Timeline of Department of Defense Actions on Libya

Timeline of Department of Defense Actions on Libya

Timeline of Department of Defense Actions on September 1112, 2012 All times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT, Washington, DC) and Eastern European Time (EET, Benghazi)

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 EDT // EET ~3:42 pm // 9:42 pm The incident starts at the facility in Benghazi.

3:59 pm // 9:59 pm An unarmed, unmanned, surveillance aircraft is directed to reposition overhead the Benghazi facility.

4:32 pm // 10:32pm The National Military Command Center at the Pentagon, after receiving initial reports of the incident from the State Department, notifies the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff. The information is quickly passed to Secretary Panetta and General Dempsey.

5:00 pm // 11:00pm

Secretary Panetta and General Dempsey attend a previously scheduled meeting with the President at the White House. The leaders discuss potential responses to the emerging situation.

5:10 pm // 11:10 pm The diverted surveillance aircraft arrives on station over the Benghazi facility.

~5:30 pm // 11:30 pm All surviving American personnel have departed the facility.

6:008:00 pm // 12:002:00 am

Secretary Panetta convenes a series of meetings in the Pentagon with senior officials including General Dempsey and General Ham. They discuss additional response options for Benghazi and for the potential outbreak of further violence throughout the region, particularly in Tunis, Tripoli, Cairo, and Sana’a. During these meetings, Secretary Panetta directs (provides verbal authorization) the following actions:

1) A Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) platoon, stationed in Rota, Spain, to prepare to deploy to Benghazi, and a second FAST platoon, also stationed in Rota, Spain, to prepare to deploy to the Embassy in Tripoli. 2) A EUCOM special operations force, which is training in Central Europe, to prepare to deploy to an intermediate staging base in southern Europe. 3) A special operations force based in the United States to prepare to deploy to an intermediate staging base in southern Europe. During this period, actions are verbally conveyed from the Pentagon to the affected Combatant Commands in order to expedite movement of forces upon

~6:30 pm // 12:30 am A sixman security team from U.S. Embassy Tripoli, including two DoD personnel, departs for Benghazi.