Libya, Mogadishu, WTF

[Madusa]

Why the hell wasn't there a broken arrow called in?

[ChunkyMonkey]

I only got the WTF part. So WTF?

[BPTactical]

Because these assholes in charge are more worried about "collateral" casualties then saving American lives.
Yes, its that simple.

And disgusting.

[Bailey Guns]

When I was in (79-89) "Broken Arrow" was a term used when there was a non-war threatening accident involving nuclear weapons (ie: a plane carrying a nuclear bomb crashes). Does it mean something different now?

[BUC303]

When I was in (79-89) "Broken Arrow" was a term used when there was a non-war threatening accident involving nuclear weapons (ie: a plane carrying a nuclear bomb crashes). Does it mean something different now?
That's what I was thinking, they made a movie about just that, not a good one mind you.

[BPTactical]

"Broken Arrow" as I understand it is a distress call that is sent when a position is over run.
Every available asset is sent to assist.

[alxone]

When I was in (79-89) "Broken Arrow" was a term used when there was a non-war threatening accident involving nuclear weapons (ie: a plane carrying a nuclear bomb crashes). Does it mean something different now?


"Broken Arrow" as I understand it is a distress call that is sent when a position is over run.
Every available asset is sent to assist.

Isn't kinda the same thing , wouldn't you want every available person to assist if a nuke is in jeopardy ?

[MCarp71]

"Broken Arrow" as I understand it is a distress call that is sent when a position is over run.
Every available asset is sent to assist.

It is for when the SHTF, and they have no other options. Air support, artillery. ETC...
My dad told me about a battle his unit was in, in Vietnam. Where the command called that in. All he said, that it was not a good day. Thats all he said, and I didn't dig.
Perfect example: Watch WE WERE SOLDIERS!

Thats All, Carry On!

[Mick-Boy]

Why the hell wasn't there a broken arrow called in?

The term "broken arrow" aside (I've never heard that term used in a serious context. I'm unconvinced that it is a current brevity code.)...

What exactly are you looking for? These are incidents that were over in hours and have almost no relation to each other tactically.

Mogadishu was a raid conducted by a SOTF that went sideways due to enemy activity (shooting down helicopters). TF Ranger did an extraordinary job of maintaining cohesiveness and tactical initiative. 2-14, 10th Mtn and the Malaysians and Pakis were brought in to assist that same evening and things were wrapped up by early the following morning.

Benghazi was a defense of fixed positions and an evacuation conducted by security personnel. More security personnel were on the ground in about 4hrs.

So again, what exactly are you looking for?

[trlcavscout]

They are reporting now (armed services committee report). Over a 7hr period they were denied help 3 times and told to stand down. Even with other attempts on the embassy and attempts on the ambassadors life their were no plans in place. Most units couldnt respond in time (7 hours, bull shit!) A SO group that could have responded was told to stand down. Sounds like the WH wanted it to get over ran, hell I wouldnt be suprised if obama payed them to do it! Quit worrying about 17 year old girls birth control and giving visas to illegals and get the F&@% to work you scum bag!

[BPTactical]

Along your line Travis - I have heard speculation that this was concocted plan that was to be an "October Surprise" to boost BO and make him a "military genius" and "hero" for saving a kidnapped Ambassador.
They knew damn well in advance that 9-11 would bring the muzzie rats out would be stirring shit up.
Let Stevens get kidnapped, send in ST 6 or similar and rescue him.
Barry saves the day.
It ran afoul.

I have also heard speculation that Stevens was an "inconvenience" in an arms trading scheme.
Possibly the WH saw this as an opportunity to remove an "inconvenience" by the hands of jihads.
Vince Foster and Iran Contra rolled into one.

Who knows?

[trlcavscout]

Definitley stinks! The ambassador was already "missing", the remaining men were shooting it out, and they get denied help? The WH obviously got what they wanted out of this what ever it was. Pretty damn sickening!!!

[Madusa]

The way I've heard it we have aircraft in Italy and they can make it there in less than an hour. Also we have two Destroyers off the coast, they have missiles (cruise). There was a drone and real time communications with our guys (SEALs- know how to call in an air strike). We could have leveled the city in less than an hour. It pisses me off all to hell to think that the USA let our guys die without causing serious damage. In Mogadishu we should have destroyed that city saving our guys.

[trlcavscout]

The way I've heard it we have aircraft in Italy and they can make it there in less than an hour. Also we have two Destroyers off the coast, they have missiles (cruise). There was a drone and real time communications with our guys (SEALs- know how to call in an air strike). We could have leveled the city in less than an hour. It pisses me off all to hell to think that the USA let our guys die without causing serious damage. In Mogadishu we should have destroyed that city saving our guys.

Those are two way different situations. We provoked them in Somalia by operating in their back yard without proper authority, we wouldnt want china or someone pulling that crap here, the whole operation was a mess from the start and should have been handled differently. But yes after it hit the fan we should have leveled that shit hole and been done. Now we import them here for cheap labor and have to deal with their dumb ass's.

The embassy should have been evacuated earlier in the fight. It was technically an unsolicited attack because the ambassador had a right to work their, although I dont agree with it. But to rescue Americans in that situation should have been top priority and no punches should have been pulled. Yes we had the feet on the ground and the planes in the sky to do what ever was necesary, but we had a pansy at the wheel. But again we should have been out of there weeks earlier and their would have been no need to fight.

They did show that they head designators on the source of the morter rounds, at the very least we could have remotely leveled the playing field for god sakes!

[Mick-Boy]

Seriously? Leveling cities? Just kill 'em all and let god sort 'em out huh?

Do you know how hard it is to get permission to drop ordinance on a mountain side in Afghanistan? You really think anyone is going to clear dropping in a city populated by people we supported during a civil war?

The unfortunate reality is that operations in war-torn locations have the potential to go really bad, really fast.

That the POTUS fucked this up by the numbers is pretty common knowledge at this point. Suggesting that it was somehow orchestrated by the US Govt is really, really deep into tin-foil land.

[BPTactical]

New developments: Panetta is claiming that they did not have enough information "in time" to send in assets.
Bullshit, we know they watched it unfold in very near "real time".
Now there appears to be evidence that the CIA ordered the operators to stand down when shots were heard coming from the consulate.
3 urgent requests for military assistance denied.
Repeatedly requested a Specter gunship, request either ignored or denied.


You still don't think the Administration/.gov is not neckdeep in this?

[Fmedges]

Broken Arrow was a term used in Vietnam.

Broken Arrow - Radio code for a unit about to be overrun; diverts all Tactical air to support that unit.

Basically all available air assets divert from their current mission to provide CAS. Unless you had someone on the ground that could act as a FAC, air would be totally useless. They would not just show up and start drop ordnance if they did not know the position of friendlies. Keep in mind that Air doesn't work like it does in the movies. If the enemy is 600 meters or closer it is extremely rare that air will be cleared in.


3AjNdb1qIv8&

[Mick-Boy]

New developments: Panetta is claiming that they did not have enough information "in time" to send in assets.
Bullshit, we know they watched it unfold in very near "real time".
Now there appears to be evidence that the CIA ordered the operators to stand down when shots were heard coming from the consulate.
3 urgent requests for military assistance denied.
Repeatedly requested a Specter gunship, request either ignored or denied.


You still don't think the Administration/.gov is not neckdeep in this?

I'm going to assume that last was directed at me.

Fucked up the response? Yep. Orchestrated? Highly doubtful.

In 2007 I participated in closing the US Regional Embassy Office at the Palace in Basra Iraq and moving it to the Basra Airfield. From April to July 2007 the REO closed it was the single most attacked US installation in world. We took over 600 rockets and mortars in July alone. Want to know who got sent in to help us out?

No one. Why? The Brits were drawing down after Brown was elected PM and the US was busy with the Sunnis in the north and we didn't want to kick off fighting in more provinces by attacking a bunch of Shia in the south.

This past July 4th I got called out with a small team to search an installation in Afghanistan that had blown up (cause unknown at the time, later determined to be an accident) for a missing American. After being on site for several hours we received word that everyone was accounted for. We had been sent out because someone forgot that there was a guy on leave.

My point is that there are a lot of factors on the table when the head shed is looking at committing assets and the "fog of war" is a real thing.

Looking at something days or weeks or months later, it's easy to see what would have been needed. In the heat of the moment, not so much.

Could they have diverted more assets to Libya? Yes. Would they have gotten there in time? Maybe. Would they have made the situation better or worse? We'll never know. Just like we'll never really know who knew what, when.

Was the response fucked? Yep. Did Obama plot the attack of an American Diplomatic Mission for political ends? I'll believe that around the same time I buy the theory that Bush blew up the Twin Towers to expand government control.

[Mick-Boy]

http://www.therightscoop.com/must-watch-rush-military-caller-says-beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt-obama-knew-about-benghazi-attack-ordered-no-response/

Here's a guy providing a little insight into the process for pushing SOF troops into this kind of situation.

I'll say it again. The response was fucked up by the numbers but I don't buy for a second that it was plotted by our Government.

[BPTactical]

I pull absolutely nothing off the table when it comes to this Administration furthering their agenda/re election.

The bastards are evil.

Q-Why would they try to cover their keesters with a lame ass story about a video clip being the cause of violence on 9/11 when the video had been out for months? If they needed to cover incompetence then simply saying "We did not have enough intel to act" would be plausible.

A-As a reason to stomp the 1st Amendment by passing an anti defamation law. 1st step to censorship on a wholesale level.

Q-What was the purpose of "Fast and Furious"?

A-As a reason to further trample the 2cnd Amendment.

Q-Why has this administration refused to acknowledge radical Islam for what it is? Look at the Ft Hood shooting. They have yet to call it an act of terror, rather "workplace violence" when numerous witnesses state Hassan was yelling "Allah Ahkbar" as he was firing.
A-????
We need to realize we are not dealing with a "normal" administration.
This man comes from known radical and communist roots. Look into his chief advisor, Valerie Jarrett. What you will find on her should be quite disconcerting in and of itself. Now add to that the other key staff members that he has surrounded himself with.

[Bailey Guns]

I'll say it again. The response was fucked up by the numbers but I don't buy for a second that it was plotted by our Government.

I agree. From what I've heard and read it was purely a case of extreme incompetence on the part of the administration and various cabinet-level individuals.

[BPTactical]

A "blown call" explains a football game, not an Embassy being over run and the loss of four Americans.

Too many competent people knew what was going on as it happened.
Of course if it is due to gross incompetence then what other reason do the American people need to fire the entire rotten lot?
[Beer]

[tmleadr03]

The term "broken arrow" aside (I've never heard that term used in a serious context. I'm unconvinced that it is a current brevity code.)...

What exactly are you looking for? These are incidents that were over in hours and have almost no relation to each other tactically.

Mogadishu was a raid conducted by a SOTF that went sideways due to enemy activity (shooting down helicopters). TF Ranger did an extraordinary job of maintaining cohesiveness and tactical initiative. 2-14, 10th Mtn and the Malaysians and Pakis were brought in to assist that same evening and things were wrapped up by early the following morning.

Benghazi was a defense of fixed positions and an evacuation conducted by security personnel. More security personnel were on the ground in about 4hrs.

So again, what exactly are you looking for?


http://networkedblogs.com/DYoiv

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/26/cia-operators-were-denied-request-for-help-during-benghazi-attack-sources-say/

[tmleadr03]

This is going to get really ugly for the administration.

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/10/26/ac-130u-gunship-was-on-scene-in-benghazi-obama-admin-refused-to-let-it-fire/

[Mick-Boy]

A "blown call" explains a football game, not an Embassy being over run and the loss of four Americans.

Too many competent people knew what was going on as it happened.
Of course if it is due to gross incompetence then what other reason do the American people need to fire the entire rotten lot?
[Beer]

Unfortunately there has been a culture of extreme risk aversion built into our military leaders over the last decade. At the end of the day someone has to be willing to step up and give the "go". In this case we saw the buck get passed all the way up the chain.. then it just sat. There's a time and place for "letting a tactical situation develop". It's also (over)used as an excuse to sit on your hands and thereby protect your career from a bad call. This doesn't just happen with politicians boys.

[Mick-Boy]

http://networkedblogs.com/DYoiv

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/26/cia-operators-were-denied-request-for-help-during-benghazi-attack-sources-say/

I read them. What's your point?

[Bailey Guns]

This is going to get really ugly for the administration.

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/10/26/ac-130u-gunship-was-on-scene-in-benghazi-obama-admin-refused-to-let-it-fire/

I hope you're right but color me skeptical. The administration is pretty effectively shielded by big media. I don't see this getting a lot of traction by ABC, CBS, NBC or CNN. It's either buried or not on the front page of the websites at all.

It is front page news on Fox.

[Aloha_Shooter]

I also don't believe it was orchestrated. This administration is far too incomptetent for anything like that even if their egos won't let them admit it. I find it far more likely that Obama didn't care, Axelrod was more concerned about his poll numbers and Jarrett only cared about the fundraiser.

It was refreshing to hear the complete outrage in Kirsten Powers' voice today but I've respected her as an honest liberal for some time now.

[BPTactical]

I don't believe the actual event was orchestrated, but the lack of response across the board cannot be due to "incompetence"......
How could anybody possibly believe that many organizations, organizations that are here to ensure the safety and security of American citizens are that incompetent?
Maybe I put 2 and 2 together and get 5 sometimes but this entire mess has a stench to it.

[bogie]

Any chance the administration was worried about the 20,000 unaccounted-for shoulder-fired SAMs when pondering an airstrike? This opens up the possibility for another moga-douche-u very close to the election.

I'm not saying anything other than this may have been going through their thick skulls.

[Troublco]

I'm not sure what to make of this whole thing, but this was another interesting twist to the story...

http://patdollard.com/2012/10/breaking-obama-caught-arming-al-qaeda/

[Fmedges]

How credible is this?

[Zundfolge]

More and more I'm convinced that the administration DID organize Benghazi. Yes, I just accused the POTUS of treason.

The simple fact is that there are too many redundancies in place for everyone to have dropped the ball and nobody doing anything to save our ambassador. The ONLY way this happens is if there were orders from on high to "STAND DOWN". Period.

So there's two possible reasons for this (or a combination of the two):



The administration has been arming the Muslim Brotherhood and destabilizing the middle east and doing "the lords work" to bring about the Islamic Caliphate. Chris Stevens was in on the whole thing and either was considered a loose end or was going to be a whistle blower so the administration ordered the Muslim Brotherhood to kill him.
The administration planned a caper where the Muslim Brotherhood KIDNAPPED ambassador Stevens and then Barry would get to play hero again by ordering SEALs in to rescue the ambassador and this would help Obama get re-elected.

Either way, I blame Obama personally for this fiasco.

[BPTactical]

I will take option 2 for $100.00...

[bogie]

No need for tinfoil. History says that presidents do this sort of thing.

Dogs are smarter than their tails...
if the tails were smarter, the tail would wag the dog

[tmckay2]

A little too paranoid for my tastes, unless you believe 9/11 was a set up by bush too. Sometimes people are just stupid and make bad decisions. Pretty simple really.

[Troublco]

Some people believe everything, others nothing...

The truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.

[Sharpienads]

Broken Arrow was a term used in Vietnam.

Broken Arrow - Radio code for a unit about to be overrun; diverts all Tactical air to support that unit.

Basically all available air assets divert from their current mission to provide CAS. Unless you had someone on the ground that could act as a FAC, air would be totally useless. They would not just show up and start drop ordnance if they did not know the position of friendlies. Keep in mind that Air doesn't work like it does in the movies. If the enemy is 600 meters or closer it is extremely rare that air will be cleared in.


3AjNdb1qIv8&

Awesome video. There is nothing quite like feeling the concussion from a bomb. Nice impact angle on that JDAM, too. Must have been from an Air Force pilot... Marines get all confused and discombobulated when you start talking about impact angle degree to mitigate deviation of elevation when using JDAMs [Tooth]. You can drop within 600 meters no problem, it gets approved all the time. Danger close distances are weapon specific. Within danger close might take a little more effort to get approved, but it still happens and is still the same approval authority. From the video, the bomb looked like a GBU-38, 500lb JDAM. Danger close is 185 meters. So 600 meters is way outside of that. 70 meters, however, sounds boner-inducing.

As far as "broken arrow", it is not a brevity term anymore. At least not in a CAS sense.

[Mick-Boy]

More and more I'm convinced that the administration DID organize Benghazi. Yes, I just accused the POTUS of treason.




"You have attributed conditions to villainy that simply result from stupidity" - Robert Heinlein "Logic of Empire"

Please see my earlier post about risk aversion and today's military. People "pass the buck" all the time so they won't be responsible if the situation goes bad.

But hey, believe what you want.

[BushMasterBoy]

I blame the ambassador. If I don't have enough security, I don't move. The ambassador calls the shots for his own safety. I'd tell Hillary to wake up on this one! I scared the hell out her one night in Arkansas...

[Sharpienads]

I blame the ambassador. If I don't have enough security, I don't move. The ambassador calls the shots for his own safety. I'd tell Hillary to wake up on this one! I scared the hell out her one night in Arkansas...

You scared Hellary? Sounds like a good story... Go on...

[Aloha_Shooter]

I don't believe the actual event was orchestrated, but the lack of response across the board cannot be due to "incompetence"......
How could anybody possibly believe that many organizations, organizations that are here to ensure the safety and security of American citizens are that incompetent?
Maybe I put 2 and 2 together and get 5 sometimes but this entire mess has a stench to it.

Ever wonder why there were so many leaks on what actually transpired that night? If what Fox News is reporting is even half-true, I'd guess 90% of the people standing watch in the organizations you're thinking of wanted to put the word out.

People will frequently listen to orders to stand down when lead's flying because you know the battlefield situation is confused and you want to believe the orders are so the designated team doesn't have more friendlies to confuse the situation. Even the two dead SEALS stood down after being told to do so twice -- the third time they evidently realized there wasn't any designated team so they chose to ignore the third "stand down" and went in heroically to save what lives they could.

I'm just glad I wasn't in the situation room or standing watch in NMCC or anything like that. I don't know whether I'd be more pissed or depressed if I'd had to stand by listening to seven hours of fighting while not being allowed to do anything about it.

[Fmedges]

Awesome video. There is nothing quite like feeling the concussion from a bomb. Nice impact angle on that JDAM, too. Must have been from an Air Force pilot... Marines get all confused and discombobulated when you start talking about impact angle degree to mitigate deviation of elevation when using JDAMs [Tooth]. You can drop within 600 meters no problem, it gets approved all the time. Danger close distances are weapon specific. Within danger close might take a little more effort to get approved, but it still happens and is still the same approval authority. From the video, the bomb looked like a GBU-38, 500lb JDAM. Danger close is 185 meters. So 600 meters is way outside of that. 70 meters, however, sounds boner-inducing.

As far as "broken arrow", it is not a brevity term anymore. At least not in a CAS sense.

I stand corrected, thanks for the info.

[Sharpienads]

I stand corrected, thanks for the info.

No worries. It's what I do for a living. I think arty is 600m for danger close.

[Rucker61]

No worries. It's what I do for a living. I think arty is 600m for danger close.

I seem to remember different danger close ranges for the different sizes of arty and mortars, but not any details.

[Sharpienads]

I seem to remember different danger close ranges for the different sizes of arty and mortars, but not any details.

Anything inside of 600m is usually considered danger close for mortars and arty. However, different weapon systems have different 0.1% PI risk estimate distances. Usually risk estimate distances are used to define danger close distances. I'm not sure why they do it differently for mortars, arty, and NSFS.

[Mick-Boy]

I wasn't sure whether to post this in the original thread (https://www.ar-15.co/threads/63571-U-S-Ambassador-to-Libya-Christopher-Stevens-Killed-in-Consulate-Attack-in-Benghazi/page2?highlight=Benghazi) about the attack on the consulate in Benghazi or in this one. I went with this one because of all the discussions about conspiracy.

The House Armed Services Committee has released some of their findings. Those of you who were screaming that this was a preplanned betrayal of Americans might want to give the report (or at least the Soldier Systems summary) a read.


http://soldiersystems.net/2014/02/14/hasc-releases-report-benghazi/

HASC Releases Interim Report on Benghazi

I’ve essentially remained quiet on the events that transpired on Banghazi, Libya on September 11th, 2012. This is based on two issues. First, very soon after the event, I was privy to information that has just recently come to light. Second, I didn’t have all of the information regarding this tragedy and I still don’t. On one hand, I didn’t want to disclose who may or may not have been on the battlespace that night and on the other, there’s nothing that will make you look more like a fool than making declarative statements about situations you don’t have the facts on. However, I now have the House Armed Services Committee report entitled, “Majority Interim Report: Benghazi Investigation Update.” I’d say that’s a good point to start talking, armed with, you know, “facts”. Having said that, two caveats with this report. From the summary, “This report should be considered one component of continuing comprehensive Benghazi-related oversight underway in the U.S. House of Representatives. In keeping with the committee’s jurisdiction, however, this document addresses only the activities and actions of personnel in DOD.” By no means is the info the final word, but it does begin to allow us to peer deeper into what happened from DoD’s perspective.

It was a sad day for America and we lost some great folks. Many want to lay blame, but blame isn’t going to bring those men back. Generally, it isn’t one thing that goes wrong, but a whole chain of events with several issues coalescing into disaster. As far as I can tell, I’m the only guy who wants to take a serious look at what happened, for the sake of making sure it doesn’t happen again. It seems that everyone else talking about this has some agenda.

Since that day, the event has been politicized and I have watched countless armchair generals talk about things they don’t understand; Internet experts fueled by propaganda and spin doctors. I hate to lay it on most of you, but your sister-in-law’s nephew’s best friend who is a Spec-4 truck driver stationed at Fort Polk is not an authoritative source on US force projection. I could spend hours and hours talking about the subject but sufficed to say, when attempting to project force to the location of Benghazi, Libya, the United States is a victim of the tyranny of distance. You’ll see this issue come up over and over in this report. What’s more, while it does happen on a case-by-case basis, QRFs do not sit on strip alert just waiting for a crisis, despite what you might see in the movies. Even if they had, they would have been quite some distance from Benghazi (see ‘tyranny of distance’), as you will see in the report. You’ll read about three different groups dispatched to the region in the wake of the attacks and some of the challenges they faced to get there. Additionally, we don’t commit forces to ‘suicide’ missions and rarely, if ever attempt forced entry without a clear operational picture of the situation. As you will find in the report, this was not the case. DoD did not enjoy a clear operational picture. This hindered the military’s ability to respond.

Despite this, they did take action. Several, in fact.

The first step DOD took upon learning of the attack involved a U.S. drone that was overflying Darnah, a city in northeastern Libya. AFRICOM’s operations officer immediately redirected the unarmed Predator to Benghazi, which was about an hour’s flight time away. Separately, following the meeting in the White House, Secretary Panetta (in consultation with General Ham, General Dempsey, and others) verbally authorized three specific actions. First, two Marine FAST platoons in Rota, Spain were ordered to prepare to deploy; one bound for Benghazi and one destined for Tripoli. Second, a special operations unit assigned to the European Command, known as a Commander’s In-Extremis Force (CIF), which was training in Croatia was ordered to move to a U.S. Naval Air Station in Sigonella, Italy and await further instructions. Third, a special operations unit in the United States was also dispatched to the region. These orders were issued approximately two to four hours after the initial attack on the Special Mission Compound.

Of particular interest to me is that there is no indication of a cabal within DoD set to destroy America from within or a decision by senior leaders to ‘let Americans die’. Rather, we see the same problems we constantly face; the fog of war and interagency stovepipes. We may have gone a long way to mitigate those issues within the CENTCOM AOR but in the other theaters they remain.

The findings are the most significant issue at hand. While not exhaustive, and omitting certain operational factors such as the units of assignment for those personnel actually on the ground, it is clear about DoD issues at hand that day and during the immediate aftermath. It also indicates which issues are the responsibility of both State and the White House. In fact, it discusses State’s request to reduce the Tripoli-based DoD Security Support Team from 16 to 4. However, please remember that Tripoli is over 600 miles by land from Benghazi (see tyranny of distance). It remains unclear if a larger force would have changed the outcome of the attack.


Findings

I. In assessing military posture in anticipation of the September 11 anniversary, White House officials failed to comprehend or ignored the dramatically deteriorating security situation in Libya and the growing threat to U.S. interests in the region. Official public statements seem to have exaggerated the extent and rigor of the security assessment conducted at the time.

II. U.S. personnel in Benghazi were woefully vulnerable in September 2012 because
a.) the administration did not direct a change in military force posture,
b.) there was no intelligence of a specific “imminent” threat in Libya, and
c.) the Department of State, which has primary responsibility for diplomatic security, favored a reduction of Department of Defense security personnel in Libya before the attack.

III. Defense Department officials believed nearly from the outset of violence in Benghazi that it was a terrorist attack rather than a protest gone awry, and the President subsequently permitted the military to respond with minimal direction.

IV. The U.S. military’s response to the Benghazi attack was severely degraded because of the location and readiness posture of U.S. forces, and because of lack of clarity about how the terrorist action was unfolding. However, given the uncertainty about the prospective length and scope of the attack, military commanders did not take all possible steps to prepare for a more extended operation.

V. There was no “stand down” order issued to U.S. military personnel in Tripoli who sought to join the fight in Benghazi. However, because official reviews after the attack were not sufficiently comprehensive, there was confusion about the roles and responsibilities of these individuals.

VI. The Department of Defense is working to correct many weaknesses revealed by the Benghazi attack, but the global security situation is still deteriorating and military resources continue to decline.

I know, I know, this is Soldier Systems Daily and I rarely comment on operational issues but this has been something I have been following for some time. As the old adage goes, “Amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics.” It is my assertion that the events in Beghazi are just as much a function of logistics as they are bad, pre-crisis decision making. While Nathan Bedford Forrest (Lt Gen, CSA) was misquoted with “Git thar fustest with the most mostest,” the sentiment is apropos. That is certainly what transpired in this case. The bad guys got there first and were gone before we could project any serious combat power to the area.

Feel free to read the whole thing and then comment. All I ask is this, keep it on point. There are loads of websites out there where inappropriate and off topic comments are the norm. If you feel the need to express yourself that way, please go there.

http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=C4E16543-8F99-430C-BEBA-0045A6433426