The RAF's Air War In Libya: New Conflicts in the Era of Austerity

The uprising in Libya in the spring of 2011 took the world by surprise. The Gaddafi regime’s brutal attempts at suppressing the uprising, however, soon prompted the international community to respond. NATO agreed to impose a no-fly zone across Libya which was led by Britain, France and the USA.

For the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, the deployment of RAF and Royal Navy assets in support of UN Resolution 1973, came at a time when severe cuts to the UK’s defence spending were in the process of being enacted. With the Royal Navy aircraft carriers and their Harrier jets no longer available, would the UK be able to mount operations 3,000 miles away?

In this, the first book to analyse the Libyan campaign, David Sloggett details the causes of the uprising, and examines each stage of the war through to its termination with the death of Colonel Gaddafi.

In conclusion, Dr Sloggett considers the future prospects for a post-Gaddafi Libya and, more significantly, how NATO in general, and Britain in particular, will respond to similar events in the future.