http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/ops/mobile/index-eng.asp
Operation MOBILE <http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/potd/photos-eng.asp?id=535> ACF-188 Hornet fighter from 425 Tactical Fighter Squadronat 3 Wing Bagotville, Quebec, heads out over theMediterranean Sea. A CF-188 Hornet fighter from 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron at 3 Wing Bagotville, Quebec, heads out over the Mediterranean Sea. <http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/potd/photos-eng.asp?id=532> HMCSCharlottetown heads for its rendezvous with SNMG1 in thecentral Mediterranean Sea. HMCS Charlottetown heads for its rendezvous with SNMG1 in the central Mediterranean Sea. Operation MOBILE is the Canadian Forces’ participation in Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR, the NATO-led effort to impose on Libya the arms embargo and no-fly zone called for in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 of 17 March 2011. Enforcement of the no-fly zone was initiated on 19 March 2011 by a coalition joint task force led by United States Africa Command (U.S. AFRICOM) under Operation ODYSSEY DAWN. On 24 March, the North Atlantic Council agreed to take over the no-fly zone, and the aircraft flying enforcement missions were transferred to Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR on 25 March. Current deployments Op MOBILE comprises three task forces in the Mediterranean region under the overall command of Colonel Alain Pelletier of 3 Wing Bagotville and a staff of about 25 CF personnel located at NATO/Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Task Force Charlottetown On 1 March 2011, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that HMCS Charlottetown (FFH 339) would deploy from Halifax on 2 March to take part in Canadian and international operations already under way in Libya. Charlottetown departed Halifax on schedule, cleared Gibraltar and joined Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) on 14 March, and arrived on station on 17 March. With the other ships of SNMG1, Charlottetown is engaged in maritime operations to enforce the arms embargo called for in Resolution 1973. Taskings include escorting and providing air defence for vulnerable vessels such as replenishment ships, and patrolling the embargo zone to gather information and ensure that prohibited materiel does not enter Libya. HMCS Charlottetown is a Halifax-class frigate under the command of Commander Craig Skjerpen with a crew of about 240 officers and sailors, and a CH-124 Sea King helicopter and air detachment. Task Force Libeccio Named for the strong southwesterly wind that blows all year in the Mediterranean, Task Force Libeccio is the air detachment deployed on Op MOBILE. Task Force Libeccio is currently flying from two NATO bases in Italy: Trapani-Birgi, a forward operating base co-located with Vincenzo Florio Airport on the western point of the island of Sicily; and Sigonella, a major naval air base on the eastern coast of Sicily. Task Force Libeccio comprises the following assets: * At Trapani-Birgi, a “six-pack” CF-188 Hornet detachment from 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron at 3 Wing Bagotville, Quebec, flying missions to enforce the no-fly zone; * At Trapani-Birgi, a CC-150 Polaris air-to-air refuelling detachment from 437 Transport Squadron at 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario, supporting Canadian and allied aircraft flying missions to enforce the no-fly zone; and * At Sigonella, a CC-140 Aurora detachment made up from 405 Long Range Patrol Squadron at 14 Wing Greenwood, Nova Scotia, and 407 Long Range Patrol Squadron at 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia, flying maritime patrol missions in the embargo zone at sea. Task Force Libeccio has about 250 personnel, including aircrews, ground technicians and logisticians from 3 Wing, 8 Wing, 14 Wing and other locations across Canada. as of 2359 hr UTC, 28 March 2011 Sorties to date CF-188 Hornet 32 CC-150 Polaris 14 CP-140 Aurora 1 *Note:A “sortie” is an operational flight by one aircraft. (NATO definition) Task Force Naples With a staff of 17 CF members headed by Brigadier-General André Viens, Task Force Naples is the national co-ordination component linking CEFCOM Headquarters in Ottawa with Joint Force Command, the NATO formation conducting Op UNIFIED PROTECTOR. The members of Task Force Naples are responsible for coordinating the participation of Canadian task forces in operations in support of Resolution 1973, and helping to resolve operational, planning and administrative issues so Task Force Libeccio and HMCS Charlottetown can focus their efforts on mission success. Mission context Conflict in Libya The wave of popular uprisings that swept the Arabic-speaking countries of North Africa and the Middle East in the “Arab Spring” movement of 2011 began in Tunisia on 18 December 2010. Demonstrations began on 13 January 2011 in Libya, rapidly developing into armed rebellion centred on Benghazi. The government of Colonel Muammar Qadhafi responded with widespread systematic attacks by air and ground forces that frequently targeted non-combatant civilians. The United Nations Security Council reacted with two resolutions: * 1970 of 26 February, which called for an international arms embargo on Libya and froze the assets of individuals close to the regime of Muammar Qadhafi, or implicated in major violations of human rights, and * 1973 of 17 March, which strengthened the arms embargo and imposed a no-fly zone over Libya to ensure the safety of civilians. Background of Operation MOBILE Origins On 24 February 2011, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon announced arrangements for Canadians in Libya to leave the country, and the Government of Canada ordered a CC-177 Globemaster strategic airlifter based at Spangdahlem, Germany, to divert to Rome to stand by for a Non-combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO). Op MOBILE began on 25 February 2011 with the formation of Joint Task Force Malta, the Canadian Forces contribution to the whole-of-government effort led by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) to evacuate Canadians and other foreign nationals from Libya. Joint Task Force Malta On 25 February, a Military Assistance Team made up of senior CF members who were already in the region on other assignments arrived in Valletta to establish links with regional allies and Canadian whole-of-government partners. The Military Assistance Team became the headquarters element of Joint Task Force Malta, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony DeJacolyn of 1st Canadian Division Headquarters and co-located with the DFAIT team of diplomats and consular staff. That same day, a multinational NEO Coordination Centre opened in Valletta. The CC‑177 Globemaster standing by in Rome arrived in Valletta at 5:35 a.m. on 26 February and made the first Canadian evacuation flight that afternoon, bringing 24 Canadians and 22 other foreign nationals from Tripoli International Airport to safety in Malta. Among this group were the staff of the Canadian Embassy in Tripoli and three Australian diplomats. On 27 February, the 13-member Operational Liaison and Reconnaissance Team arrived accompanied by medical staff to assist evacuees and military police to provide security. On 28 February, JTF Malta reached full operating capability with two Globemasters, two CC-130J Hercules and about 70 military personnel, including aircrews, liaison personnel and staff officers as well as the medical staff and military police, and the ground crews supporting the aircraft. Military evacuations operations by air and by sea continued until the NEO Coordination Centre established that commercial flights and sealift could accommodate any foreign nationals still in Libya who wished to leave. The CC-130J Hercules flight conducted by JTF Malta on 8 March 2011 was the last military evacuation flight out of Tripoli International Airport to Malta. Over 11 days of operations, JTF Malta rescued 61 Canadians and 130 other foreign nationals aboard six evacuation flights — two by CC-177 Globemaster and four by CC-130J Hercules. <http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/ops/mobile/index-eng.asp> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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