Posted on 11/02/2012 5:45:37 AM PDT by Travis McGee
The Benghazi debacle boils down to a single key factor — the granting or withholding of “cross-border authority.” This opinion is informed by my experience as a Navy SEAL officer who took a NavSpecWar Detachment to Beirut.
Once the alarm is sent – in this case, from the consulate in Benghazi — dozens of HQs are notified and are in the planning loop in real time, including AFRICOM and EURCOM, both located in Germany. Without waiting for specific orders from Washington, they begin planning and executing rescue operations, including moving personnel, ships, and aircraft forward toward the location of the crisis. However, there is one thing they can’t do without explicit orders from the president: cross an international border on a hostile mission.
That is the clear “red line” in this type of a crisis situation.
No administration wants to stumble into a war because a jet jockey in hot pursuit (or a mixed-up SEAL squad in a rubber boat) strays into hostile territory. Because of this, only the president can give the order for our military to cross a nation’s border without that nation’s permission. For the Osama bin Laden mission, President Obama granted CBA for our forces to enter Pakistani airspace.
On the other side of the CBA coin: in order to prevent a military rescue in Benghazi, all the POTUS has to do is not grant cross-border authority. If he does not, the entire rescue mission (already in progress) must stop in its tracks.
Ships can loiter on station, but airplanes fall out of the sky, so they must be redirected to an air base (Sigonella, in Sicily) to await the POTUS decision on granting CBA. If the decision to grant CBA never comes, the besieged diplomatic outpost in Benghazi can rely only on assets already “in country” in Libya — such as the Tripoli quick reaction force and the Predator drones. These assets can be put into action on the independent authority of the acting ambassador or CIA station chief in Tripoli. They are already “in country,” so CBA rules do not apply to them.
How might this process have played out in the White House?
If, at the 5:00 p.m. Oval Office meeting with Defense Secretary Panetta and Vice President Biden, President Obama said about Benghazi: “I think we should not go the military action route,” meaning that no CBA will be granted, then that is it. Case closed. Another possibility is that the president might have said: “We should do what we can to help them … but no military intervention from outside of Libya.” Those words then constitute “standing orders” all the way down the chain of command, via Panetta and General Dempsey to General Ham and the subordinate commanders who are already gearing up to rescue the besieged outpost.
When that meeting took place, it may have seemed as if the consulate attack was over, so President Obama might have thought the situation would stabilize on its own from that point forward. If he then goes upstairs to the family quarters, or otherwise makes himself “unavailable,” then his last standing orders will continue to stand until he changes them, even if he goes to sleep until the morning of September 12.
Nobody in the chain of command below President Obama can countermand his “standing orders” not to send outside military forces into Libyan air space. Nobody. Not Leon Panetta, not Hillary Clinton, not General Dempsey, and not General Ham in Stuttgart, Germany, who is in charge of the forces staging in Sigonella.
Perhaps the president left “no outside military intervention, no cross-border authority” standing orders, and then made himself scarce to those below him seeking further guidance, clarification, or modified orders. Or perhaps he was in the Situation Room watching the Predator videos in live time for all seven hours. We don’t yet know where the president was hour by hour.
But this is 100 percent sure: Panetta and Dempsey would have executed a rescue mission order if the president had given those orders.
And like the former SEALs in Benghazi, General Ham and all of the troops under him would have been straining forward in their harnesses, ready to go into battle to save American lives.
The execute orders would be given verbally to General Ham at AFRICOM in Stuttgart, but they would immediately be backed up in official message traffic for the official record. That is why cross-border authority is the King Arthur’s Sword for understanding Benghazi. The POTUS and only the POTUS can pull out that sword.
We can be 100% certain that cross-border authority was never given. How do I know this? Because if CBA was granted and the rescue mission execute orders were handed down, irrefutable records exist today in at least a dozen involved component commands, and probably many more. No general or admiral will risk being hung out to dry for undertaking a mission-gone-wrong that the POTUS later disavows ordering, and instead blames on “loose cannons” or “rogue officers” exceeding their authority. No general or admiral will order U.S. armed forces to cross an international border on a hostile mission unless and until he is certain that the National Command Authority, in the person of the POTUS and his chain of command, has clearly and explicitly given that order: verbally at the outset, but thereafter in written orders and official messages. If they exist, they could be produced today.
When it comes to granting cross-border authority, there are no presidential mumblings or musings to paraphrase or decipher. If you hear confusion over parsed statements given as an excuse for Benghazi, then you are hearing lies. I am sure that hundreds of active-duty military officers know all about the Benghazi execute orders (or the lack thereof), and I am impatiently waiting for one of them to come forward to risk his career and pension as a whistleblower.
Leon Panetta is falling on his sword for President Obama with his absurd-on-its-face, “the U.S. military doesn’t do risky things”-defense of his shameful no-rescue policy. Panetta is utterly destroying his reputation. General Dempsey joins Panetta on the same sword with his tacit agreement by silence. But why? How far does loyalty extend when it comes to covering up gross dereliction of duty by the president?
General Petraeus, however, has indirectly blown the whistle. He was probably “used” in some way early in the cover-up with the purported CIA intel link to the Mohammed video, and now he feels burned. So he conclusively said via his public affairs officer that the stand-down order did not come from the CIA. Well — what outranks the CIA? Only the national security team at the White House. That means President Obama, and nobody else. Petraeus is naming Obama without naming him. If that is not quite as courageous as blowing a whistle, it is far better than the disgraceful behavior of Panetta and Dempsey.
We do not know the facts for certain, but we do know that the rescue mission stand-down issue revolves around the granting or withholding of cross-border authority, which belongs only to President Obama. More than one hundred gung-ho Force Recon Marines were waiting on the tarmac in Sigonella, just two hours away for the launch order that never came.
BTTT
and 4) He claimed he gave orders for everything to be done that could be done while in reality keeping anything that’s always done from being done.
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This article has always troubled me. She says she had a date with the Ambassodor which from what we have been told is ODD. She has free access in and out of Iran. She has done propaganda films? Agent of Iran? Why are they friends? connect the dots.
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Mana Rabiee’s Publications
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I do have a few question though. Why did Ambassador Stevens allow himself to be caught in Benghanzi on 9/11? He, by his own words, knew it was Al Qaeda infested. It was his job not to make a splash, because that is undiplomatic, to create splashes. Yet, he and three fellow Americans are dead at Al Qaeda’s hands on 9/11. What was so damned important that he could not or was not allowed to say “NO”. I cannot think of anything, not a thing that was that important.
Three sentences moved me in your essay:
1. And like the former SEALs in Benghazi, General Ham and all of the troops under him would have been straining forward in their harnesses, ready to go into battle to save American lives.
2 and 3. President Obama owns cross-border authority, so he owns the failure to rescue the American heroes who were fighting for their lives in Benghazi for seven hours. More than a hundred gung-ho Force Recon Marines were waiting on the tarmac in Sigonella just two hours away for the launch order that never came.
It is infuriating, heart breaking and tragic that President Barack Hussein Obama broke faith with our Military, CIA and State Department. It is beyond tragic that MSM is complicit with President Barack Hussein Obama and his bad faith.
Really pathetic movie. Sprinkled with liberal buzz words and a lot of unnecessary foul language. A majority of the theater were laughing throughout as Afflek didn’t know whether he wanted to make a comedy or a historically based serious movie. Many facts were ignored or omitted in order to save time for Afflek’s failing marriage and numerous shots of his super cool beard. This was a perfect example of a cheesy film. I bet they said “Argo ‘F’ yourself” at least a dozen times. Don’t waste your time.
^^Once a “real” MSM reporter hears about CBA, there is an outside chance one of them might shout the question to Obama.^^
I am waiting for a reporter to ask when the 9/11/12 5pm conference was scheduled, and how long did it last. We only know that the meeting is on the White House website, but we don’t know if it was on the WH schedule before 9/11. How often does Obama schedule meetings with his DOD at 5pm? Didn’t they have time to talk at the Pentagon, in the Rose Garden, or probably at Walter Reed — all sites that were graced with the O’s appearance on that date.
Did an Aide whisper in Obama’s ear when the attack started, when the O’s were still at Walter Reed? is another good question.
The absolute LAST thing you want to face as an enemy is Force Recon Marines. Having been support staff for them, you don’t get in their way when they are on a mission.
Many years ago, I was a young Marine when I met up with Force Recon. USS Princeton was their jumping off point. We were involved in a giant 85-ship, 7-nation SEATO maneuver off the coast of Formosa (Taiwan). This was Princeton’s first deployment as an Amphibious Assault Ship(LPH-5).
Anyway, one team of Force Recon Marines had a mission to blow up a bridge and set up a radio station. All of a sudden, a young 1st Lt. runs into AirOps to tell the Air Boss that the four Marines were lost. Nobody thought much of it, until the ist Lt. said: “You don’t understand. They have a mission to blow up a bridge and to set up a radio station. And they don’t care where the bridge is.”
Considering that we were operating between Formosa and Red China, it took about two seconds for the Lt.’s statement to sink in. Sixty ships pulled out of maneuvers to find the lost Marines. They were found on an island three days later. They said their radio had been smashed on the rocks and explosives had been placed.
It mentions the 100 Force Recon Marines waiting for the launch order in Sigonella, then the last line is,
Sember Fidelis, President Obama?
He totally broke the faith. "You are on your own. Die quietly, in order not to create a flap for us chomping shrimp and lobster in the White House."
No way in hell! Clearly, Obama preferred that the 25-30 Americans in Benghazi would be better off dying quietly.
The six-man “rescue operation” from Tripoli was only sent because the CIA station chief in Tripoli could send that piticul little team on his own authority, without getting permission from Washington. (And he had to CHARTER a damn airplane to get them there!)
Meanwhile 100+ Force Recon Marines are standing by in Sigonella for the go-order, the same flying time from Benghazi as Tripoli!
By the time the little ad-hoc CIA “rescue team” from Tripoli arrived at the annex, I’ll say it again, they should have met the 100+ Force Recon Marines who had already secured both the annex and the consulate, with supreme U.S. air power above taking out any point targets the Marines couldn’t engage with direct fire.
Exactly correct. Spot on.
63 will take a bit of digestion, but thanks for the fresh lead. Never heard of her or it. Just at a glance without going to the links, could be another jihadist mata hari to join the chorus line with Huma Abedin etc.
Meanwhile 100+ Force Recon Marines are standing by in Sigonella for the go-order
Is this speculation, or do we know for a fact that it's true: i.e., we had guys on the tarmac, waiting for the orders to go? If that were the case, would there be formal written orders from the brass at Sigonella to mobilize and stand by for the go decision?
Here is the ending of my article as I sent it to PJ Media.
The editors I suppose decided to keep it on point by eliminating these paragraphs. In the graph after the Petraues mention, they tacked in a short conclustion that I didn’t write. I’m not complaining, it was a good jobo of editing. But here are my thoughts on why Stevens was in Benghazi on 9-11. I’m reposting the Petraeus graph for continuity.
/ / / / / / / / / /
General Petraeus, however, has indirectly blown the whistle. He was probably “used” in some way early in the cover-up with the purported CIA intel link to the Mohammed video, and now he feels burned. So he conclusively said via his public affairs officer that the stand-down order did not come from the CIA. Well — what outranks the CIA? Only the national security team at the White House. That means President Obama, and nobody else. Petraeus is naming Obama without naming him. If that is not quite as courageous as blowing a whistle, it is far better than the disgraceful behavior of Panetta and Dempsey.
But in any event, Ambassador Stevens going to unsecure Benghazi on 9-11 of all days stinks to me of a setup. The ribbon cutting at the new Benghazi school cover story is laughably lame. You can bet that given his own input in the matter, Stevens would have told the Turks, “No, 9-11 is not a good day for us,” and stayed in Tripoli behind many high and thick walls. For him to go to hyper-dangerous Benghazi on 9-11 means the Turks insisted on that day, but why would they care about the meeting date, unless they were in on an assassination plan as the Judas goat?
Alternatively, the order for Ambassador Stevens to meet the Turks in Benghazi on 9-11 might have come down our own U.S. chain of command. Stevens seems to have been wearing two hats as ambassador and CIA arms shipper. His job involved moving between the far more secure embassy complex in Tripoli, the Benghazi “consulate,” and the CIA “annex.” So his orders might have come down either State Department or the CIA channels. I am unclear on his job title and true position, but either the CIA or State sent him his final instructions, and copies of those orders still exist, to be discovered on computer hard drives by future historians.
Ambassador Stevens meeting the Turks at the unsecure Benghazi “consulate” on 9-11 screams out to me of a deliberate setup. The Turkish “diplomats” (or arms shipment middlemen) left the meeting after dark and perhaps flashed their headlights to the Al Qaeda attack team commanders lurking in shadows. A coded text, a word on a phone, meaning, “The Amriki ambassador is there, with minimal security—proceed with the attack plan.” But that is pure speculation on my part. (The smoking gun clue will be the official CIA or State Department message ordering him to Benghazi on 9-11, perhaps using the preposterous “school opening” as a cover story for his later meeting with the Turks.)
I leave that for future investigators and historians. What I know for certain is that the rescue mission stand-down issue revolves around granting or withholding cross-border authority. And that sword of authority belongs 100 percent to President Obama. No weasel words or smokescreens should be allowed to cloud that very basic truth.
President Obama owns cross-border authority, so he owns the failure to rescue the American heroes who were fighting for their lives in Benghazi for seven hours. More than a hundred gung-ho Force Recon Marines were waiting on the tarmac in Sigonella just two hours away for the launch order that never came.
Semper Fidelis, President Obama?
If as has been widely reported the USMC Force Recon company was taking a turn as the in-theater QRF, then there are orders out the wazoo sending them to Sigonella, assuming they started in Germany. I don’t know where or when they were located before Sig on 9-11. But there are orders from the theater commanders such as Ham getting them to the “launch point” you damn betcha.
But they couldn’t cross Libyan air space without an explicit, official execute order, including explicit CBA.
Now that, we shall find no record of, because it was never given. Instead, Obama went to bed to rest up for Las Vegas, (while Ambassador Stevens was missing and possibley about to get the Nick Berg close shave on video.)
There ain’t no such thing as a “worthy comment” cop around these parts.
The fact that even the president’s movements and locations on 9-11 are treated like state secrets is damning in and of itself.
It was reported today that he didn’t even convene the counter-terrrism task force, which was created for incidents like this. I don’t even know for sure that he spent any significant time down in the Situation Room, the “bridge of the Enterprise” in Star Trek terms. Instead, Capt Kirk appears to have been “unavailable” for much of the 7-8 hour Battle of Benghazi.
Gross dereliction of duty like that would get any USN commanding officer relieved of duty in a heartbeat.
I’ll bet the story behind that story is even wilder than you portrayed. No doubt.
1. SHTF.
2. The alarm goes out. Once it does, command centers in Germany that control our ops in Africa and Europe lock in in real time, and execute standing orders to get assets into position to pour water on the SHingTF.
3. That done, and I'm assuming that the time it takes to get that done is < the 7-8 hours the battle lasted, the assets are in place, waiting for someone to push the Go button.
4. The Go button is never pushed because given the geopolitics involved (crossing into a sovereign nation's territory with fighting in mind), the only one with authority to push it . . . doesn't.
Is that basically what we're talking about here?
Yes, but add in this factor. The QRF, let’s assume it was in Frankfort Germany, (just guessing), only went to Sigonella because CBA was not granted even more quickly. If CBA was given right away, say, by a Reagan or Bush, the QRF would have gone directly from Frankfurt to Benghazi, for either a paradrop or a C-130 landing on a nearby desert road, or in a C-17 preloaded with vehicles.
By the time the jet or prop transports arrive with the troops, USN and USAF jets are already controlling the air space, and are working with Ty Woods to kill everything hostile in sight of his laser.
In this “immediate action” scenario, (direct flight Germany to Benghazi) the Force Recon QRF arrives after the bad guys have already mostly been driven off by U.S. air power, our fighter jets and elint platforms having arrived over Benghazi one hour after the first alarm went out.
The Marines secure the annex and consulate areas, and have meals waiting by the time the ad-hoc CIA rescue team arrives from Tripoli in a chartered twin engine.
Sigonella is only in this story because early CBA was NOT given, so the Force Recon QRF and their planes needed a place to wait around. And they waited all night, and were never sent to Benghazi.
And as we know, this is ALL on Obama. He alone holds the CBA “royal scepter.”
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