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US Marine quick reaction force deployed twice in last 30 days to defend embassies
[FoxNews] The US Marine Security Augmentation Unit has completed 107 deployments

The U.S. Marine Security Augmentation Unit has deployed twice in the past 30 days to support and protect embassies in Africa and the Caribbean.

The quick reaction force consists of 145 Marines who can deploy in small teams at a moment’s notice from Quantico, Virginia to anywhere in the world – including a small African nation like Eswatini.
The Kingdom of Eswatini was called the Kingdom of Swaziland until 2018. Nothing else has changed — the population is still 80-90% Christian, 26% HIV positive, the elected legislature is bicameral, and the absolute monarch still picks the prettiest maiden each year to add to his collection of wives, assuming his mother approves.
A team of 13 Marines deployed to Eswatini on June 30 as thousands of protesters took to the streets to decry their King Mswati III, who lives in luxury as his citizens starve.

Another team saw deployment on July 16 in the aftermath of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse to support the U.S. Embassy "out of an abundance of caution."

These two missions marked the 106th and 107th missions for the MSAU since the group was founded in 2013, Task and Purpose reported.

The MSAU was founded in the aftermath of the 2012 attack on Benghazi, which left a U.S. Ambassador and three other Americans dead. The members bring a variety of occupational experience and specialties, including medical, close quarters combat, marksmanship, security analysis and augmentation, creating one of the most experienced and elite security details on the planet.

The corps mainly deploys via air, but also includes sea-based units and land-based Special Purpose Air-Ground task forces.

The MSAU also deployed on such notable occasions as the Bangkok protests in 2013-14 and the Yellow Vest protests in Paris in 2017.

One of the largest MSAU deployments saw 80 Marines deployed to Tripoli to help evacuate the U.S. embassy, the Marine Corps Times reported.

"Our Marine Security Guard Augmentation Units maintain a high state of readiness and can rapidly respond when called upon," said U.S. Central Command spokesman Maj. Josh Jacques said.
Posted by: Skidmark 2021-08-01
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=608662