Lakehurst And Other Local Bases Quiet On Possible Involvement in Libya

Officials from local military installations were not saying much publicly as American and European forces conducted strikes against defense targets in Libya this weekend.

It is unclear what role Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst has in the overseas military operation. Representatives from the base alliance promised to provide more information by tomorrow.

Spokespeople from the merged base, which includes the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division and the Naval Air Engineering Station in Lakehurst, were not on-duty and unavailable for comment on Sunday.

Calls for comment were also placed to the media relations office at the Fort Dix and McGuire operations. Both installations have handled hundreds of refueling operations and refugee assistance programs in previous missions in Kosova, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. cargo planes have been transportating refugees out of Libya as American and European forces work to enforce a no-fly zone over the North African country this weekend.

A defiant Moammar Gadhafi vowed a "long war" after the U.S. and European militaries blasted his forces with airstrikes and over 100 cruise missiles early Sunday, hitting air defenses and at least two major air bases and shaking the Libyan capital with explosions and anti-aircraft fire, the Associated Press reported.