Thank you, sir.
Mr. Chair, members of the committee, thank you for this opportunity to brief you on Operation MOBILE, Canada's military contribution to the international effort to respond to the crisis in Libya.
You will recall that NATO's Operation Unified Protector and Canada's Operation MOBILE were initiated in response to United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973, enforcing the arms embargo on Libya and protecting civilians and civilian-populated areas through the creation of a no-fly zone over Libya.
Canada's contribution consists of seven CF-18 fighter aircraft, two CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft, two CC-150 Polaris and one CC-130 Hercules refueling aircraft, and of course HMCS Vancouver. In total, approximately 630 Canadian Forces personnel are participating in the mission. And as Barbara has mentioned, significantly, NATO's Operation Unified Protector has been under the command of our own Canadian Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard.
I would like to take this opportunity to update you on recent events since you were last briefed. Since September 20, 2011, events in NATO, Canada, and Libya have moved quickly. NATO extended Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR for 90 days on September 21. On September 26, the Canadian mission to Libya was extended for an additional 90 days, in line with the NATO extension.
Since then, events on the ground in Libya have moved rapidly. The Gadhafi stronghold of Bani Walid fell on October 17, along with the city of Sirte on October 20. On the same day as the fall of Sirte, Colonel Gadhafi was killed, along with members of his regime leadership. These events marked the end of the pro-Gadhafi forces as an organized military force and led the National Transitional Council to declare Libya liberated this past Sunday.
With the National Transition Council forces now in control of Libya, the threat of organized attacks against civilians has diminished greatly and conditions have been set for the termination of NATO's mandate.
In response to these developments, NATO has suspended all air strike operations in Libya and continues to monitor the situation. On October 21, the North Atlantic Council took a preliminary decision to terminate the mission Unified Protector on October 31. This termination date will be discussed at the next North Atlantic Council meeting, scheduled for tomorrow, and we are expecting a decision at that time. Canadian Forces elements remain deployed in theatre pending the results of these discussions and subsequent Government of Canada direction.
The Canadian Forces are proud of the contributions we have made to NATO and to the Libyan people. Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft have flown approximately 1,500 sorties in support of Operation Unified Protector and Operation MOBILE, enforcing the no-fly zone and protecting Libya's population. Royal Canadian Navy ships enforced the arms embargo and prevented reinforcement of the pro-Gadhafi forces and of arms shipments by sea.
Canadian Forces are proud to have been part of this mission and of the role they have performed in allowing the Libyans to chart a better future for their country.
We are ready to answer any questions you may have at this time.
Thank you.