Maybe we couldn't have affected the outcome of that battle on September 11, 2012. We didn't send aircraft to intervene in the battle and elite ground troops didn't arrive in the area until too late--luckily not facing a hostage crisis. Only small non-military security assets were sent in. And they made a difference in keeping the battle from becoming a hostage crisis.
Why couldn't we have pulled together a reaction platoon of 50 troops to fly south quickly in case we could land them? Why couldn't a company have been scraped together as a quick reinforcement with more notified just in case?
Didn't we have enough troops in Europe to do this?
Well, yes we did:
The 2nd Cavalry Regiment and other units with U.S. Army Europe, known as USAREUR, participated in a Decisive Action Training Environment, or DATE, rotation with multinational partners, Oct. 13-31, between the Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels training areas in Germany.
Exercise Saber Junction had a maneuver-rights area that expanded approximately 2,200 square kilometers and hosted more than 3,600 2CR troops and 1,700 foreign military personnel from 18 countries, which makes it the biggest training event of this type for USAREUR since 1989.
The U.S. government contributed more than $10 million to ensure the successful training of USAREUR troops and their partner nations.
Along with 2nd Cavalry Regiment, USAREUR units that participated included Europe's 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, the 172nd Infantry Brigade, the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, the 16th Combat Sustainment Brigade, the 18th Military Police Brigade and the 19th Battlefield Coordination Detachment from Ramstein Air Base.
Huh. Light mechanized forces, helicopters, infantry, airborne, and military police were theoretically available to intervene.
If we wanted to run to the sound of the guns rather than accept the loss of those on the ground in Benghazi facing those guns and fighting on in the hope help would arrive in time.
If our government really believed we are at war rather than mopping up a defeated enemy back on their heels after their leader Osama bin Laden was killed.
On the bright side, we had a simply splendid training exercise.
Which will come in handy if we find ourselves at war.
