What Happens When an Ambassador is in Peril?
Political Arena Editor Chuck Norton
Each consulate has a virtual panic button called the "Imminent Danger Notification System" that is hit whenever an ambassador is put in peril. This has been in place since after the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
This works as a virtual instant message that goes to the Intelligence agencies such as the CIA Director and the DNI, the Sec of State, the Defense Secretary, local military assets are notified and it also goes to the White House situation room and protocol says that this flash traffic MUST be acknowledged and someone in the situation room MUST go and physically contact the President. Again, this happens instantly.
In the absence of orders the standing order is for local assets to preserve American life. So someone had to STOP that AC130 gunship from firing and someone had to STOP local assets from responding as they were responding as they would have responded as a matter of protocol. Now we know that they were told to stand down three times.
We also know that two retired SEALS who were working under contract violated the stand down order and decided to uphold the standing order of "preserve American life". They died doing so.
All of this "fog of war" nonsense and there was too much communication to sift through are lies.
A retired high level intelligence official with State Department experience tells Political Arena:
The IC and NMIC/NMCC were on this within minutes of the first alert.
The CDR US Fleet would have dispatched aircraft and choppers full of Marines immediately; the AC130 would have been airborne immediately and been on site fairly quickly.
The only -- and I repeat ONLY way all these activities would have been stopped is if the order came from the White House; the precedent for this scenario is the USS Liberty attack when LBJ ordered the Fleet CinC to stand down, over the vehement objections of the CJCS and the CNO.
Also, Gen Petreaus said that the order to stand down was NOT given by the CIA .....therefore he IS confirming that there was a stand down order.