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March 20, 2011
Code Names for Libya: Operation Harmattan
I am with the FT, the French code name is more imaginative and better connected to Libya (Gideon Rachman's blog | International affairs blog from the FT – FT.com)
17.59 Code name trivia. It has been widely reported in the world’s Sunday papers that the military operation to enforce UN resolution 1973 is called “Odyssey Dawn”. But as a (slightly piqued?) British defence official said on Sunday, that’s only the US name for the operation:
“The UK Armed Forces are operating under the name Operation ELLAMY. This is the UK operational name; other allies may operate under a different operational name; for example, the US have called this operation Odyssey Dawn.”
Other countries have come with more imaginative code names for the operation. The French have gone for “Harmattan” (a dry dusty wind that blows across West Africa from the Sahara). The Canadian operation is uninterestingly called “MOBILE“, but, following the wind theme, Ottawa has named its air task force enforcing the no-fly zone “Libeccio” after the strong southwesterly wind that blows all year in the Mediterranean.
As I mentioned in my last Aqoul post, I found the Pentagon's press session queer - perhaps it is just bad old habit that they wish to assert / promote their role rather than playing a more diplomatic PR game.
Posted by The Lounsbury at March 20, 2011 07:19 PM
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