The Army Times reports that 45 soldiers from the 2d brigade of the 1st Infantry Division have deployed to the Sudan to protect State Department employees as they evacuate the country;
Given the worsening fighting in South Sudan—which broke off from Sudan after years of bloody fighting in 2011 — the State Department declared that all non-essential staffers would be flown out of the country on U.S. C-130 aircraft. The U.S. soldiers deployed there are overseeing their orderly evacuation, while protecting staff still at the embassy in Juba.
In the letter to the Speaker of the House and the President Pro tempore of the Senate on Dec. 19, President Obama said that the soldiers are “equipped for combat,” but that “this force was deployed for the purpose of protecting U.S. citizens and property. This force will remain in South Sudan until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed.”
In keeping with the War Powers resolution, the president wrote that “this action has been directed consistent with my responsibility to protect U.S. citizens both at home and abroad, and in furtherance of U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive.”
Fox News Channel is reporting that a US aircraft has been fired upon in the Sudan and that there are 3 wounded servicemembers, one is in critical condition.
Using troops to protect American diplomatic personnel? What an original idea.
My thoughts are with the wounded and their families. What a horrible way to start this Holiday season.
A whole platoon+ size element for a NEO (Non-combatant Evacuation Operations) mission? We trained on those operations as an entire battalion. WTF.
Where are the Marines? I know their mission with embassy security and with them already in place…?
Just out of curiosity, how many times has the army been the primary ground force for NEOs. I can remember Liberia (from the stories I heard that one was pretty hairy). Also Lebanon in the 50s comes to mind as well. I known there have been others.
I know marines think NEOs are their gig. But the army has done a few. Other examples?
Where’s George Clooney???
@4 Grenada comes to mind.
Benghazi- el Prez doesn’t lift a finger.
Yemen- el Prez Hellfires a wedding straight to Allah’s front porch.
But Sudan? THIS is the one we’re gonna put boots on the ground for.
Embassy in Sudan- isn’t this what the Swiss are good for? Delivering diplomatic communiques to festering holes so we don’t have to?
Families shouldn’t have to get these notices, period- regardless of the season.
Oh, wait- I see what it is. Kenya has sent troops to help stabilize things in Sudan after an attempted coup there, and Obama wanted to show support for the “home team”.
Not ours, mind you- his.
@6 I thought about Urgent Fury and Power Pack (Dominican Republic in 1966-67) and although NEO was part of the operations it seems to me they were larger stability operations than “mere” NEO.
Of course we can go way back and discuss whether the Boxer Rebellion was an NEO.
So, with a large regionally based Marine force specific for this kind of thing, the President is instead sending a platoon of soldiers? Um, is he trying to get some fodder to claim international incident?
Given their track record, I’ll say I think that B. Hussein 0bama & company WILL fuck things up like Murphy’s Law at the speed of light!!
@10 what “large regionally based Marine force” are you referring to? I think the closest combat forces to South Sudan are the horn of Africa folks in Djibouti, which is primarily an army show.
I seem to recall that one of the reason the army did Liberia was Africa was a EUCOM show at the time and EUCOM had more army than marine assets.
BTW any one heard where theses Big Red One dudes were based. I seem to recall that the 1st ID pulled their brigades out of Germany a few years back.
1st ID is HQ’ed at Fort Riley, KS. As for where the troops on that op sprung off from, I have no idea, either. Meanwhile, B. Hussein Teleprompter is off on yet another vacation to take his mind off of us peasants.
FYI
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20131020/SHOWSCOUT04/310200014/AFRICOM-Regionally-Aligned-Forces-Find-Their-Anti-terror-Mission
This is an article about Regionally Aligned Forces. It says that 2BCT, 1ID is aligned with AFRICOM. The platoon for South Sudan probably came from Djibouti. The article briefly touches on the question, “Why not Marines?”
Scuttlebutt is that all available 03xx infantry marines were alerted for barak obama umbrella duty instead.
Big Red One?
Great unit. But where is light Infantry?
Here’s an update on Sudan: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/22/22009542-obama-may-take-further-action-to-protect-americans-in-south-sudan?lite
Okay, if bodaprez is cutting funding to the military, is he going to pay for this out of his vacation allowance? If not, how’s he going to pay for it?
Questions like this need answers.
Stay safe Big Red One brothers.