2011 military intervention in Libya

In response to the 2011 Libyan uprising, the U.N. resolution authorized air-strikes against Libyan ground troops and "warships" posing a threat to civilians.On 19 March, the no-fly zone enforcement began, with the French Air Force and British Royal Air Force undertaking sorties across Libya and a naval blockade by the Royal Navy.Air strikes against Libyan Army tanks and vehicles by French jets have since been confirmed. On March 22 the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will arrive off the coast and provide the enforcers with a rapid-response capability. The official names for the interventions by the coalition are Opération Harmattan by France; Operation Ellamy by the UK; Operation Mobile by Canada and U.S. forces have named their part of the enforcement action Operation Odyssey Dawn, meant to "[prevent] the Libyan regime from using force against its own people",said U.S. Vice Admiral William E. Gortney. More than 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired in an initial assault by U.S. warships and British nuclear submarine HMS Triumph against Libyan air defences.