Article

2014-07-26 Government

US evacuates Embassy in Libya but State Dept. can't bring itself to call it evacuated!

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Posted by 3dc 2014-07-26 13:17|| || Front Page|| [11128 views ] Top

#1 There are different levels of transfer for safety reasons. They never call it evacuated, brings up images of viet nam. They only evacuate family member and non essentials under a multi phase NEO plan. So once all the non essentials moved they go to restricted operations, critical US functions remain, State, Legat/FBI, DOD, and some others. If it then gets to hot they will relocate critical functions to an embassy that can manage them. If they moved all the Marines that would tell me there are no functions still going on in that facility and unless they dismantled the facility I would think they have someone like Crucible or triple canopy still guarding the facility.

Posted by 49 Pan 2014-07-26 13:33|| 2014-07-26 13:33|| Front Page Top

#2 Another investment in the Arab Spring gone sour.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2014-07-26 13:44|| 2014-07-26 13:44|| Front Page Top

#3 "To underscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader failure of policy."

Posted by DepotGuy 2014-07-26 15:25|| 2014-07-26 15:25|| Front Page Top

#4 U.S. officials stress that this is a relocation of embassy personnel and the operations have been "temporarily suspended" until "the security situation on the ground improves." The embassy will continue to operate from other locations.

49Pan called it right.

About 150 personnel, including 80 U.S. Marines were evacuated from the embassy in the early hours of Saturday morning and were driven across the border into Tunisia, U.S. officials confirm to CNN... The decision to use vehicles to drive the Americans across the border was seen as the best low-profile approach to conducting the evacuation rather than sending U.S. military helicopters and troops into Tripoli.

I wonder if they were dressed as Bedouins and jammed together in buses?

It's also interesting the "U.S. officials confirm to CNN." I'd hazard that it was CNN's turn in the media pool. Then again, the usual sycophantic-outlet known as the New York Times hasn't made any friends in the Beltway with its recent articles questioning, albeit tepidly, the administration's foreign policy antics.

The Pentagon had a "robust package of military forces" in the vicinity but out of sight, ready to move in if the convoy of evacuees had come under attack...there were two F-16s on combat air patrol overhead, a drone tracking the convoy to the border and a Navy destroyer offshore... several dozen heavily armed Marines flying overhead on V-22 Osprey aircraft...that were prepared to land and rapidly evacuate the Americans during the transit to the Tunisian border if they came under attack.

Ah, now there's a "robust package." Somebody obviously had the time to go through the file drawers in the E-ring. And lots of somebodies also learned the lessons of a couple of Septembers ago.

The Pentagon had pressed for weeks to evacuate the embassy, especially after the Tripoli airport came under repeated militia attack, leaving Americans no way to get out via commercial air the official said.

"Weeks." Hence the level of preparation by the Pentagon. Brennan, ValJar and Susan mysteriously unavailable for consultation...

Posted by Pappy 2014-07-26 15:36|| 2014-07-26 15:36|| Front Page Top

#5 Evacuated, relocated...

Abandoned is a better word.

Posted by DarthVader 2014-07-26 16:06|| 2014-07-26 16:06|| Front Page Top

#6 No picking it up from the clean end. It's historically been referred to by DoD and State as a NEO (Non-combatant Evacuation Operation).

It is wat it is.

Posted by Besoeker 2014-07-26 17:16|| 2014-07-26 17:16|| Front Page Top

#7 I have had the fortune to run embassy convoys in other countries. Very stressful. A 150 person convoy is about 8 buses and a dozen vans, control vehicles and internal security vehicles. It must have been a rush for the convoy oic. They are run different than military convoys, same kill zone actions etc... but they roll a bit different. Having the drone over head and scouting the route is perfect, the Marines over the horizon is absolutely correct. This convoy went well because it was probably planed and organized correctly. Hat tip to whoever put this together.

Posted by 49 Pan 2014-07-26 17:29|| 2014-07-26 17:29|| Front Page Top

#8 Yes, it went well. I foresee this being repeated quite a few more times over the next few years.

Posted by Pappy 2014-07-26 18:55|| 2014-07-26 18:55|| Front Page Top

#9 Well, if you're going to 'lead from the rear', you might as well 'advance to the rear'.

Posted by Procopius2k 2014-07-26 19:45|| 2014-07-26 19:45|| Front Page Top

#10 Brave, brave, brave Sir Obean . . . .

Posted by gorb 2014-07-26 19:48|| 2014-07-26 19:48|| Front Page Top

#11 R2P

Posted by Frank G 2014-07-26 20:54|| 2014-07-26 20:54|| Front Page Top

#12 They are not evacuating the embassy. They are just becoming more selective in their hours.

Posted by SteveS 2014-07-26 21:23|| 2014-07-26 21:23|| Front Page Top

#13 I'm still on the Libyan Embassy email list from my time there last year. I got a STEP advisory and in the advisory it stated the Embassy was evacuated.

Posted by Bill Clinton 2014-07-26 21:29|| 2014-07-26 21:29|| Front Page Top

#14 So the head of counselor affair blew a warden message. Go figure...

Posted by 49 Pan 2014-07-26 23:25|| 2014-07-26 23:25|| Front Page Top

#15 They are not evacuating the embassy. They are just becoming more selective in their hours.

It was a Spinal Tap joke, Bill. Sorry to be unclear.

Posted by SteveS 2014-07-26 23:49|| 2014-07-26 23:49|| Front Page Top

23:49 SteveS
23:25 49 Pan
23:06 Besoeker
22:59 Rambler in Virginia
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21:39 Bill Clinton
21:33 Bill Clinton
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21:24 CrazyFool
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21:09 Glenmore
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