Ambassador Stevens twice said no to military offers of more security, U.S. officials say

[Tx4obama]

Ambassador Stevens twice said no to military offers of more security, U.S. officials say

CAIRO -- In the month before attackers stormed U.S. facilities in Benghazi and killed four Americans, U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens twice turned down offers of security assistance made by the senior U.S. military official in the region in response to concerns that Stevens had raised in a still secret memorandum, two government officials told McClatchy.

Why Stevens, who died of smoke inhalation in the first of two attacks that took place late Sept. 11 and early Sept. 12, 2012, would turn down the offers remains unclear. The deteriorating security situation in Benghazi had been the subject of a meeting that embassy officials held Aug. 15, where they concluded they could not defend the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi. The next day, the embassy drafted a cable outlining the dire circumstances and saying it would spell out what it needed in a separate cable.

“In light of the uncertain security environment, US Mission Benghazi will submit specific requests to US Embassy Tripoli for additional physical security upgrades and staffing needs by separate cover,” said the cable, which was first reported by Fox News.

Army Gen. Carter Ham, then the head of the U.S. Africa Command, did not wait for the separate cable, however. Instead, after reading the Aug. 16 cable, Ham phoned Stevens and asked if the embassy needed a special security team from the U.S. military. Stevens told Ham it did not, the officials said.

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Full article here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/14/3397425/amb-stevens-twice-said-no-to-military.html

[CBHagman]

1. Input from the commander of AFRICOM ought to put a different perspective on this.

However, in my experience the GOP reveres the military only when it says what the 'cans want to hear. See Admiral Mike Mullen, vice chair of the ARB.

[Beacool]

2. Interesting information, thanks for posting it.

There seems to have been the usual back and forth between agencies. Bureaucracies seem to be set up to fail. Reminds me of 9/11 when communication between the police and firemen was poor at best.