With Libya, Sec. Gates Puts His Foot Down

Posted on Mar 31, 2011

DOD / Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

There’s a lot of talk coming out of Washington, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates assured Congress on Thursday that the Pentagon’s mission in Libya is “much more limited” than regime change and said American troops would not be sent to the country, even in a training capacity, “as long as I’m in this job.”  —PZS

The Christian Science Monitor:

The US military will not provide any troops on the ground in Libya, either to aid operations or to train the rebels, Secretary Gates assured lawmakers. “Not as long as I’m in this job.”

That said, he conceded that rebels could use some help if they hope to overthrow Col. Qaddafi. “What the opposition needs is some training, some command and control, and some organization,” Gates said. “It’s pretty much a pickup ballgame at this point.”

But that training will not come from US troops, Gates stressed repeatedly in his testimony before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. NATO allies could take this role, he suggested. “Frankly, there are many countries that can do that,” he said.

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