Assets that Panetta did NOT "choose" to deploy included 2 squadrons of F-16s at Aviano Air Base, 4 remotely piloted aircraft (drones) stationed in southern Europe, special operations aircraft stationed in Souda Bay, Crete, and the Foreign Emergency Support Team (FEST). (1/5)
On 9/11/12, the air squadrons in Aviano were not on any heightened alert status, despite the supposed call for a “heightened alert” from Obama. Instead, they were in training posture and in the middle of a 2-week inspection, meaning nothing was pre-loaded on any aircraft. (2/5)
Armed drones were heavily used in Obama and Hillary's war in Libya. Drone pilots testified that after the fall of Qadhafi, they received orders to disarm drones, making it time consuming to re-arm them to respond to the #Benghazi attack. (3/5)
Members of the GRS Team in #Benghazi were skilled in providing targeting instructions from the ground for a Hellfire missile attack from a drone. But it was to no avail since Panetta didn't "choose" this as an option in responding to the attack. (4/5)
The only details in the @HouseBenghazi report regarding the special ops aircraft in Souda Bay was that they could have been utilized to respond, and that "the Defense Department has not denied the presence of these assets." It is unclear why Panetta did not "choose" it. (5/5)
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
The FEST is “the U.S. government’s only interagency, on-call, short-notice team poised to respond to terrorist incidents worldwide." FEST capabilities include crisis management, hostage negotiating, and counter-terrorism support within 4 hours. (1/4)
FEST was deployed after multiple previous terrorist attacks including the 2000 USS Cole bombing in Yemen and the 1998 US Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. (2/4)
Mark I. Thompson, the person in charge of the FEST, contacted @StateDept Undersecretary of Mgmt. Patrick Kennedy about deploying the FEST within hours on the night of the attacks. Kennedy sent an email response declining the offer to help. (3/4)
On 5/3/17 US House Resolution 2315 was introduced, seeking to posthumously honor the four victims of the #Benghazi attacks with the Congressional Gold Medal. The medal is given to individuals that have made a mark in American history or culture. (1/6)
The "Dear Colleague" letter describing H.R. 2315 reads as follows: “In view of the recent sixth anniversary of the September 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S Consulate and classified annex in Benghazi, Libya, (2/6)
it is important that Congress recognize those brave individuals that sacrificed their lives to defend our great nation and its values. To this end, we have introduced bipartisan legislation, H.R. 2315, to posthumously award (3/6)
After his life-saving actions as part of the GRS team during the #Benghazi attacks, Kris "Tanto" Paronto has made several appearances to recount his story, was a co-author of the 13 Hours book and a consultant for the movie. kristantoparonto.net (1/5)
Kris Paronto owns and operates Battleline Tactical, providing firearms and tactics training for all kinds of clientelle across the country. Kris started Battleline Tactical with his long-time friend and fellow GRS teammate in #Benghazi Dave "Boon" Benton. (2/5)
Battleline Podcast is hosted by Kris Paronto alongside Ian Scotto. The podcast began in November 2019 and includes a variety of guests to discuss a broad range of topics. @BattlelinePodapple.co/2Q7sTfq (3/5)
After his life-saving actions as part of the GRS team during the #Benghazi attacks, @MarkGeistSWP has made several appearances to recount his story, was a co-author of the 13 Hours book and a consultant for the movie. (1/5)
Shadow Warriors Project is a foundation started by @MarkGeistSWP and dedicated to the support of private military security contractors conducting paramilitary security operations in some of the world's most dangerous areas. @ShadowWarriorsP (2/5)
Shadow Warriors Project has a unique focus on private contractors who often go overlooked despite their heroic work defending our country. As @MarkGeistSWP exemplified in #Benghazi, shadow warriors stay in the fight to protect their brothers, comrades, and countrymen. (3/5)
After years of trying to dupe the public into believing that "the fog of war" kept her from knowing the truth behind the #Benghazi attacks, @HillaryClinton wrote definitively in her 2014 book "Hard Choices" that it was terrorism as if this was the story she told all along. (1/7)
In an attempt to correct her post-Benghazi narrative which squarely blamed the anti-Islam YouTube video, @HillaryClinton now was emphasizing in her book that she used terms such as "heavily armed militias," "violent attackers," and "extremists." (2/7)
In "Hard Choices" @HillaryClinton wrote that on 9/12/12 she "laid out the facts as we knew them" to the press corps, reporting that "heavily armed militants" had assaulted the #Benghazi compound. But she makes no mention that for the 2nd day in a row she blamed the video. (3/7)
The first public showing of the movie "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" was held on 1/12/16 for over 32,000 attendees at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. @13hours (1/5)
The premier included live interviews by Entertainment Tonight’s @KevinFrazier with some of the people who survived the #Benghazi attacks and some of the actors who protrayed them in the movie. (2/5)
13 Hours was shown on the enormous screen hanging above the field. Before the screening there were musical performances from @thebandperry, Chris Cornell and @MadisonRising. (3/5)