Posted on Jul 16, 2016
Marines in Djibouti ready for possible crisis response in South Sudan
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When the State Department dials 911, the Marine Corps' phone rings.
Marines from a Special-Purpose Air-Ground Task Force are pre-positioned in Djibouti, Africa, in case they are needed for a crisis response mission in South Sudan, Marine Corps Times has learned.
President Obama informed Congress that 47 troops arrived Tuesday at the U.S. Embassy in Juba, South Sudan, amid violence there that has killed hundreds of people in recent days. Marine Corps Times confirmed that the troops are Marine security guards from the Corps' embassy reinforcement team based in Quantico, Virginia.
"Additional U.S. Armed Forces, including approximately 130 military personnel currently pre-positioned in Djibouti, are prepared to provide support, as necessary, for the security of U.S. citizens and property, including our Embassy, in South Sudan," Obama wrote in a letter to Congress on Wednesday.
The troops come from one of the Marine Corps' land-based Special-Purpose Air-Ground Task Forces, which can quickly reinforce U.S. diplomatic outposts. The SPMAGTFs support U.S. Africa, Central and Southern commands. Each SPMAGTF can be tailored to respond to crises in the combatant command it supports.
The Marine Corps positions its SPMAGTFs to provide the most flexibility to commanders in case any crisis arises, a U.S. official said. In July 2014, a crisis response force from an SPMAGTF based at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, helped evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli to Tunisia after violent clashes broke out among rival militias in Libya.
U.S. Africa Command is not providing any information about the U.S. troops at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, other than the U.S. has a "joint force" there.
"AFRICOM continues to take prudent planning measures, preparing and positioning forces in such a way that they will be able to respond in a timely manner to any further requests for support from the Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Juba," command spokesman Chuck Prichard said in an email on Thursday. "Operational security precludes us from providing details of those preparations, to include the exact component designation of the troops mentioned in the President's letter."
Marines from a Special-Purpose Air-Ground Task Force are pre-positioned in Djibouti, Africa, in case they are needed for a crisis response mission in South Sudan, Marine Corps Times has learned.
President Obama informed Congress that 47 troops arrived Tuesday at the U.S. Embassy in Juba, South Sudan, amid violence there that has killed hundreds of people in recent days. Marine Corps Times confirmed that the troops are Marine security guards from the Corps' embassy reinforcement team based in Quantico, Virginia.
"Additional U.S. Armed Forces, including approximately 130 military personnel currently pre-positioned in Djibouti, are prepared to provide support, as necessary, for the security of U.S. citizens and property, including our Embassy, in South Sudan," Obama wrote in a letter to Congress on Wednesday.
The troops come from one of the Marine Corps' land-based Special-Purpose Air-Ground Task Forces, which can quickly reinforce U.S. diplomatic outposts. The SPMAGTFs support U.S. Africa, Central and Southern commands. Each SPMAGTF can be tailored to respond to crises in the combatant command it supports.
The Marine Corps positions its SPMAGTFs to provide the most flexibility to commanders in case any crisis arises, a U.S. official said. In July 2014, a crisis response force from an SPMAGTF based at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, helped evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli to Tunisia after violent clashes broke out among rival militias in Libya.
U.S. Africa Command is not providing any information about the U.S. troops at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, other than the U.S. has a "joint force" there.
"AFRICOM continues to take prudent planning measures, preparing and positioning forces in such a way that they will be able to respond in a timely manner to any further requests for support from the Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Juba," command spokesman Chuck Prichard said in an email on Thursday. "Operational security precludes us from providing details of those preparations, to include the exact component designation of the troops mentioned in the President's letter."
Marines in Djibouti ready for possible crisis response in South Sudan
Posted from armytimes.com
Marines
Sudan
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 5
Interesting that the President informed congress that the forty-seven Marines where sent to beef up the U.S. Embassy in South Sudan. And that these Marines come from one of the Marine Corps' land-based Special-Purpose Air-Ground Task Forces, which can quickly reinforce U. S. diplomatic outposts. But yet we are all led to believe these same marines where not available for the Benghazi compound. When intelligence reports showed hostile activities and request where made for additional security. It's the sole purpose of this particular Marine unit to protect U. S. diplomatic outposts. I just hope U. S. Africa Command continues to take prudent measures to respond in a timely manor to prevent another catastrophe like Benghazi.
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MSgt (Join to see)
Just learned The Marine Security Augmentation Unit was created after the September 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans.
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CPO (Join to see)
MSgt (Join to see) - Yes you are correct this unit is as it is part of MAGTAF and we have a support unit that is set up to support them. The Marines have a FAST team trained detachment that was on deck in Spain and they are QRF for all sate department mission. This task force is defensive Force Protection type asset that brings reinforced weapons capability and life support systems in Civial Engineering assets or Detachment for self sustainment off the grid if things go bad until reaction force like FAST element can arrive. The FAST element is the DOS reaction force.
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Embassy protection is a traditional USMC mission SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL so it makes perfect sense that the Special-Purpose Air-Ground Task Force are pre-positioned in Djibouti, Africa would be called upon to assist and extract key personnel and distraught American citizens if necessary if the on-the-ground situation in south Sudan gets worse.
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I agree it's interesting, I just note that there just never seems to be an end to such things you'd figure the world would just get unutterably weary of such constant, petty, endless, internecine squabbling, yu know?
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