2200 Marines off the Coast of Libya

[JCLibertarian]

Camp Lejeune Marines To Libya To Strike At Qadhafi Forces
By WCTI Staff

We've seen Camp Lejuene Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan and now they are joining the fight against Libya.
About 2,200 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit will take part in support operations based aboard USS Kearsarge at sea. Those support operations have thus far included air strikes and one rescue operation. The overall mission is to help end the violence directed at the Libyan people.
UPDATE: To date, the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit has conducted numerous successful airstrikes against Muammar al-Qadhafi regime forces as part of Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn supporting the international response to protect civilians in Libya under threat of attack by Qadhafi military forces. The 26th MEU has also conducted a successful Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel mission in support of two U.S. Air Force F-15 pilots after their airplane crashed east of Benghazi, Libya, Mar. 21.

All of these missions were launched from the USS Kearsarge more than 100 nautical miles from the coast. Other than the small TRAP force sent to locate the Air Force pilots, no U.S. Marines from the 26th MEU have landed ashore.

"The ability to launch these and other missions directly from naval vessels illustrates the unique and valuable capacity of the Navy/Marine Corps team called 'sea-basing'", said Captain Timothy Patrick, spokesman for II Marine Expeditionary Force. "Having these forces embarked aboard amphibious ships means that at any time we can execute a variety of tactical missions with little or no footprint on foreign territory."

Patrick said that Marines from the 26th MEU are coming on the end of their deployment. They will be replaced with Marines from the 22nd MEU.
A press release from the 26th MEU reads, in part:
"Protecting the innocent and conducting combined operations are what we are designed to do, our forces are doing both as part of the U.S commitment to protect Libyan citizens."

http://www.wcti12.com/news/27257042/detail.html?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Heritage%2BHotsheet

[MelissaWV]

Everyone at work with military family has said they're being told to stand by... including AF and USMC.

[QueenB4Liberty]

:(

[Aratus]

its been NATO leading up to this.
potus is in d.c and has his options.
my heart goes out to one and all.

[HOLLYWOOD]

Why? The British are saying Libya is DEFEATED... "Libyan officials have requested to EU/UN how to get out of this situation"

Libya's Air Force Has 'Been Defeated'
http://www.hmforces.co.uk/nfs/hmforces/attachment_images/0007/0139/220px-Mirage_F1_Qatar_crop380w.jpg?1300958336
Qatar is expected to start flying air patrols over Libya by this
weekend - the first member of the Arab League to take part.

March 24, 2011
THE Libyan air force has effectively been wiped out, triumphant RAF chiefs declared yesterday.
As dictator Colonel Gaddafi secretly scrambled to find an ally who would accept him in exile, it was revealed that his aerial force had been obliterated.

RAF Air Vice-Marshal Greg Bagwell said the Allied forces had “taken away (Gaddafi’s) eyes and ears” and “destroyed the majority of his air force”.
He added: “Effectively, their air force no longer exists as a fighting force and his integrated air defence system and command and control networks are severely degraded to the point that we can operate with near impunity across Libya.”
http://www.hmforces.co.uk/nfs/hmforces/game_question_photos/0000/0203/yorks-regt-cap-badge-small.jpg

Unscathed In just four days, the operation has progressed from long-range strikes against key military targets to one of enforcement of the no-fly zone.
The elimimation of the Libyan air force came through a combination of bombs dropped from aircraft and missiles from the sea. (http://www.hmforces.co.uk/news/articles/6417-libya-action-uk-launches-missiles-from-submarines)
And yesterday, the stranglehold on Gaddafi tightened as 1000 miles of Libyan coastline was blockaded by warships.
At the main Allied airbase in Italy, AVM Bagwell said of the Libyan leader: “I don’t know what he’s shooting at but he can’t hit us.”
He praised the “Herculean effort” of the RAF men and women taking part in the operation." (http://www.hmforces.co.uk/news/articles/6407-rafs-top-gun-girl-joins-the-libyan-attack)
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said Gaddafi may be looking for a way out of the crisis in his country and “exploring” his future options.

The US has received intelligence that the tyrant’s inner circle may have reached out to people in Europe and around the world to ask, “How do we get out of this?”

But Gaddafi’s snipers continued to terrorise civilians in the coastal city of Misrata yesterday. His tanks have been shelling the rebel-held town in the west, killing dozens of people.
Last night explosions could be heard from an area around Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli.
And witnesses said they could see flames coming from a military base at Tajura on the outskirts of the city.
The Allies will hold a conference in London on Tuesday to decide on their next moves and finally agree on a command structure for the conflict.

It will bring together countries involved in the UN-backed intervention and those in the region.
Foreign Secretary William Hague said: “We will consider the humanitarian needs of the Libyan people and identify ways to support the people of Libya in their aspirations for a better future.”
http://www.hmforces.co.uk/news/articles/5955-marines-deploy-to-med-for-libyan-crisis
UK version... more slanted propaganda for the masses to swallow.
Marines Deploy to Med for Libyan Crisis
http://www.hmforces.co.uk/nfs/hmforces/attachment_images/0006/6393/HL_110301_Kearsarge2_lg_crop380w.jpg?1299045192
Marines Deploy to Med for Libyan Crisis

About 400 Marines are deploying from the U.S. to the Mediterranean where they’ll be stationed aboard the U.S Navy warships while the U.S. continues to consider its response to the rebellion in Libya (http://www.hmforces.co.uk/news/articles/5933-us-moves-forces-near-libya).
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said at a Pentagon press conference that the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge and the amphibious transport dock ship Ponce “will provide us with the capability for both emergency evacuations and . . . humanitarian relief.”
Kearsarge deployed about 1,400 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to Afghanistan last month.
Gates told reporters today that the United Nations resolution on Libya does not authorize violence against the Gadhafi regime, saying, “There is no unanimity in NATO for the use of armed force.”
POLL: DAVID Cameron threatened Colonel Gaddafi with military action. What do YOU think about that? (http://www.hmforces.co.uk/topics/3715-david-cameron-threatened-colonel-gaddafi-with-military-action/posts)
He refused to discuss the alternatives the Pentagon might be presenting to President Obama.
“Our job is to give the President the broadest possible decisions base and options,” Gates said. “To go into the things that we’re thinking about, the options we’re providing, I think has the potential to narrow his decisions base, and I have no intention of doing that.”
Meanwhile, residents of the rebel-held city closest to Libya’s capital celebrated with a victory march Tuesday after repelling an overnight attack by Moammar Gadhafi’s forces. But troops loyal to the longtime leader clamped down on a strategic mountain town as they fought to reclaim areas near Tripoli, residents said.
The rebels have been fighting to consolidate their gains as the international community weighs new moves to isolate the longtime Libyan leader, including the possibility of creating a no-fly zone over Libya.
Since the revolt against Gadhafi’s 41-year-old rule began two weeks ago, his regime has launched the harshest crackdown among the wave of authoritarian rulers are facing an unprecedented wave of uprisings in the Arab world. Gadhafi has already lost control of the eastern half of the country. He still holds the capital Tripoli and other nearby cities.
An exact death toll has been difficult to obtain in the chaos, but a medical committee in the eastern city of Benghazi, where the uprising began on Feb. 15, said at least 228 people had been killed, including 30 unidentified bodies, and 1,932 injured.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has cited reports that perhaps 1,000 have died amid the popular uprising and the government’s violent crackdown on Gadhafi critics.
More than 140,000 people also have fled Libya to Egypt and Tunisia in a growing exodus from the chaos engulfing the country, refugee officials said.
More Articles:We’ll use Military Force To Free Libya, Vows Prime Minister (http://www.hmforces.co.uk/news/articles/5941-well-use-military-force-to-free-libya-vows-prime-minister)
U.N. refugee agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said Tuesday “the situation is reaching crisis point” at the Libya-Tunisia border where authorities say up to 75,000 people have fled Libya since Feb. 20. Egyptian authorities say 69,000 people have crossed over from Libya since Feb. 19.
International pressure to end the crackdown has escalated dramatically in the past few days.
France said it would fly aid to the opposition-controlled eastern half of the country. The European Union imposed an arms embargo and other sanctions, following the lead of the U.S. and the U.N. The EU and the U.S. have also talked about the possibility of creating a no-fly zone over Libya.
However, Russia’s top diplomat ruled out the idea as “superfluous” and said world powers must instead focus on fully using the sanctions the U.N. Security Council approved over the weekend. Others suggested the tactic — used successfully in northern Iraq and Bosnia — to prevent Gadhafi from bombing his own people. But Russia’s consent is required as a veto-wielding member of the Security Council.
.

[kpfareal]

Hmmm... I'm stationed at one of the biggest military bases in the world and haven't heard anything.

[Theocrat]

A coworker of mine has a friend who has returned home from doing a secret mission in Libya. His friend got injured from a ricochet bullet to his hand.

So much for Obama assuring us that there is no option for putting ground troops in Libya...

[JCLibertarian]

A coworker of mine has a friend who has returned home from doing a secret mission in Libya. His friend got injured from a ricochet bullet to his hand.

So much for Obama assuring us that there is no option for putting ground troops in Libya...
Is he Navy Seals or CIA? I kind of always assumed those guys were on the ground "unofficially" before any big invasion. I think that branch of the military is immune to Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution(isn't their an asterisk at the bottom of the original Constitution for that?). This shows that Ron Paul is right, rogue elements in our military have completed subverted the rule of law and helped hijack our foreign policy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeR3wU91cXE

[Zippyjuan]

They are just acting in supporting roles on the ships. From the article:

no U.S. Marines from the 26th MEU have landed ashore.



They will be replacing marines alread on board who are due to be sent out.

Patrick said that Marines from the 26th MEU are coming on the end of their deployment. They will be replaced with Marines from the 22nd MEU.


It is just a rotation of people.

[MelissaWV]

They are just acting in supporting roles on the ships. From the article:


They will be replacing marines alread on board who are due to be sent out.


It is just a rotation of people.

...and a shitload of folks on standby. I'm sure nothing will come of it! The US? Get into a "conflict" overseas? Nahhhh.

[tpreitzel]

Now, the PSIC's (Psycho-In-Chief) administration is trumping Libya's alleged association with Al Q. as if that allegation, true or not, somehow mitigates their totally ILLEGAL (UNCONSTITUTIONAL) attack on a sovereign nation. The US Constitution is either strictly followed or it's not. Unfortunately, we clearly see now where non-adherence to our highest legal document leads...Dear Lord, these bozos occupying the federal government need to hauled off in straight jackets.
Lastly, the only alleged "tension" among the articles in the US Constitution granting powers to the executive and congressional branches to wage war lies in the loony mind of Karl Rove. There is NO such "tension". The US Congress MUST formally declare war with CLEARLY and PRECISELY defined enemies and objectives upon which the executive then executes the will of the American people (not the UN) with absolutely no deviation without supplemental Declarations of War being passed by the US Congress.
Personally, the more specific the formal Declaration of War, the better. Even the declarations during WW2 were too broad. Force the executive and armed forces to keep the US Congress updated on important targets and objectives via formal Declarations of War. Such a requirement will NOT impede the POTUS' ability to execute the will of the US Congress. However, such a requirement will impede the POTUS' ability to engage in executing the will of extra-congressional organizations or going beyond the will of the American people. The loony proposition that US commanders should set specific targets and objectives instead of the US Congress is sheer madness. If the executive makes an appropriate case for war before the US Congress, the US Congress will almost certainly comply with the important targets and objectives requested by the executive. The ultimate decision MUST remain with the will of the American people, however, not the military-industrial complex.

Scenario: The executive determines on the basis of military intelligence that the American people need to go to war since we were attacked on 9/11. Well, the executive needs to make the case before the US Congress populated with representatives from the people and the state legislatures. The responsibility for presenting the case rests with the executive. Once the executive has irrefutably presented such evidence to the US Congress for it's approval, the US Congress will then specifically identify the targets and objectives that define the scope of the war to be precisely executed by the executive branch. Ok, we have the bogey man in this case, Osama, and the objective is his head on a platter. The executive branch's responsibility is to bring back Osama's head on a platter. If a nation stands in the way of reaching the objective, i.e. it's harboring Osama, then that nation should be duly warned and a supplemental Declaration of War broadened and approved by the US Congress BEFORE waging war against that harboring nation. No deviation from those targets and objectives will be tolerated without supplemental Declarations of War from the US Congress. In this manner, the ability of the executive to wage war remains constrained by the will of the American people which is precisely as it should be. If the military-industrial establishment wants war, but the people do not, then the people's (US Congress) will wins.

[tpreitzel]

Currently with the unconstitutional War Powers Resolution, the POTUS has the ability to wage unconditional war under foreign flags and then say, "oops, I unilaterally involved the American people in ANOTHER war, but we can't leave now since we'll be seen as weak". No, wars aren't prevented AFTER the fact, but BEFORE they occur. ;)