Libya and Operation Odyssey Dawn - whoever thought of that name!?

The recent air strikes in Libya have brought to light the fact that the American Defence Department do not actually devise the names of their operations themselves (manually)!

The Pentagon turned to technology after names selected randomly by commanders, such as Operation Killer during the Korean War and Vietnam's Operation Masher, sparked media firestorms.

The selection of nicknames still requires a human touch, but the computer gets the process started. It's programmed to churn out the two initials of the operation's nickname. Commanders then consult a pre-approved list of about 60 code names to make the final decision.