Ajdabiya, Libya - The United States may consider sending troops to Libya with a possible international ground force that could help the rebels, the former U.S. commander military mission, said Thursday, describing the current operation, a deadlock that is more likely to go on now that the U.S. has handed over control to NATO.
But Army Gen. Carter Ham also told lawmakers that U.S. participation in a ground force would not be ideal because it could erode the international coalition forces attack Muammar Gaddafi and is more difficult to get Arab support for operations in Libya.
He said NATO has done an effective job in a combat situation increasingly complex. But he said in a new tactic, Gaddafi's forces are making air strikes more difficult to organize their fighters and vehicles near civilian areas, such as schools and mosques.
The use of an international ground force is a possible plan to strengthen the rebels in Libya, Ham said at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Asked if the U.S. provide troops, Ham said, "I suspect that there may be some consideration of that. My personal opinion at this point would be probably not the ideal circumstance, again for the regional jet with U.S. boots on the ground would."
President Barack Obama has said repeatedly that U.S. troops will not on the ground in Libya, although there are reports of small teams of CIA in the country.
Pressed by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. , On the situation in Libya, Ham agreed that a stalemate is now more likely "since NATO took command.
Ham also revealed that the U.S. is providing some aircraft attack on the NATO operation that does not need to go through special approval process-ups. The powerful side-firing AC-130 is available to NATO commanders said.
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His reply said the Pentagon's previous statements that all aircraft of attack must be requested through the U.S. European Command and endorsed by major U.S. leaders, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Ham said the process still applies to other fighters and A-10 Lightning, which can provide air support to ground forces, he said the process is quick, and other defense officials have said it may take about a day for the U.S. approval of the application and move the plane from bases in Europe.
In general, he said the U.S. is offering less than 15 percent of air strikes and between 60 and 70 percent of the effort of support, including intelligence gathering, surveillance, electronic warfare and service stations.
Recent bad weather and threats of mobile systems Gaddafi surface to air missiles have hampered efforts to use the CA-130 and A-10 close air support aircraft to friendly ground forces. Ham said those conditions, which include about 20,000-to-air missile fired from the shoulder, contributing to stagnation.
Ham said he believes that some Arab countries are beginning to provide training or weapons to the rebels. And he repeated allegations that U.S. need to know more about the opposing forces before he could get more deeply involved in assisting them.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, complained that the lack of knowledge about the rebels is a failure of U.S. intelligence.
"I think something strange and maybe that Congress must also see that our intelligence capabilities so limited that even know the composition of the force of the opposition in Libya," Cornyn said.
Ham said it was important for the U.S. turn the control of NATO because many of the soldiers involved in the strikes in Libya are preparing to go to Iran or Afghanistan or just returned from the war front.