NEW : ` ` I think that Thursday may in fact have been their first mission , '' James Cartwright says . NEW : Vice Joint Chiefs chair says drones help distinguish `` friend from foe '' NEW : Robert Gates loyalists `` nestle up in crowded areas , '' Gen. Gadhafi says . Gates suggested that the unmanned Predator missions may have already begun . NEW : Air defense , missile and radar sites , as well as troops , are authorized targets .
NEW : `` I think that Thursday may in fact have been their first mission , '' James Cartwright says . NEW : Vice Joint Chiefs chair says drones help distinguish `` friend from foe '' NEW : Robert Gates loyalists `` nestle up in crowded areas , '' Gen. Gadhafi says . NEW : Air defense , missile and radar sites , as well as troops , are authorized targets .