Iirc we have had embassy’s attacked in Africa and we sent marines from ships to rescue the employees.
Yes the locals are supposed to protect the outside but I don’t think that precludes us from doing more as needed.
Of course we should do whatever we can to protect our people. I never said otherwise. But the reality is that we rely primarily on the host country to provide the needed protection. And if we believe that they are incapable or unwilling to provide such protection, we should not be there period.
As some who has spent 8 years as a naval officer, including service on an LPH, I understand the capabilities our naval forces provide. But there are limitations, especially with just hours or less of response time required.
The physical security for Benghazi was below standard. The State Department had to sign a wavier, per a law by Congress, to permit our personnel to occupy the facility. Compounding matters the State Department failed to provide the security requested by the post. And finally, it was acknowledged in the State Department internal review on Benghazi that the host country was incapable of providing the needed assistance. Yet, our people were allowed to remain there despite these circumstances. To make matters even worse, there were previous attacks against the Mission and against the UK, the Red Crescent, and the Tunisian diplomatic facilities in Benghazi.