When War Games Go Live
When War Games Go Live: "Staging" a "Humanitarian War" against "SOUTHLAND" Under an Imaginary UN Security Council Resolution 3003
by Prof. Michel
Chossudovsky
Global
Research, April 16, 2011
GlobalResearch.ca
Military
operations of this size and magnitude are never improvised.
The war on Libya as well as the armed insurrection were
planned months prior to the Arab protest
movement...
Libya, 19 March 2011. "No Fly
Zone" under UN Security Council Resolution 1973: A
"Humanitarian War" is Launched.
We were led to believe that the protest movement in Egypt and Tunisia had spread to Libya.
And that the insurrection in Libya was a
spontaneous response to a wave of pro-democracy activism
which had swept the Arab World. In turn, we were led to
belive that in response to the repression of the
unsurrection by Qadhaffi forces, the international community
decided to refer the matter to the United Nations Security
Council. And that was only once UNSC Resolution 1973 was
adopted that the US and NATO decided to act...
THE WAR ON LIBYA WAS KNOWN AND DECIDED WELL IN
ADVANCE.
MILITARY PLANNING WAS IN AN ADVANCED STAGE OF READINESS.
UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1973 PERTAINING
TO LIBYA WAS ALREADY ON THE DRAWING BOARD, MONTHS PRIOR TO
THE ONSET OF THE "PRO-DEMOCRACY" INSURRECTION IN EASTERN
LIBYA. ...
Read carefully
[" " indicate quotation from the
Southern Mistral 2011 War Games, Scenario)]
On November
02 2010, France and the UK announced the conduct of war
games under Operation "SOUTHERN MISTRAL 2011" against "AN
IMAGINARY COUNTRY' called "SOUTHLAND", living under a
"DICTATORSHIP" which allegedly "was responsible for an
attack against France's national interests".
The
Franco-British (humanitarian) air operation against
"SOUTHLAND" was to be carried out pursuant to an IMAGINARY
"UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO: 3003".
The war games were scheduled to start on March 21, 2011.
They never took place...
Below is the exact quote and
colors from the Franco-British war games website which is
hosted by France's Air Force:
"SOUTHLAND
: Dictatorship responsible for an attack against
France's national interests.
FRANCE : Makes the decision to show its determination to SOUTHLAND (under United Nations Security council resolution n°3003).
UNITED-KINGDOM : Allied country as determined in the bilateral agreement. The United Kingdom supports France through the deployment of its air assets." (Commandement de la défense aérienne et des opérations aériennes, Southern Mistral 2011: Scenario)
The war games were scheduled to
take place from the 21st to the 25 March 2011.
"Six
Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s, one tanker Vickers VC-10 and
one Boeing E3D will be deployed together with French Air
force Mirage 2000Ds, 2000Ns and 2000Cs operating with a
fleet of around thirty aircraft including helicopters,
Boeing tankers and Awacs radar aircraft.
Air Raid
Southern Storm will be commanded and controlled by the
National Air Operations Centre (CNOA) of Lyon Mont-Verdun
air base (BA 942).
An Air Operations Cell deployed at
Nancy air base (BA 133) will follow in real time all the air
missions and reproduce the air raids.
Simultaneously,
Paratrooper Commando Air 20 (CPA20) will receive its British
counterpart in Dijon: the RAF Regiment. Together they will
train for air base protection missions on operational
theatres in compliance with what is achieved today in
Afghanistan.
Furthermore, RAF Regiment members will
train in Captieux to helicopters’ air policing measures.
These specific procedures are implemented on a daily basis
by the Quick reaction Alert FAF air defence helicopters to
intervene against “slow movers”." Welcome to Southern Mistral 11
"An
adapted scenario was developed for the exercise.
Based on Western geography, France mostly, an imaginary country was created: SOUTHLAND. An artificial border was drawn inside France to simulate this country."
SOUTHLAND : Dictatorship responsible
for an attack against France's national interests.
FRANCE : Makes the decision to show its determination to SOUTHLAND (under United Nations Security council resolution n°3003).
UNITED-KINGDOM : Allied country as determined in the bilateral agreement. The United Kingdom supports France through the deployment of its air assets.
NAVARRE : Allied country giving clearance to French and British aircraft to overfly its territory.
(See Commandement de la défense aérienne et des opérations aériennes, Operation Southern Mistral: Scenario)
THESE FRANCO-BRITISH WAR
GAMES NEVER TOOK PLACE. OPERATION "SOUTHERN MISTRAL" WENT
LIVE ON MARCH 19, 2011 AGAINST "SOUTHLAND".
"OPERATION
SOUTHERN MISTRAL" = "Operation Odyssey Dawn"
"SOUTHLAND" = "Libya"
"Security Council Resolution
3003" = "Security Council Resolution 1973".
"DICTATORSHIP" = "Qadhaffi Regime"
Under the war games
scenario Security Council Resolution 3003 was proposed by
France, whereas "the real life" UN Security Council
Resolution 1973 was proposed by France, the UK and Lebanon.
The only difference of substance is that "SOUTHLAND"
(aka Libya), the so-called imaginary Southern country for
the war games was inserted inside the territory of Southern
France (See Map above THE UK IS GREEN,
FRANCE IS BLUE, SOUTHLAND IS
RED AND NAVARRE IS ORANGE)
The
imaginary location of this imaginary Southern country called
"SOUTHLAND" was not really an issue, because the war games
were postponed...
The French Air Force announced
(in English) the "Suspension of exercise Southern Mistral
2011 [against SOUTHLAND]... Due to the current international
events [BOMBING OF LIBYA], exercise Southern Mistral has
been suspended." Suspension of exercise Southern Mistral
2011. The French version uses the term Mise en
veille which means "put on standby" (Mise en veille de l’exercice Southern
Mistral 2011)
France's Mirage 2000 used in
Operation Odyssey Dawn against Libya,
slated to be used
in the Southern Mistral war games agains "Southland".
Royal Air Force Tornado GR4A
slated to be deployed in
the Southern Mistral war games
against "Southland".
What can be said regarding these war games, the attacks on Libya and United Nations Security council resolutions 3003 and 1973?...
We invite our readers to think and reflect on the logic of military planning.
Military operations of this size and magnitude
are never improvised. The war on Libya as well as the armed
insurrection were planned months prior to the Arab protest
movement. In the words of Rep Denis Kucinich:
"While war
games are not uncommon, the similarities between ‘Southern
Mistral’ and ‘Operation Odyssey Dawn’ highlight just
how many unanswered questions remain regarding our own
military planning for Libya.
The ‘Southern Mistral’
war games called for Great Britain-French air strikes
against an unnamed dictator of a fictional country,
“Southland.” The pretend attack was authorized by a
pretend United Nations Security Council Resolution. The
‘Southern Mistral’ war games were set for March 21-25,
2011.
On March 19, 2011, the United States joined France
and Great Britain in an air attack against Muammar
Gaddafi’s Libya pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution
1973.
Scheduling a joint military exercise that ends up
resembling real military action could be seen as remarkable
planning by the French and British, but it also highlights
questions regarding the United States’ role in planning
for the war. We don’t know how long the attack on Libya
has been in preparation, but Congress must find out. We
don’t know who the rebels really represent and how they
became armed, but Congress must find out. (Denis Kucinich,
Kucinich: President Had Time to Consult with
International Community, Not Congress? | Congressman Dennis
J. Kucinich, Press Release, March 29,
2011)
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