As we watch the civil war in Libya, here’s a few facts to refer to.
Population 5 million
Fertility rate: 2.8
Monetary Unit: Libyan dinar (LD)
GDP: 106,000 million LD or $87,000 million US$. US GDP: $14,000 billion
International reserves: $92,507 million US
Exchange rate (LD to US$) 1.2
Libya fact: Armed forces: army 50,000 + 8,000 navy + 18,000 air force = 76,000.
My Summary:
Libya is small as a power. Still, if we’re going to go in, we’re going to have to take enough force to do the job. Recent military actions have only been successful when we went in to destroy the frontline forces and then when we went in with adequate forces of our own. My rough guess: 100,000 yielding 20,000 combat troops.
