Why do we have readiness groups, if we would never use them? If there was ever going to be a need to use them, wouldn’t it look just like Benghazi?
Butter, that question needs to asked of the President and Sec Def Leon Panetta. Depending on the ARG’s location, the MEU could have had a company of Marines on the ground with in an hour or two.
I “floated” in 78 - 79. We also use to practice “NEOPS”... that is: “Non-combatant Evacuation Operations.” These ops are specifically used to help evacuate embassies when it looks like security is going down hill... like maybe in the previous August leading up to this 9-11.
Panetta should be fired!
So you want to toss the Marines , into Libya, with no intel, no plan, and no strategic or tactical objective within hours of the event? The REASON that embassies have a guard staff on site. AND DEPEND on the local government for security is because what you propose is impossible.