U.S. warships headed to Libya after deadly consulate attack: officials

[trailmonkee]

Source: AP

U.S. officials say the Pentagon is moving two warships to the Libyan coast, in the aftermath of the attack in Benghazi that killed the U.S. ambassador and three others.

Officials say one destroyer, the USS Laboon, moved to a position off the coast Wednesday, and the USS McFaul is en route and should be stationed off the coast within days. The officials say the ships, which carry Tomahawk missiles, do not have a specific mission. But they give commanders flexibility to respond to any mission ordered by the president.

The destroyers have crews totaling about 300. There have been four destroyers in the Mediterranean for some time. These moves will increase that to five


Read more: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/09/12/u-s-moving-warships-to-libyan-coast-after-deadly-consulate-attack-officials/

[Cleita]

1. This doesn't look good.

[bigdarryl]

6. Yeh it doesn't look good for the people who attacked

Once there found out there FUCKED

[Cleita]

10. You know if they go after Al Queda and that's whom they are after,

there will be collateral damage or civilians killed. I know we have to do it but I don't have to like it.

[Cooley Hurd]

2. SOP...

[orpupilofnature57]

4. Good eye Dude, as always.

[Cooley Hurd]

13. Hey man!!

Tell Ali and everyone I said Hi!

[Auntie Bush]

7. What does SOP mean? Shut Up Please?

LOL

[glacierbay]

12. Standard Operating Procedure

this is to be expected.

[Sherman A1]

8. Precisely

This is thus far a rather low key response. A firm response to be sure, but still low key.

[christx30]

25. Which is what I think

we should start moving toward more as the situations warrant. Not everything has to be Shock and Awe. A massive military response would kill 10's of thousands of people that had nothing to do with this attack, angering the muslim world and creating more terrorists. We might have to do something firm, but low key is the best way to do it now. We don't need to spend trillions more in this country's blood and treasure.

[bluestateguy]

3. Obama is not a tough talker

But make no mistake about it, you mess with the United States and he will smoke your ass into next week.

[Thrill]

5. Yeah he doesn't talk

His actions show. Someone is going to pay the price.

If this report is true, it likely was a planned attack by someone over there.

[joshcryer]

20. Yep. And given his exuberance to go after "belligerents"...

...those responsible better hope they have a bunker under 100 feet of soil.

Because if the intelligence agencies can pin down who did it Obama will be all too willing to send the message.

[TheDebbieDee]

9. How likely is it that there are aircraft carriers nearby, standing ready?

[WestWisconsinDem]

11. 100% likely.

Flight crews ready, planes fueled and bombed up. Whoever did this is fucked.

[sweetapogee]

21. Has your special intel contacts briefed you on the US provisions for

unilateral air strikes in Libya? Tomahawks crashing into apartment buildings and schools? Take out a mosque or two? And is the friendly government of Libya on board providing us with names, locations and access?

[WestWisconsinDem]

23. as if I indicated any of those things.

I'm just saying that there is a 100% certainty that there are strike-ready aircraft within range, and that recent precedent would say that the folks who did this are indeed fucked if they're found.

[awoke_in_2003]

14. I believe we always have one...

in the Med

[RexDart]

15. Very likely

If I'm reading the globalsecurity.org page correctly, it looks like the Eisenhower and Stennis are in the Arabian Sea area and would be closest to whats going on. I'm not going to sit right now and call for blood. When the administration figures out who's at fault I'm sure the right people will get the pointy end. The adults are in charge now.

"When word of a crisis breaks out in Washington, it's no accident that
the first question that comes to everyone's lips is:
'Where's the nearest carrier?'"

President Bill Clinton
March 12, 1993

[hack89]

22. Actually it is pretty unlikely at the moment

we no longer keep a carrier on station in the Med - we haven't since the fall of the Soviet Union. They now spend their deployments in the Persian Gulf and the Western Pacific.

If the President wants a carrier off Libya the Navy will either sortie one from Norfolk Va or pull one from the Persian Gulf.

[lonestarnot]

16. And rapid response teams Marines? Where are they?

EEek. I can feel it brewing.

[defacto7]

17. A show of force and determination is good.

I understand they we are sending in drones for recon. I kind of doubt there is a big reprisal in the wind. But if there's more to this than we know, like information of something eminent, then we are prepared aren't we.

[defacto7]

18. I just realized something...

those ships are mighty close to Iran and Israel, aren't they?

'just my thoughts going... no theory here.

[trouble.smith]

19. to do what exactly?

[mitchtv]

24. I think they want as many captured as possible

They have made several arrests and are onto more.