09.390 has planning to enter the coalition 25:09.390 --> 25:12.040 here they are in the process of moving 25:12.040 --> 25:14.560 their forces in this direction . I 25:14.560 --> 25:17.070 believe that we have worked with the 25:17.070 --> 25:19.360 french to and to look at their bed down 25:19.360 --> 25:21.527 and their support requirements because 25:21.527 --> 25:23.610 they are operating a long way from 25:23.610 --> 25:25.332 where they usually operate . I 25:25.332 --> 25:28.070 anticipate that they would be available 25:28.080 --> 25:30.180 to all things , uh , work the way I 25:30.180 --> 25:32.402 think it's gonna work that they will be 25:32.402 --> 25:34.569 up and flying it with the coalition by 25:34.569 --> 25:38.080 the weekend of the second question was 25:38.170 --> 25:41.100 we started out with large missile 25:41.100 --> 25:43.322 campaign and then we went to the no fly 25:43.322 --> 25:45.770 zone . So let me just kind of talk 25:45.770 --> 25:47.603 about that in my , on my opening 25:47.603 --> 25:50.380 remarks . But in any type of military 25:50.380 --> 25:52.500 campaign like this , where you uh if 25:52.500 --> 25:56.180 you have a significant force of that's 25:56.180 --> 25:59.470 a as a significant uh 25:59.480 --> 26:01.830 strategic air defenses that has an air 26:01.830 --> 26:04.280 force that here may have some or less 26:04.280 --> 26:06.560 credibility . The initial phases of the 26:06.560 --> 26:09.920 campaign have to be able to produce an 26:09.920 --> 26:11.753 environment where our forces can 26:11.753 --> 26:14.760 operate in there with what we call air 26:14.760 --> 26:17.790 superiority . So that's why you would 26:17.790 --> 26:20.480 see the first day or so of where we 26:20.480 --> 26:23.960 fired 100 and I can't figure out the 26:23.960 --> 26:26.710 exact number of 161 or something 26:26.710 --> 26:28.988 Tomahawk missiles from coalition ships . 26:29.440 --> 26:31.273 Those were directed primarily at 26:31.273 --> 26:33.384 preparing that battle space . So that 26:33.384 --> 26:36.320 the no fly zone could be set up . The 26:36.330 --> 26:38.274 coalition was forming in the early 26:38.274 --> 26:41.290 first few hours of that . So as 26:41.300 --> 26:43.140 coalition forces float in , we 26:43.140 --> 26:45.930 initially established a a what I'd call 26:45.940 --> 26:49.080 a smaller no fly zone , primarily 26:49.080 --> 26:51.302 centered over Benghazi because that was 26:51.302 --> 26:53.580 our center of focus from the beginning . 26:53.580 --> 26:56.000 Now that we have been able to shape the 26:56.000 --> 26:58.690 battle space more that no fly zone now 26:58.690 --> 27:02.330 has expanded robust . Uh and it 27:02.340 --> 27:04.960 requires uh you know , it requires the 27:04.970 --> 27:06.970 coalition to be well coordinated to 27:06.970 --> 27:09.950 manage the fuel and the resupply of the 27:09.950 --> 27:13.290 forces that maintain the no fly zone as 27:13.290 --> 27:15.440 we are . As the capability of the 27:15.440 --> 27:18.630 coalition grow able to provide 27:18.640 --> 27:21.600 more support , more missions to what I 27:21.600 --> 27:24.690 would call uh what what you would call 27:24.700 --> 27:26.756 towards ground forces . What I would 27:26.756 --> 27:28.756 call more towards uh time sensitive 27:28.756 --> 27:30.978 targeting . Where we are looking at the 27:30.978 --> 27:33.290 battle space as it changes . Looking at 27:33.290 --> 27:36.490 the disposition of those uh of 27:36.500 --> 27:38.722 Gaddafi's forces that are not complying 27:38.722 --> 27:40.611 with the U . N . Security Council 27:40.611 --> 27:42.667 resolution if we are able to produce 27:42.667 --> 27:44.833 more of effect because we have those . 27:44.833 --> 27:46.444 So I think that's what how I 27:46.444 --> 27:48.860 characterize ah the the the coming 27:48.870 --> 27:51.630 hours and days . Yes sir , last 27:51.630 --> 27:54.000 question uh Spencer Ackerman with wired 27:54.010 --> 27:57.540 sir , NATO says it's going to put some 27:57.540 --> 27:59.540 forces under the command of Admiral 27:59.540 --> 28:01.596 Stavridis into the Mediterranean for 28:01.596 --> 28:04.240 help interdicting uh and enforcing uh 28:04.250 --> 28:07.640 the weapons embargo and also have some 28:07.640 --> 28:09.862 role in the no fly . What have you been 28:09.862 --> 28:11.751 told about that and what will the 28:11.751 --> 28:13.807 relationship with that force be with 28:13.807 --> 28:13.170 your command ? 28:17.740 --> 28:19.740 I think I got the question . Have I 28:19.740 --> 28:22.860 been told about the proposals from I 28:22.860 --> 28:25.027 think it was Admiral Stavridis . Would 28:25.027 --> 28:27.249 you repeat the 1st 1st part you got cut 28:27.249 --> 28:30.280 off what is going to be your role with 28:30.290 --> 28:32.560 the NATO force that was just announced 28:32.560 --> 28:34.727 under the command of Admiral Stavridis 28:34.727 --> 28:36.782 to help enforce the arms embargo and 28:36.782 --> 28:38.838 contribute in some fashion of the no 28:38.838 --> 28:42.830 fly zone . I understand 28:42.830 --> 28:46.540 the question now . No I have uh as 28:46.550 --> 28:48.717 as I was introduced I have three roles 28:48.717 --> 28:51.290 here in europe . I am naval forces 28:51.290 --> 28:55.010 Africa West Naval forces , europe and 28:55.010 --> 28:57.110 that's the US those two after the 28:57.110 --> 29:00.230 africa role is what I am . Bye duties 29:00.230 --> 29:03.530 here is Joint Forces best Joint Fast 29:03.530 --> 29:06.630 Force Commander . Odyssey dawn on my 29:06.640 --> 29:09.170 NATO hat I am Jfc Naples 29:10.940 --> 29:12.890 Southern basically the southern 29:12.890 --> 29:15.650 regional commander for NATO under sack 29:15.650 --> 29:19.170 your for Admiral Stavridis greeted says 29:19.180 --> 29:22.840 that sack europe . If NATO has a 29:22.840 --> 29:26.090 role in this , uh I can't tell you how 29:26.090 --> 29:28.312 I would play in that because that would 29:28.312 --> 29:30.146 be a decision for North atlantic 29:30.146 --> 29:33.350 council and for secure patients that 29:34.040 --> 29:38.010 are in NATO . However , uh I 29:38.010 --> 29:40.910 do have a staff in Naples and I have 29:40.910 --> 29:43.970 component commanders that are able to 29:43.970 --> 29:47.270 carry out NATO operations of a similar 29:47.270 --> 29:49.492 type of the operations were doing now . 29:49.492 --> 29:51.780 Should that be requested ? I can't tell 29:51.780 --> 29:53.836 you who will command it and what the 29:53.836 --> 29:55.891 command structure will be . That's a 29:55.891 --> 29:57.891 political decision , not a military 29:57.891 --> 30:01.760 decision . Yeah . 30:08.930 --> 30:11.630 He ran out of quarters , give me 30:11.630 --> 30:14.810 nothing . Yeah , Admiral locklear do we 30:14.810 --> 30:16.588 still have to have good comes ? 30:18.540 --> 30:20.540 Yeah , I got your back . It sounded 30:20.540 --> 30:23.870 like uh like the pentagon communication 30:23.870 --> 30:27.190 system took a hit there back in time to 30:27.200 --> 30:29.422 to wrap up with . We've gone that a lot 30:29.422 --> 30:31.589 of times . So I'll send it back to you 30:31.589 --> 30:33.700 for any closing remarks you'd like to 30:33.700 --> 30:36.380 make . Well , I appreciate your taking 30:36.380 --> 30:38.436 the time . Uh you got a lot of great 30:38.436 --> 30:40.602 folks out here from a lot of countries 30:40.602 --> 30:42.824 that are interested in making sure that 30:42.824 --> 30:44.491 this U . N . Security Council 30:44.491 --> 30:46.658 resolution done done right . Thank you 30:46.658 --> 30:48.713 for taking the time today . I really 30:48.713 --> 30:50.491 appreciate your interest in the 30:50.491 --> 30:52.713 coalition efforts . This is a coalition 30:52.713 --> 30:54.880 effort , a lot of folks out here for a 30:54.880 --> 30:57.047 lot a lot of countries . They're there 30:57.047 --> 30:58.824 doing some amazing work and I'm 30:58.824 --> 31:00.936 personally very proud of what they're 31:00.936 --> 31:02.990 accomplishing . Thanks again . All 31:02.990 --> 31:03.770 right . Thank you , sir .