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Government
Continued from yesterday: New Benghazi Witness Says U.S. Could Have Saved Lives That Day
2016-05-13
[The Blaze] A member of the U.S. Air Force, who was stationed in Italy during the 2012 Benghazi attacks, insisted Wednesday that the U.S. could have done more to help the four Americans who died that night.

"I definitely believe that our aircraft could have taken off and got there in a timely manner, maybe three hours at the most, in order to...at least stop that second mortar attack and have those guys running for the hills, and basically save lives that day," the man, who chose not to reveal his identity, said on Fox News - "Special Report."

I would like to applaud everyone's comments from yesterday, most especially Mike Kozlowski's obviously learned explanation at numbers 3 and 5 which can be found at this link.

As mentioned in Mike's #5; with regard to approval from the Italian Government for a launch from Aviano to Sigonella thence Benghazi, it is my understanding that the Italians would most likely request permission from the government of Libya for our planes to operate in their [Libyan] airspace prior to granting (Diplomatic Clearance-DC). Standing DC does exist for refueling missions however. All that is needed here are flight paths and call signs.

Aviano is a USAF base operated by US Military and civilian personnel with all the resources needed to serve as a home base for US Fighter Aircraft. Sigonella is a joint Italian, US base staff with some Italian and US military personnel but mostly manned by Italian Civilians that are unionized.

Potential Obama regime hesitancy or unwillingness to act along with possible Italian obstruction, either political, labor union, or 'all of the above' could easily result in mission failure. Of course if one is seeking a delay or outright denial, requesting host-nation approval would appear to be a likely course of action.

It might be instructive to note that the U.S. Government response has consistently pointed to the 'time and space conundrum' as the reason for lack of military response. I have yet to see Diplomatic Clearance sited as a reason.

Again, thanks Mike. Additional comments ?
A big thanks from me as well, especially to Mike K.

A commenter below notes with some disbelief that we don't have a few air units prepared at all times for a 'hot' situation. Recall that on 9/11, home-front F16s were unarmed -- one brave pilot (I forget her name) had planned to ram an airliner if it was about to slam into a building. So I don't find it all that hard to believe that we weren't prepared, even at Aviano with Libya brewing up just across the Med.

One important reason why Obama and Hillary won't come clean, and why the press won't go after the issue, is noted by another commenter: we all know what Amb. Stevens was doing in Libya. That's exactly what Champ and the MSM don't wish to discuss. And that's why four men were hung out to dry, even as three of them didn't know why.

It's a defining characteristic for Champ: he wants something but he doesn't want to do the heavy lifting to accomplish it. And he doesn't ever, ever want the risk of public failure.
Posted by:Besoeker

#7  RA interests me with his "they didn't bother to start" kinda think that part might angle might have.

I am a born civilian, and not at all familiar with ready getting a strike force together under intense pressure. I am a race fan though, pretty familiar with F1 crew tactics. We're the ground crews getting ready for a pit? Or did the call never come? Did they get a heads up?
Posted by: Shipman   2016-05-13 18:30  

#6  Amb. Stevens met with Turkish Consul on the date of the attack. No one to my knowledge has ever tried to interview the Consul. He was a remarkably experienced diplomat to be located in the Libyan backwater. In fact, he was the cutout between the Americans and the Turkish vessels that delivered the military goods to Turkish ports.
Posted by: Gomez Clunk9535   2016-05-13 10:06  

#5  MK, thank you for your contribution.

I am not an expert of military procedures or readiness. I do find it hard to believe that the US Military does not have aircraft on standby for a "hot" situation in that part of the world. I'm not saying you are wrong, just saying it's hard to believe.

But all this is just secondary to the real issue as to the why Ambassador Stevens was in Benghazi. He was running Libyan guns to AQ. The press knows it, they just won't report it. Who gave him the orders and who was working with him locally and in DC?
Posted by: jvalentour   2016-05-13 08:30  

#4  I concur Richard. I might further add that the U.S. gov't inaction continued even after the successful exfiltration of the remaining U.S. survivors from Benghazi.

Ambassador Stephen's journal was found by a CNN reporter 3 days after the attack.

Link

Siting 'security concerns', U.S. investigators did not arrive at the Benghazi facility for several days following the attack.

Posted by: Besoeker   2016-05-13 07:43  

#3  I re-read yesterday's comment "We'll never know". But this story is just as good as any of the stuff that came out of D.C. It's too bad we'll never know.
Posted by: Bobby   2016-05-13 07:31  

#2  With respect, Mike tells us why a close air support couldn't have been launched, presuming all the protocols.
Point is, nothing else was done, either. Not even any flyovers with aircraft not loaded for CAS, which, as it happened, were requested. The time to load out a strike is only an issue if you presume the thing will be over by the time you get there. How did anybody know? And you don't even start?
Panetta said you don't go in without intel, hoping nobody would remember that State and DoD were on the horn with the guys in real time. Nobody's had that much intel in war, ever.
Vehicles on the runway? That's why they make bulldozers. Presuming the Italians even had a clue.
Thing is...forget the time issues. NOBODY EVEN STARTED. Nobody got the word to try to get ready. Whether some folks started to prepare aid of whatever kind they could and were told to actually "STOP" what they were doing is one question. That's "Stand down". But where were the Start orders which, ultimately but--here is the point, unpredictably--were too late? It would be different if a couple of appropriately-loaded F16s came over the city an hour late. You do your best and perhaps you'll be in time. Sometimes you're not.
Here, NOBODY WAS TOLD TO START.
That, and I say this with respect to Mike's points, is the point.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey   2016-05-13 07:29  

#1  It is not the first time this Experienced Man has made whiz bang comments. It really changed my view on this whole ordeal.
Posted by: newc   2016-05-13 00:22  

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