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2012-10-29 Home Front: WoT

Lack Of Strike Force Impeded Benghazi Response

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Posted by Sherry 2012-10-29 09:43|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top

#1 Not buying this one. AFRICOM stood up at Stuttgart in Oct 2008. Assumption of NEO plans and safeguarding US Missions abroud would have been a specified task and resourced appropriately.

Posted by Besoeker 2012-10-29 11:56|| 2012-10-29 11:56|| Front Page Top

#2 I have heard that US Africa Command not only had a commander in-extremis force, but it deployed to Southern Italy in preparation to going into Benghazi.

In addition, I heard that Delta Force was conducting a training mission in Europe and had troops ready to go. (They cancelled their training and prepared to go operational).

This article is the White House throwing out an excuse to see if anyone buys it. The point is to last until election day.

Al

Posted by Frozen Al 2012-10-29 12:16|| 2012-10-29 12:16|| Front Page Top

#3 Besoeker and others keep on asking questions about BenghaziGate. This is far worse than Watergate. If people don't question everything we will never know what happened. The four who died, embassy staffs abroad, our military, Americans, and voters deserve truthfulness about this rather than some convenient narrative that attempts to get Obama re-elected.

Posted by JohnQC 2012-10-29 12:20|| 2012-10-29 12:20|| Front Page Top

#4 Not buying this either. Like Besoeker said: AFRICOM was set up about four years ago. Lots of assets and attention thrown at this command. Even if there was no in-extremis force, there should have been contingency plans, even if they were borrowed from another reqional command.

Perhaps it's true that no one in charge wanted a repeat of Operation Eagle Claw (or as we called it, "Rice Bowl"). And it looks like they got their wish but replaced it with something worse.

Posted by Pappy 2012-10-29 14:17|| 2012-10-29 14:17|| Front Page Top

#5 It's not just "Africom." Benghazi's on the Mediterranean. I thought there would be a lot of available forces there.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2012-10-29 15:44|| 2012-10-29 15:44|| Front Page Top

#6 The 173rd is still based in Italy, right?

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2012-10-29 15:46|| 2012-10-29 15:46|| Front Page Top

#7 This is going to be shown to be a Charlie Foxtrot that begins with indecision and irresolution at the top flowing down hill to commanders playing CYA or risking insubordination. Bummer didn't want that coming out before the election, so now he's got something much worse. But in the end, it will just be stupidity and incompetence for all to see. For the second time, Bummer could regret winning.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2012-10-29 16:04|| 2012-10-29 16:04|| Front Page Top

#8 Most of the 173rd. is in the Stan. You wouldn't send them anyway, you would send the Marine strike force or Delta, both would be on station 24/7.

Posted by bman 2012-10-29 17:38|| 2012-10-29 17:38|| Front Page Top

#9 Based on what I could find online, about 2/3 of it is in Germany and 1/3 of it is in Italy, and their last deployment to Afghanistan ended at the end of 2010.

I don't know how accurate that is.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2012-10-29 22:29|| 2012-10-29 22:29|| Front Page Top

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