NationStates Jolt Archive


Pray that everyone keeps a cool head and does their job!

Eutrusca
19-07-2006, 15:58
COMMENTARY: Without question it's necessary to evacuate those Americans still in Lebanon, and it's also necessary to involve the military in case evacuees are attacked. But placing American military personnel in the area at this moment is inherently dangerous and could easily cause rapid escalation. I only hope everyone involved keeps at least a few shreads of their rationality about them. Your thoughts on all this??


US Ramps Up Evacuation Plans (http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,106039,00.html?ESRC=eb.nl)


Associated Press | July 19, 2006
WASHINGTON - Worried about possible attacks on its ships, the U.S. Navy was publicly vague about details as it stepped up its efforts to evacuate Americans from Israeli-Hezbollah fighting.

Nearly a week into the violence, the evacuation has been criticized as slow and chaotic. Vice Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, the top U.S. Naval officer in the Mideast, said nine Navy ships were en route to the area and officials had arranged for a second commercial ship to dock in Beirut.

"You will see a dramatic ramp-up," promised Maura Harty, assistant secretary of state for consular affairs.

Asked at a Pentagon press conference about the possibility of Hezbollah attacks on the operation, Walsh said: "I'm concerned about attacks on ships - you bet."

He said that was one of the reasons the details he revealed were "the best I can give you conceptually, but they're not going to reveal a lot of specific detail."

The Orient Queen, a Lebanese cruise ship under contract with the U.S. military, pulled in Tuesday night, would take on as many as 1,000 passengers and leave at first light, said Walsh.

A second commercial vessel was on the way and would be able to take another 1,400 people.

In addition to the nine U.S. ships on their way, a number of coalition ships were en route and included vessels from the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy.

Some of the U.S. ships will take passengers to Cyprus while others will provide escorts and protection for the commercial vessels ferrying the Americans out of Lebanon, Walsh said.

"You will see amphibious ships with American citizens on board," he said.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said earlier that the U.S. was considering contracting with as many as four more commercial ships that could each carry between 200 and more than 1,000 passengers.

Speaking to Pentagon reporters from Bahrain, Walsh said there were no plans to put U.S. Marines ashore in Beirut for security.

"I don't think it would be helpful to speculate any further in terms of going ashore, or future operations that may involve or may not involve the use of amphibious Marines ashore," Walsh said.

Early estimates were that some 5,000 Americans wanted to be evacuated, but officials were preparing for more, Walsh said.

Asked about a delay in getting the Orient Queen into port past an Israeli sea blockade, Whitman said the commercial ship had a number of Lebanese passengers already aboard and "we needed to do some coordination" in order to allow those people to pass through and leave the ship in Beirut.

Of the U.S. ships en route, the first was expected to arrive Wednesday and the rest "in the course of the week," Walsh said.

They include the amphibious assault ships USS Iwo Jima, USS Nashville and the USS Whidbey Island. The ships carry a battalion of Marines with a helicopter squadron, the Navy said in a statement. The ships also have hospital facilities.

At a separate State Department briefing, Harty said 240 U.S. citizens can be carried out by air Wednesday in addition to those who will be put on ships.

And she said an operation will begin on Wednesday to bus American citizens in southern Lebanon to ports so they can board one of the ships.

The evacuated Americans will be taken to Cyprus, where they can choose to go on to their homes or fly to other countries.
Nadkor
19-07-2006, 16:19
The Brits are getting their ships in and out just fine.
Teh_pantless_hero
19-07-2006, 16:22
US - "Well, we didn't piss off enough of the Middle East and the world in Iraq and Afghanistan, so we figured we would help Israel mount an assault on Lebanon under the guise of rescuing trapped citizens."
United Time Lords
19-07-2006, 16:23
What's the big deal? Only the US could make a big deal out of this. SEND SOME SHIPS YOU FUCKING IDIOTS, don't make things worse than they are!
Dododecapod
19-07-2006, 16:25
US - "Well, we didn't piss off enough of the Middle East and the world in Iraq and Afghanistan, so we figured we would help Israel mount an assault on Lebanon under the guise of rescuing trapped citizens."

Troll.
United Time Lords
19-07-2006, 16:26
Troll.
You pick up that post and not my 'FUCKING IDIOTS' one? Amateur.
Dododecapod
19-07-2006, 16:31
You pick up that post and not my 'FUCKING IDIOTS' one? Amateur.

Your post was a reasonable statement of disgust at the failure of what should be a relatively simple decision making process. His had no valid basis.
Teh_pantless_hero
19-07-2006, 16:34
Troll.
Puppet.

His had no valid basis.
None besides they are sending amphibious assault vehicles with marine battalions and a helicopter squad.
Dododecapod
19-07-2006, 16:38
None besides they are sending amphibious assault vehicles with marine battalions and a helicopter squad.

Pray tell, what other kind of ships would you send for this kind of mission?

I know, I know, don't feed the Troll...
United Time Lords
19-07-2006, 16:39
Britain's just sending in a ship, without the small army. What makes America so special it can go in with a bunch of trigger-happy jarheads?
Dododecapod
19-07-2006, 16:43
Britain's just sending in a ship, without the small army. What makes America so special it can go in with a bunch of trigger-happy jarheads?

If nothing goes wrong, the US is out more cash than Great Britain is. If something does go wrong, the US has forces on site for dealing with it and clean up.

Anyway, I think part of it was simply that the UK didn't have appropriate forces in the area and the US did.
Teh_pantless_hero
19-07-2006, 16:44
Pray tell, what other kind of ships would you send for this kind of mission?
Let's see.. cruise and other commercial ships like everyone has already been using. There is no need to put in assault vehicles with a marine battallion and helicopter squad. No people have yet to be evacuated by warships.
United Time Lords
19-07-2006, 16:44
A British warship will be shipping out from Lebanon tommorow.
Dododecapod
19-07-2006, 16:48
Let's see.. cruise and other commercial ships like everyone has already been using. There is no need to put in assault vehicles with a marine battallion and helicopter squad. No people have yet to be evacuated by warships.

No one else is the extremist world's favourite target.
Teh_pantless_hero
19-07-2006, 16:50
No one else is the extremist world's favourite target.
Thanks Captain Irrelevant.
Hamilay
19-07-2006, 16:50
Let's see.. cruise and other commercial ships like everyone has already been using. There is no need to put in assault vehicles with a marine battallion and helicopter squad. No people have yet to be evacuated by warships.

Britain is sending an aircraft carrier. I can't show the source- read about it in the newspaper.
UpwardThrust
19-07-2006, 16:51
No one else is the extremist world's favourite target.
… I am remembering something about a British subway…
Dododecapod
19-07-2006, 16:53
Thanks Captain Irrelevant.

Not in the least. The US has a significantly higher chance of being targetted - and thus has a stronger duty of care towards it's citizens involved in the situation. Having military forces on hand is a reasonable precaution.
Turquoise Days
19-07-2006, 16:53
Let's see.. cruise and other commercial ships like everyone has already been using. There is no need to put in assault vehicles with a marine battallion and helicopter squad. No people have yet to be evacuated by warships.
HMS Gloucester(a destroyer) removed 180 people from Beirut yesterday. No problems there. A RN task force including HMS Illustrious - a carrier - should be arriving tomorrow, I think. Whats the problem with using military ships to evacuate the civilians? It's easier for them to get the Israelis to let them throught the blockade, for one.

It's not like they are going to land the troops, is it? It's more likely that those troops are what the ships normally carry.

EDIT: Linky http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5190816.stm
Nadkor
19-07-2006, 22:30
Anyway, I think part of it was simply that the UK didn't have appropriate forces in the area and the US did.

Er...there are two UK military bases on Cyprus.
Hydesland
19-07-2006, 22:37
HMS Gloucester(a destroyer) removed 180 people from Beirut yesterday. No problems there. A RN task force including HMS Illustrious - a carrier - should be arriving tomorrow, I think. Whats the problem with using military ships to evacuate the civilians? It's easier for them to get the Israelis to let them throught the blockade, for one.

It's not like they are going to land the troops, is it? It's more likely that those troops are what the ships normally carry.

EDIT: Linky http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5190816.stm

Exactly, and it would make even more sense for the US to send in military ships since they are under such a threat.
Whittlesfield
19-07-2006, 22:39
Let's see.. cruise and other commercial ships like everyone has already been using. There is no need to put in assault vehicles with a marine battallion and helicopter squad. No people have yet to be evacuated by warships.
Let's see Detective Dipshit; what is the UK doing? Using warships I believe.
Corneliu
19-07-2006, 22:46
Britain's just sending in a ship, without the small army. What makes America so special it can go in with a bunch of trigger-happy jarheads?

Two ships and our marines are not trigger happy.

As to the ships, over a thousand Americans have already been evacuated and many more will be evaced tomorrow.

Yes I'm worried about a Hezbollah attack but that would really be stupid of them to do so for that would involve us when we are not even involved in the conflict in Lebanon.
Corneliu
19-07-2006, 22:48
Oh and the Orient Queen is a Greek PASSANGER LINER Teh_Pantless_hero. Oops. I guess we are using civilian ships as well as military warships to pull people out of Lebanon.

Troll.