US May Hand Over No-Fly Lead This Weekend

The United States may hand over operational control of the no-fly zone in Libya to a coalition-led command-and-control structure sometime during the next several days, according to a senior U.S. military official.

The U.S. military may turn over control of military operations over Libya "as early as this weekend," Vice Adm. William Gortney, director of the Joint Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon this afternoon.

What entity will take control of the air war over Libya is still unclear; however, CNN reported today that the Obama administration has struck a deal for NATO to take the lead. Even if that happens, the U.S. military would still provide assets that only it possesses.

"We're going to continue to provide predominantly those capabilities that we have that are unique that enable the operations, as well as additional capacity that coalition may not have," Gortney said, adding that those capabilities include refueling tankers, surveillance aircraft and strike assets.

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Gortney said the details of the command structure are still being worked out, particularly as more nations, including Qatar, join the coalition. One of the challenges, he said, is working out how the command-and-control structure would work.

While coalition partners are expected to take on more responsibility over the coming days, it doesn't mean that there will be a precipitous drop in U.S. operations. "I would see it being phased over time," Gortney said.

In the meantime, U.S. and coalition forces are flying strictly in support of a mission to protect civilians from government forces, rather than directly helping anti-government forces.

"We are not communicating with the opposition forces on the ground," Gortney said.