Libyan Security and the Sixth Fleet

Dean Cheng / March 09, 2011

In the ongoing debate about U.S. policy choices regarding Libya, one of the elephants in the room has been American aircraft carriers. Or, more precisely, where are American carriers, which could provide aircraft for enforcing a no-fly zone as well as protection for any non-combatant evacuation operation?

The reality is that, when the Libyan crisis struck, there was no American aircraft carrier with the U.S. Sixth Fleet, which is centered on the Mediterranean. The closest, the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), was in the Red Sea. At this point, a week after Libya sank into chaos, there are still no U.S. aircraft carriers available to mount air operations in the central Mediterranean. (more…)