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Mar 7/13: General Carter Ham, Commander, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) regarding the programs and budget needed to meet current and future requirements within the AFRICOM area of responsibility (AoR). This was General Ham’s last testimony to the SASC in this position, Full Transcript. He stated that this administration lied to the American people. I think it’s going to go down in history as one of the really great cover-ups. And the press doesn’t care. It’s really disturbing to me. Senator GRAHAM. Do you recall Jason Chaffetz asking you what military assets you ordered deployed to Libya once you learned that the embassy’s Special Mission Compound in Benghazi was under attack? According to Chaffetz, you responded that you could have deployed assets; however, it was not requested. Do you recall saying that? General HAM. Not in those specific terms, Senator. I recall having a discussion about the forces that were available, the forces I requested of Secretary of Defense be placed on heightened alert, in some cases— Senator GRAHAM. Did you ever recommend to Panetta, General Dempsey, Obama or anyone in authority to move assets into Libya? General HAM. Yes, sir, and they approved that and the teams did move. Senator GRAHAM. So what was the closest team? General HAM. The team that was best postured to move was the Fleet Antiterrorism Support Team (FAST) in Rota, Spain. Senator GRAHAM. So when did they begin to move? General HAM. I don’t know—I don’t know precisely when they began to move. They arrived in Tripoli about 24 hours after the attack. Senator GRAHAM. Well, I guess my point—were fighter aircraft available in Aviano that could have gotten into Libya within 24 hours? General HAM. They could have been, sir. I did not so request— Senator GRAHAM. Did you ever suggest that we deploy any military asset quicker than 24 hours? General HAM. I did not. I considered, but did not request the deployment of fighter aircraft. Senator GRAHAM. Did anybody ever ask you, General Ham, what do we have to get to the aid of these folks quickly? Did anyone ever suggest that we use an F–15 or F–16 to buzz the compound once the Ambassador was found missing? General HAM. Not to my knowledge, sir. Senator GRAHAM. Were you ever told to stand down in any of your efforts to move people into Libya because we were concerned about violating Libyan air space? General HAM. No, sir. Senator GRAHAM. Were you ever tapped on the shoulder by anyone and said, you’re going ahead of yourself here? No one ever suggested to you to stop what you were doing? General HAM. No, sir. Senator GRAHAM. So how could it be that, given this threat string—and you didn’t—did you know when the attack was going to be over when it started? General HAM. Certainly not. Senator GRAHAM. What kind of reaction was there in the system when the Ambassador was found missing? General HAM. Shock, to be sure; and all-out effort to find him and hence the diversion of the unmanned system to get that overhead as quickly as possible. Senator GRAHAM. Well, an all-out effort. Did we have air assets within two to three hours of Libya? Was there any 130s available to go in? Were there any AC–130 gunships? General HAM. I know for a fact there were no AC–130s in the theater. I would have to check if there were any C–130s. Senator GRAHAM. Could you do this. Could you give this committee in writing a detailed analysis of the military assets available that could have gotten into the Benghazi area within 12 hours? General HAM. Yes, sir. Senator GRAHAM. And please tell us what you recommended and who you recommended to what to do with those assets. General HAM. I will, sir. Senator GRAHAM. Did you ever talk to Obama? General HAM. Not on this matter, no, sir. Senator GRAHAM. When the Secretary of Defense turned to you and said, there’s really nothing we can do within 24 hours to help these people, what was his reaction? General HAM. Sir, it wasn’t—it wasn’t that kind of a conversation. It was—the initial discussion was about the initial reports of an attack, trying to gather information, what’s happening, what forces are available to respond. That’s what precipitated the alert to the Fleet Antiterrorism Support Team, to the Commander’s In Extremis Force. Senator GRAHAM. Well, just finally, did it become apparent to everybody in the room there’s nobody can get there within 24 hours? General HAM. Pretty quickly. Not necessarily the 24 hours, because the Fleet Antiterrorism Support Team and the Commander’s In Extremis Force could have arrived earlier. But then, again knowing what we knew then, different than what we know now, the attack culminated and seemed— Senator GRAHAM. Did you stop their deployment? General HAM. We did not. We timed the deployment then in concert with the embassy to say, when do you want this, when do you need this team to arrive.

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Senator GRAHAM. Do you recall Jason Chaffetz asking you what military assets you ordered deployed to Libya once you learned that the embassy’s Special Mission Compound in Benghazi was under attack? According to Chaffetz, you responded that you could have deployed assets; however, it was not requested. Do you recall saying that?
General HAM. Not in those specific terms, Senator. I recall having a discussion about the forces that were available, the forces I requested of Secretary of Defense be placed on heightened alert, in some cases—
Senator GRAHAM. Did you ever recommend to Panetta, General Dempsey, Obama or anyone in authority to move assets into Libya?
General HAM. Yes, sir, and they approved that and the teams did move.
Senator GRAHAM. So what was the closest team?
General HAM. The team that was best postured to move was the Fleet Antiterrorism Support Team (FAST) in Rota, Spain.
Senator GRAHAM. So when did they begin to move?
General HAM. I don’t know—I don’t know precisely when they began to move. They arrived in Tripoli about 24 hours after the attack.
Senator GRAHAM. Well, I guess my point—were fighter aircraft available in Aviano that could have gotten into Libya within 24 hours?
General HAM. They could have been, sir. I did not so request—
Senator GRAHAM. Did you ever suggest that we deploy any military asset quicker than 24 hours?
General HAM. I did not. I considered, but did not request the deployment of fighter aircraft.
Senator GRAHAM. Did anybody ever ask you, General Ham, what do we have to get to the aid of these folks quickly? Did anyone ever suggest that we use an F–15 or F–16 to buzz the compound once the Ambassador was found missing?
General HAM. Not to my knowledge, sir.
Senator GRAHAM. Were you ever told to stand down in any of your efforts to move people into Libya because we were concerned about violating Libyan air space?
General HAM. No, sir.
Senator GRAHAM. Were you ever tapped on the shoulder by anyone and said, you’re going ahead of yourself here? No one ever suggested to you to stop what you were doing?
General HAM. No, sir.
Senator GRAHAM. So how could it be that, given this threat string—and you didn’t—did you know when the attack was going to be over when it started?
General HAM. Certainly not.
Senator GRAHAM. What kind of reaction was there in the system when the Ambassador was found missing?
General HAM. Shock, to be sure; and all-out effort to find him and hence the diversion of the unmanned system to get that overhead as quickly as possible.
Senator GRAHAM. Well, an all-out effort. Did we have air assets within two to three hours of Libya? Was there any 130s available to go in? Were there any AC–130 gunships?
General HAM. I know for a fact there were no AC–130s in the theater. I would have to check if there were any C–130s.
Senator GRAHAM. Could you do this. Could you give this committee in writing a detailed analysis of the military assets available that could have gotten into the Benghazi area within 12 hours?
General HAM. Yes, sir.
Senator GRAHAM. And please tell us what you recommended and who you recommended to what to do with those assets.
General HAM. I will, sir.
Senator GRAHAM. Did you ever talk to Obama??
General HAM. Not on this matter, no, sir.
Senator GRAHAM. When the Secretary of Defense turned to you and said, there’s really nothing we can do within 24 hours to help these people, what was his reaction?
General HAM. Sir, it wasn’t—it wasn’t that kind of a conversation. It was—the initial discussion was about the initial reports of an attack, trying to gather information, what’s happening, what forces are available to respond. That’s what precipitated the alert to the Fleet Antiterrorism Support Team, to the Commander’s In Extremis Force.
Senator GRAHAM. Well, just finally, did it become apparent to everybody in the room there’s nobody can get there within 24 hours?
General HAM. Pretty quickly. Not necessarily the 24 hours, because the Fleet Antiterrorism Support Team and the Commander’s In Extremis Force could have arrived earlier. But then, again knowing what we knew then, different than what we know now, the attack culminated and seemed—
Senator GRAHAM. Did you stop their deployment??
General HAM. We did not. We timed the deployment then in concert with the embassy to say, when do you want this, when do you need this team to arrive.