general carter hemm is on sarge with sam locklear cordinated the strikes, but once the initial phase of the oberation are over, hamm and locklear will post command to a coalition partner. >> i want to stress, however, this is just the first phase of what will likely be a multi-phase military operation designed to enforce the u.s. resolutions. this is an international military effort urged by the libyan people themselves and the her arab nations. >> the next stage will be the no-fly zone over tripoli and benghazi, an operation that will involve hundreds of aircraft. u.s. f-16s will take part, but most of the fighters will be from britain, france, and other allied partners. the u.s. will provide support aircraft like air refuelers, communications aircraft, and jammers so gadhafi's troops cannot talk to one another. the first phase is supposed to last just a few days. what the u.s. military is watching closely tonight is how the gadhafi regime will react to these attacks and what kind of response that might require. diane. >> and we have more on that coming up. martha, you and i have be

promised that washington is doing all it can to make exceptional happen democratic strategist chris locklear says the u.s. needs russia's support and this visit highlights that. i think that the existing relations are on a track moving forward no matter what the little disruptions are and i think that's very important and i think that's part of what biden strip is all about and then obama's trip will be all about which is that even if we have set backs along the way the message has to be very clear to the russian people into the american people that russia in the united states now have more in common than we do that separates us we need that russia to be part of the w t l we need to free trade with russia i think that that messages being sent to anything the united states does it would clearly take into account how the russian government the russian leadership feels about things and i'm sure that the vice president biden is making that very clear to. the russian leadership that whatever we do in libya we're going to try to make sure that we cooperate with you and we're not in conflict with y

is not a target and promises a quick and decisive campaign but international affairs analyst john locklear thinks the allies are committed to regime change in libya and won't stop until they bring good tapi down. i think they're gravely mistaken and i think that this escapade will end in catastrophic failure and my fear is that the european leaders and the americans who have pushed this attack on libya think that a quick bit of bombing will sort the matter out but in fact i think they will find that it will last far longer than they've gone for the british prime minister the french president the american administration these people who are so happy to let bombs fly on countries that almost at the drop of a hat they are determined to get the outcome they want which is the overthrow of colonel gadhafi of libya so it will make the task the disagreements and the the discordant voices that are now coming out of both within western states and also in the arab league these will indeed make it very difficult to continue the war but i'm afraid they won't let go now that they've started. now all ame

and you have an admiral, admiral sam locklear, on a ship. the tactical commander. mean he is coordinating all the air strikes. in a few days, the hope is, the u.s. hopes that general carter ham can turn over his responsibility to one of the coalition members. that is the plan right now. i don't think they know who that will be. but in this initial phase, the u.s. has the unique capabilities, as the president said, the stealth bombers, b-2 bombers, the tomahawk missiles on the ships. so the president felt the u.s. had to take the lead in this phase. the next phase will be the no-fly zone. i believe the u.s. will be involved somewhat. but the bulk of the no-fly zone will be flown by british, french, and other allies. >> martha, thank you so much. >>> joining me next, admiral mike mullen of the joint chiefs of staff. we'll ask him about whether the plan will succeed at all if colonel gadhafi stays in power. during its first year, the humpback calf and its mother are almost inseparable. she lifts her calf to its first breath of air, then protects it on the long journey

task force commander, admiral samuel locklear, said the coalition was "considering all options" on how to respond. we have a series of reports from independent television news, beginning with john ray in tripoli. >> reporter: coalition air strikes are hitting home. the evidence showed forth by the libyans themselves destroying targets with precision. the twisted and charred is what remains after six tomahawk cruise missiles smashed into a naval base punching deep into concrete, leaving gaping craters. and long after last night's attack fire still burns and the ruins smolder. these are the remains of a multi-barrel rocket launcher. although the libyan authorities have talked repeatedly about civilian casualties this was a purely military target hit, it appears, with pinpoint accuracy. some of the weaponry on display looks as old as the regime itself. and the libyans insist this was merely a training facility. >> believe me, no anti-rockets, no anti-bombs, just workshop here. >> reporter: three nights of bombing appear only to haveen flamed the pasons of qaddafi's well drilled followers.

. >> we want to give a shout-out to heather locklear.to be pretty good. >> there is a scene involving a yoga. >> sorry about that, heather, and we'll have you on another time, we hope. >> down, girl, hoda. >> he is darn cute. hey! hey! hey! that's our snack machine. you should try something new. activia parfait crunch! crunchy granola you mix right in to creamy and delicious activia yogurt. mmm! crunchy! and creamy! watch your toes! new activia parfait crunch. ♪ [ male announcer ] what are you gonna miss when you have an allergy attack? benadryl® is more effective than claritin® at relieving your worst symptoms and works when you need it most. benadryl®. you can't pause life. don't suffer waiting for your pills to kick in. add alaway. for fast eye itch relief that works in minutes and lasts up to 12 hours. only alaway comes from bausch & lomb. for fast eye itch relief, add alaway. >>> he grew up all over the world rgs got his first big break on the cosby show. he's been on all kinds of stages. >> that new nbc drama started last year that

so yesterday, admiral locklear, the joint task force odyssey dawn provided you a strategy outlook on our current operations in libya. i would like to give you an operational update on the operations of the joint task force within the last 24 hours and how those operations have affected forces loyal to libyan leader gadhafi. first, let me reiterate our mission which is to conduct military operations to protect those civilian populations from attack or the threat of attack. we are doing that with our coalition partners. let me point out this operation is a fully integrated coalition playstation coalition ships, aircrafts, and staffs are focused on a single mission which is the enforcement of the u.n. security resolution 1973. we started out small and have now established a no-fly zone. we've attained maritime superiority, put in place embargo operations, interdicted ground forces, suppressed enemy air defenses and are allowing for humanitarian assistance. all as a coalition operation. let me give you an overview of the air picture. our coalition i was as are making a significant and vi