Libya's Operation Odyssey Dawn: Analysis of the American Military Operation, Removal of the Gaddafi Regime, NATO's Air War, Command and Control Issues, Responsibility to Protect (R2P)

Four military reports provide a unique perspective on the Libyan military operation launched by President Obama in 2011, known as Operation Odyssey Dawn.

Libya's Operation Odyssey Dawn: Command and Control - Events in Libya from January through April 2011 and the related coalition operation, Operation Odyssey Dawn, provided an opportunity to observe how this new type of command would perform in a crisis/contingency operation. USAFRICOM was required to plan kinetic operations, form a multinational coalition, stand up a multinational joint task force (JTF), conduct offensive and defensive maritime and air operations, and transition leadership of the operation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The best practices and lessons learned from all phases of USAFRICOM's execution of the operation will be valuable in determining the viability of its unique structure and organization and its applicability to other commands. Additionally, the lessons learned will provide input to changes that may be required to ensure future success.

The Promise and the Peril of the Responsibility to Protect - In 2005, the United Nations codified the concept of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in its World Summit Outcome, stating that sovereign governments have a responsibility to protect their populations from atrocities, and if that government is unable or unwilling to do so, the international community had a responsibility to act to stop the atrocity through diplomatic, humanitarian or other peaceful means, or by force in extreme cases. The concept of Responsibility to Protect has gained rapid international acceptance, to include its addition in the 2010 United States National Security Strategy, but serious questions remain regarding the legitimate application of force when force is deemed necessary. This paper considers the 2011 Libyan rebellion as a case study of the use of force under the auspices of The Responsibility to Protect.

NATO's Air War in Libya: A Template for Future American Operations - This research paper attempts to answer the question: does NATO's air war in Libya provide a template for how the United States will settle its future military conflicts? This paper explores three case studies involving airpower to identify the feasibility of a template for future military operations. The first case study explores NATO's 78-day air war against Bosnia over Kosovo. The next case study looks at America's involvement in Afghanistan during the first six months of Operation Enduring Freedom. The last case study involves NATO and America's 2011 involvement in Libya.

Operations Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector: A Coercive Failure? - This monograph examines military operations in Libya 2011, Operations Unified Protector and Odyssey Dawn, through the lens of coercion theory. It seeks to answer the question: if the United States and its allies attempted to apply coercion theory against Gaddafi preceding and during military operations, why did he seemingly exhibit no behavioral changes prior to his death? This monograph purports that even though Operations Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector succeeded in supporting the removal of the Gaddafi regime, ultimately they represent a coercive failure.