How to do it without putting a single coalition plane directly over Libyan territory.
The U.S. and its allies successfully implemented no-fly zones against Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein in the 1990s, so why not against Moammar Gadhafi’s remaining security forces in Libya today? U.S. military and defense officials have offered various arguments against a Libyan no-fly zone—but their reasoning doesn’t necessarily apply to this case.
In warning against a no-fly zone, officials like Secretary of Defense Robert Gates have made three critical assumptions. First, that it will necessitate putting combat aircraft over Libyan territory. Second, that protecting those aircraft would require extensive attacks to suppress Libyan air defenses, potentially escalating the conflict. And third, that maintaining a no-fly zone would require a substantial number of aircraft for an indefinite period of time.
These assumptions are entirely consistent with the lessons learned from the no-fly zones over the Balkans and Iraq, but in Libya an alternative approach may be possible. Call it a “stand-off” no-fly zone.
Unlike in the Balkans and Iraq, Libya’s most populated cities and airbases are situated near its coastline, with most located less than 10 miles from the shore. In addition, due to the fracturing of the Libyan military, Gadhafi’s forces have limited capability to retaliate. Thus it may be possible to enforce a no-fly zone without putting a single coalition plane directly over Libyan territory.
This approach would use precision-guided weapons to keep U.S. and allied planes out of range of Libya’s air force and air defenses.