Not so secret UK deployment to Libya
The BBC's News Magazine today included a story on the deployment of UK military and intelligence personnel to Libya during first Operation Deference and later during Operation Ellamy (the latter being the name for the UK's participation in first in the US-led Operation Odyssey Dawn and then in NATO's Operation Unified Protector). The article is pretty good and it has some good detail and anecdotes about the experience of the members of the Special Air Service and MI6 in Libya.
The problem with the article, however, is this suggestion, right in the title, that the deployment was a secret. It was not even an open secret, like the deployment of US special operations and intelligence personnel to Libya. It was an open fact, stated publicly by the UK government last spring.
The allegation that the deployment was "secret" comes from the fact that as late as 17 April 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron was saying things like:
"What we've said is there is no question of invasion or an occupation - this is not about Britain putting boots on the ground. That is not what we're about here..." Source
Two days later on 19 April, however, Foreign Secretary William Hague was publicly quoted as saying that the UK was sending military personnel to advise and assist the forces of what was then known as the National Transitional Council (NTC) (Source). From Hague's comments, it seems pretty clear that not only was it the view of the UK government that this deployment was within the purview of UN Resolution 1973, but was also within the scope of PM Cameron's comments about not committing to a sustained campaign.
Now it might be fair to say that the actual size of the deployment was secret, but even that is unclear from the BBC article. Its definitely safe to say that the MI6 personnel were given diplomatic cover stories. In total, the UK deployment on the ground in Libya as of 19 April was to be less than 20 people, which included a existing "diplomatic" contingent. Its probably safe to say that it eventually increased beyond that size. However, whatever the case, it was public knowledge and a matter of official UK policy that there was limited ground deployment to Libya as of April 2011. Its hardly a startling revelation nine months after the fact.
