American F-15 crashes in Libya, a reminder of mission's potential costs
| Washington
Two American pilots were forced to eject from their F-15 fighter jet Monday night after the aircraft experienced 鈥渆quipment malfunction鈥� over northeast Libya, according to a statement released Tuesday by the US military task force in charge of Libyan operations.
The military dispatched two Marine Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft from the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge, which is currently about 100 miles off the coast of Libya, to pick up one of the downed pilots. The other ejected and 鈥渨as recovered by the people of Libya,鈥� said Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of US Naval Forces in Europe and Africa. 鈥淗e was treated with dignity and respect, and is now in the care of the United States.鈥�
Both sustained only minor injuries, according to Admiral Locklear.
The jet, based out of Lakenheath, England, went down over eastern Libya Monday at 10:30 p.m. 鈥渨hile conducting a strike mission against Qaddafi regime air defense systems,鈥� according to a statement released by the US military鈥檚 Africa Command.
The implications of the downed US fighter jet go beyond the mechanical, however. 鈥淭he crash demonstrates the real and potential costs of the operation,鈥� says Richard Fontaine, an analyst with the Center for a New American Security.
Locklear acknowledged this in a Pentagon briefing Tuesday with reporters. 鈥淲e all know military operations are inherently dangerous,鈥� he said.
If the crew members had been captured by pro-Qaddafi forces, Mr. Fontaine notes, the situation would have had the potential to be vastly more damaging to coalition operations in Libya.
Rumors, however, continued to circulate about the operation. Locklear would not comment on British news reports that the Marine Osprey charged with rescuing one of the downed pilots may have opened fire on villagers during the rescue mission, saying the investigation remains ongoing.
鈥淚鈥檓 not prepared to talk about what that investigation may or may not reveal,鈥� he said. The recovery mission 鈥渨as executed as I would have expected it to be given the circumstances.鈥�
He added, 鈥淲e鈥檙e in the middle of a major operation out here. 鈥� This investigation will take time and will be looked at very carefully.鈥�
As it stands now, the no-fly zone has rendered Qaddafi鈥檚 air force 鈥渓argely ineffective,鈥� Locklear said. To date there hasn鈥檛 been 鈥渁ny significant movement鈥� among Libyan aircraft, which Locklear said is a 鈥済ood indication that our air strikes were effective.鈥�
Rendering Qaddafi鈥檚 air force ineffective was not a difficult prospect for the US military, according to senior US military officials. Qaddafi鈥檚 air force 鈥渨as generally not in good repair compared to what you consider the world standard鈥� of air forces might be, Locklear said. 鈥淎 lot of equipment鈥� was 鈥渁ged, sitting on runways and could not be used.鈥�
Qaddafi鈥檚 ground forces, however, remain another matter. These forces 鈥渁re still not in compliance鈥� with the UN resolution, Locklear said, adding that the coalition has launched 鈥渋nformation operations鈥� campaigns 鈥� formerly known as psychological warfare 鈥� to encourage Qaddafi鈥檚 forces to stand down. He did not elaborate on what those measures might be. In the past they have involved mass leafleting, which might tell Libyan troops that if they point their tanks in a particular direction 鈥� often in a direction of retreat, for example 鈥� they would not be harmed.
Yet many Libyan forces remain loyal to Qaddafi, and protecting civilians in towns like Misrata remains a vexing problem for the US military, given the close proximity between Qaddafi鈥檚 forces and the civilians they could potentially harm, says Locklear.
鈥淲e鈥檙e aware of the difficulties of that situation, we鈥檙e aware of what we believe the intelligence situation in the city is,鈥� he told reporters in response to a question about how best to avoid harming civilians in the midst of urban warfare.
Locklear said he had no estimate on precisely when the Libyan operation, which the US military has dubbed Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn, would transition from US control to that of another coalition member. The transition is 鈥渟omething I鈥檓 not focusing on out here,鈥� he said, adding that it is 鈥渇or political leadership to decide.鈥�
