NATO Commander Says Ground Force May Be Needed If Gaddafi Ousted

NATO commander Adm. James Stavridis says it is too early to be talking about an exit strategy from Libya. He said a ground force may be needed if rebels drive Muammar GaddafiMuammar Gaddafi out.

"When you look at the history of NATO, having gone through this, as many on this committee have, with Bosnia and Kosovo, it's quite clear that the possibility of [the need for] a stabilization regime exists," he said. "And so, I have not heard any discussion about it yet, but I think that history is in everybody's mind as we look at the events in Libya," he told the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.

NATO will be taking over the U.N. ordered mission later this week.

The Voice of America reported Stavridis said if there is a conflict between the U.N.'s intention to protect civilians and the desire to oust Gaddafi the two approaches will come together. Any Gaddafi military forces are legitimate targets if they are considered a threat to civilians, he said.

Stavridis predicted the NATO mission and pressure from rebels will force Gaddafi out.

"By our participation in protecting the people of Llibya, we create a safe and secure environment in which the people of Libya can make a determination, and that they then have the ability to undertake the kind of effort that would, in effect, create regime change, as we've seen in other nations in the Middle East," he said.