One question: Who refused/failed to issue "cross-border" authority to attempt armed support and when AND WHY did they refuse/fail to issue it.
(I've personally viewed "the Joint Chiefs have been directed" orders DIRECT to lower commands below numbered Air Forces at the Wing level before, so don't tell me it isn't on record somewhere..)
The man's own embassy staff failed him. They had aid and assistance they could have sent and they didn't. AFRICOM and EUCOM failed them. The procedures are in place for requests for support from Ambassador's. Look at our history going back 200 years. His own failed him. The FSOs don't seem to make up the core of the State Department anymore and the politicians have taken over all the appointed ranks. Those in the field know that nobody above them feels any duty to come to their rescue. They've known that since Peru if not before. Any one of the Princes could have acted to reinforce the situation on the ground in Benghazi and taken the lumps for it later but we don't have people like that at the flag level anymore and really haven't since Pueblo and the Liberty. I remember conducting some operations off Perim Island a long time ago. It was a little scary to some. The CO told the frightened ones that he wouldn't hesitate to open fire if they were attacked and they went. They believed him. So did I.
2 comments:
One question: Who refused/failed to issue "cross-border" authority to attempt armed support and when AND WHY did they refuse/fail to issue it.
(I've personally viewed "the Joint Chiefs have been directed" orders DIRECT to lower commands below numbered Air Forces at the Wing level before, so don't tell me it isn't on record somewhere..)
The man's own embassy staff failed him. They had aid and assistance they could have sent and they didn't. AFRICOM and EUCOM failed them. The procedures are in place for requests for support from Ambassador's. Look at our history going back 200 years. His own failed him. The FSOs don't seem to make up the core of the State Department anymore and the politicians have taken over all the appointed ranks. Those in the field know that nobody above them feels any duty to come to their rescue. They've known that since Peru if not before.
Any one of the Princes could have acted to reinforce the situation on the ground in Benghazi and taken the lumps for it later but we don't have people like that at the flag level anymore and really haven't since Pueblo and the Liberty. I remember conducting some operations off Perim Island a long time ago. It was a little scary to some. The CO told the frightened ones that he wouldn't hesitate to open fire if they were attacked and they went. They believed him. So did I.
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