WASHINGTON — Hemmed in by two other wars, an overstretched military and serious budgetary woes, the United States is reducing its role in the multinational military operation in Libya and is looking to other nations to arm and train rebels fighting to oust dictator Moammar Gadhafi, top U.S. defense officials said Thursday.
“My view is that the future of Libya — the United States ought not take responsibility for that. I think there are other countries both in the region and our allies in Europe who can participate in the effort,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Gates’ comments were echoed by Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a grueling day of congressional hearings on Libya and provided a window into the debate inside the Obama administration over just how much U.S. support should be given to Gadhafi’s outgunned opposition.
The pair found themselves peppered by sharp questions during back-to-back Senate and House committee hearings that brought out the anger within both parties over the unknown length and costs of the third major U.S. military engagement in the Muslim world.
“History has demonstrated that an entrenched enemy, like the Libyan regime, can be resilient to air power,” said Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, which held the first hearing. “With Iraq and Afghanistan already occupying a considerable share of American resources, I sincerely hope that this is not the start of a third elongated conflict.”
Some lawmakers said they didn’t see how President Barack Obama could achieve his goal of driving the Middle East’s longest-ruling dictator from power if the U.N.-authorized operation were restricted to protecting civilians and delivering humanitarian aid but didn’t include regime change.
Concern from McCain
GOP lawmakers, in particular, criticized Obama for authorizing the use of U.S. military force without first obtaining congressional authorization, even though presidents of both parties have done the same since World War II.
But opinions also sliced the other way. Several GOP senators slammed the decision to scale back U.S. participation in the NATO-led operation, saying that with the rebels again retreating because bad weather has hampered allied airstrikes, now is not the time to be pulling out the ground-attack and tank-killing aircraft that only the U.S. flies.
“I believe this would be a profound mistake with potentially disastrous consequences,” said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who expressed concern that a “long and bloody stalemate” would develop in which a “wounded and angry” Gadhafi would cling to power and become “more of a threat to the world and to the Libyan people.”
Gates and Mullen reassured McCain that once the U.S. AC-130 gunships and A-10 tankbusters are withdrawn in the next several days, some will remain available for use by the NATO commander if Gadhafi’s forces threaten the eastern city of Ben ghazi, headquarters of the rebellion.
But the pair also made it clear that the United States would otherwise limit itself to a supporting role in which U.S. aircraft and ships would jam Gadhafi’s communications and provide midair refueling, intelligence and other specialized aid to Britain, France and the other nations that are assuming leading roles in the operation.
Repeatedly pressed by members of both parties about whether there would be American “boots on the ground,” a euphemism for U.S. troops, Gates at one point replied, “Not as long as I’m in this job.”
Gates declined to address the presence inside Libya of CIA paramilitary teams that U.S. officials say are maintaining contact with the rebels and gathering intelligence on Gadhafi’s forces and targets for the multinational coalition enforcing the U.N. authorized no-fly zone.
Gates and Mullen testified just hours after the 28-nation NATO alliance assumed overall command of the operation to enforce a U.N. resolution that authorized NATO and other nations to take military measures to enforce the no-fly zone and protect civilians from being slaughtered. The head of NATO’s military operations is U.S. Navy Adm. James Stavridis.
Forces weakened 20-25%
U.S.-led strikes by aircraft and cruise missiles that began a little less than two weeks ago have “degraded” Gadhafi’s better armed, trained and more numerous forces by 20 percent to 25 percent, Mullen said.
In Libya, Gadhafi’s forces regained momentum on the rapidly moving front line, retaking the town of Brega after pushing the rebels miles back toward the territory they hold in eastern Libya.
The rebels said they were undaunted, taking heart from the departures in Gadhafi’s inner circle.
“We believe that the regime is crumbling from within,” opposition spokesman Mustafa Gheriani said in Benghazi.
He compared Gadhafi to a wounded animal.
“An injured wolf is much more dangerous than a healthy wolf,” Gheriani said. “But we hope the defections continue, and I think he’ll find himself with no one around him.”
Many people also fled Ajdabiya, a rebel-held city about 50 miles east of Benghazi, for fear that government forces were on their way.
The fighting has highlighted the rebels’ weaknesses: Some ran screaming to cars after being frightened by outgoing fire from their own side.
Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s special envoy, Abdelilah Al-Khatib, arrived Thursday in Tripoli for talks with Gadhafi officials, U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said. Al-Khatib also was expected to talk with the Libyan opposition, Haq said, without providing details.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
