This Remote Control project briefing examines UK military operations in Libya and the UK government's lack of transparency concerning such activities. Despite official government statements that the UK military operation in Libya both began and ended with the 2011 NATO mission, research undertaken and commissioned by Remote Control suggests that this is only true if you take a very narrow view of what counts as a UK military operation. Since 2011, information has been slowly surfacing about the extent of ongoing covert UK engagement, including several waves of special force deployment, the presence of undisclosed numbers of military advisers, intelligence gathering operations, potential drone operations, and the recent approval of the use of UK air bases in US air strikes against ISIS. The briefing argues that the opacity of remote warfare in Libya could have serious consequences for the effectiveness, accountability, and perceived legitimacy of UK actions abroad.

Image by Defence Images via Flickr.

The Remote Control project is a project of the Network for Social Change hosted by Oxford Research Group. The project examines changes in military engagement, in particular the use of drones, special forces, private military companies and cyber warfare.