Posted on 05/20/2013 11:20:52 AM PDT by huldah1776
The United States is sending a force of 200 Marines supported by two aircraft to Italy as a precaution against unrest in Libya. The force would deploy in case of an attack similar to the one on the US consulate in Benghazi last year.
On Wednesday Italy’s Foreign Minister Emma Bonino said that the Marines were being transferred to Sigonella air base in Sicily. "It is taking place in accordance with bilateral agreements," Bonino told a joint session of the House and Senate foreign commissions.
"This is a reinforcement for the security of US personnel in Libya or for possible evacuations," she said. Rather than earlier reports of 500 troops being moved, she said that 75 marines would arrive and would be followed by 125 more.
On September 11, 2012, the US Consulate in Benghazi was attacked and Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other consular officials were killed. Violence continues to plague Libya – 15 people were killed in a car bomb explosion outside a Benghazi hospital on Monday while a car bomb exploded outside the French embassy in Tripoli last month. Two French guards and several civilians were wounded in that attack.
It is not clear if the Marines will come from the Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force, Crisis Response (SP-MAGTF CR), which was set up to provide limited defence crisis response in support of US embassies in the Arica Command (Africom) area of responsibility. SP-MAGTF CR will also support non-combatant evacuation operations, humanitarian disaster relief operations, search and rescue and provide recovery capabilities.
According to the US military, some of the unit’s core assets are six MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and two KC-130J air refuelling tankers. These recently deployed from Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina to Moron air base in Spain, on April 27. The Ospreys can carry 20-24 personnel with combat equipment over 325 nautical miles at three times the speed of a helicopter.
SP-MAGTF CR comprises a rotational contingent of approximately 500 Marines, sailors and support elements sourced from a variety of Marine Corps units. It will report to the head of Africom, Army General David Rodriguez.
Operation Better Late Than Never.
Somebody must be working on another YouTube video...
Wag the dog time.
I don’t see why.
It’s not as if this administration is going to allow them to fly there.
Wag that dog.
But, you can’t get to Libya from Italy! They’d never make it on time even if you could! What difference does it make?!
The volunteer fire department always shows up when your house is on fire and they have never lost a foundation./S
bttt
Which side will they be ordered to support?
Secret information only a republican could understand..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_614tOsvrrg
Note: republicans “themselves” REJECTED all conservative candidates in the 2012 election...
Did I say ALL OF THEM!... Yes... all of them.. on purpose..
Gosh, who knows, the embassy could be attacked or something.
Worthy of a thread a week, with RINO phone numbers.
I knew y’all get me laughing with this one. Being a Marine mom I need all the sarcasm I can get.
Heh. It takes Obama as much time to make an important decision as it does for a woman to bear a child. Except this will probably end up as an abortion.
After 251 days, Obama finally came back from the golf course!
This must be some sort of “practice “ letter——It’s BS from top to bottom. Ospreys don’t fly 600+ miles per hour for starters. Someplace in the neighborhood is a US Navy assault ship with 900 FMF Marines aboard. This is exactly what they cruise to do and they could be cruising in the Libyan surf line if this was really a concern. They were there during Beengazzi and never got the call either. It sounds more like a halfassed setup to be able to blame the marines next time there’s a FUBAR-——Semper Fi
Semper Fi, something is amok.
But whatever you do, don’t send the in harm’s way.
Where are getting your gouge?
MV-22B Ospreys make historic flight, ready to support crisis response force
By Capt. Lauren Schulz | Marine Corps Forces Africa | April 30, 2013
MORON DE LA FRONTERA, Spain --
Six MV-22B Ospreys and two KC-130J’s flew from Marine Corps Air Station, New River, N.C., to Moron De La Frontera, Spain, April 27, completing the longest and largest transatlantic flight of any Osprey squadron to date. Their mission; crisis response.
Major Anthony Krockel, the executive officer assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365, said it took a lot of planning and preparation and approximately 15 hours to cross the Atlantic. “It was pretty historic. We are here now to support the task force.”
The MV-22B Ospreys, along with two KC-130J aircraft from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 and other command-and-control assets and support staff make up the aviation command element (ACE) for Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force, Crisis Response (SP-MAGTF CR).
SP-MAGTF CR is a new, rotational contingent of approximately 500 Marines, sailors and support elements sourced from a variety of Marine Corps units to include II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. The SP-MAGTF CR provides U. S. Africa Command the capability to respond to crises in U.S. Africa Command’s area of responsibility. The unit is capable of responding across a broad range of military operations and will provide limited defense crisis response in support of U.S. Embassies in the region, to support non-combatant evacuation operations, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief operations, search and rescue, and other missions as directed.
The MV-22B Ospreys are a key component to this mission, capable of completing a 325-nautical mile flight with 20-24 combat equipped personnel without an aerial refuel or auxiliary fuel tanks. This equates to about four times the range with the same personnel load of a Marine Corps, legacy medium lift helicopter. It can also carry twice as much; moving three times faster, than the legacy aircraft it replaced. The effectiveness and survivability of the Ospreys provide commanders with agility and operational reach, unlike other aviation platforms.
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