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Experts: Drones Could Have Provided Real-Time Video Surveillance of Benghazi Attack if Dispatched in Time

Oct. 29, 2012 10:05am Liz Klimas

With the Obama Administration facing criticism of being too slow in its response to attacks on the U.S. consulate in Libya on September 11, 2012, there have been allegations that the Pentagon and/or the State Department could have been watching a live feed of the violent conflict where four Americans were killed, suggesting help could have been on the way sooner.

Some, such as Geraldo, have called this notion “preposterous.” But is it really? For starters, the technology does exist to provide near real-time video from surveillance drones, so the key question is whether drones were dispatched to the scene in time to provide useful information.

It is clear that a real-time feed of what was going on in Benghazi from the beginning would not be available unless the surveillance technology was already set, like a drone already in place for observation. John Pike, director of Global Security.org, told TheBlaze with drone technology it would have been “quite possible” for officials to view a live feed of the attacks, “but there would have been no reason to [send a drone] in advance and not enough time once the attack started.”

Reports are that two drones were diverted from original missions after two and a half hours and four hours and 15 minutes, respectively, to Benghazi. Depending on where they were coming from, it could have taken hours more before they could start sending officials images of what was going on.

CBS News reported that a Predator drone was sent to scene two and a half hours into the attack. At the time it arrived, it could have allowed military officials to observe the conflict at that point. CBS went on to say that a second drone was sent four hours and 15 minutes later.

Security Experts Say Drones Would Not Have Been Above Benghazi in Time to Show Early Attacks on Consulate

Predator drone. (Photo: General Atomics)

Defense Secretary Leon Pannetta said last week, ”You don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s [going] on, without having some real time information about what’s taking place.”

Presumably, the drones were sent to do just that: provide a view of the scene in real time.

That leads to a second question: Could drones have gotten to Benghazi sooner? Drones can be slower than you might think, even though they generally have a long-endurance before needing to refuel, said Keven Gambold, the director of operations for Unmanned Experts, a company specializing in UAV training, equipment and business development.

“They’re not necessarily designed for speed,” he said. “There were times in Iraq where you could be outrun by a speeding car.”

Gambold said, depending on how far away the drone’s prior missions were, it could very well have taken them hours to arrive near the scene in Benghazi.

When asked about military protocol for how long it might take to make the decision to divert the drone from another mission, Gambold said it would likely depend on how high-priority the prior target of the drone might have been. As an example, he said the drone could have been searching for a high-profile terrorist for years and was finally on the trail. When asked to be diverted, in a situation like this, the gravity of the other situation would go through a discussion process. Once the decision was made though, he said deployment of the drone to its new target is instant.

While drones like Predator operate at a high altitude, they often offer similar picture quality to smaller UAVs that are right on the scene, which is to say the view is good.

“These specialize in full-motion video,” Gambold said, noting that it’s not just a series of still images.

A drone pilot and a payload operator. (Photo: General Atomics)

As for the Predator drone specifically, General Atomics Aeronautics’ website states that the UAV has video cameras on board and uses a GhostLink, which is a high-bandwidth data link that increases the bandwidth required to transmit high-resolution sensor imagery from a “Predator Gray Eagle-series UAS or manned aircraft to ground-based operators for real-time situational awareness.”

The Reaper drone (which also has been called Predator B) is described as having better capabilities than the original Predator on many fronts, including persistent surveillance.

Gambold, who has an extensive military career with Royal Air Force and has experience with Predator drones as well, said the streaming capabilities of such video to operators and/or intelligence experts on the ground is possible in “near real-time” — there can be a delay with satellite transmission of information.

He said that a “fair percentage” of this video is generally used in direct support by people on the ground, providing them with a birds eye view of what is going on in area. Although this picture is helpful — Gambold said their is no better way to get clearer information aside from being there yourself — it isn’t necessarily complete unless you’re coupling it with radio transmissions you might pick up and other audio.

To give you an idea of what the footage from an MQ-1 Predator drone might look like, here is a feed from one as the last American convoys left Iraq:

In the end, then, drones would have offered the capability to offer good quality, real-time video if they got there in time.

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Comments (42)

PaulreveresDarknight
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 12:34pm
In a sea of insanity God sits. Cassandra started the second Carter Screwed Isreal last week. The Queen goddess of what.. ?? Marriage&childbirth. Look up abortion # peeps. We Have hope. Warriors unsean. Repentance was a way of saying sorry, once. Prayer warriors on earth know this. Shalom.

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pragmaticpatriot
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 12:29pm
Leon Pannetta said ”You don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s [going] on, without having some real time information about what’s taking place. sounds like a canned statement, ‘lie or die leon, your choice….’ obamas artificial intelligence is only believed by his drones.

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- Dano.50
  Posted on October 29, 2012 at 2:58pm
  A group of us were sailing in the Arabian Sea some years ago, and stumbled across what turned out to be a medium sized freighter tied off to a larger one.
  
  When we altered course three lights that were panned out directly in our path – we first thought they were offshore rigs – converged and came after us.
  
  We never got a response on the VHF, but lucking across the frequencies to Diego Garcia got out an SSB call out. All we had for info was we were an American flagged sailing vessel, our position and course, and had three unidentified vessels chasing us.
  
  About twenty minutes later we were all shaking hands goodbye when a couple helos showed up. One hovered over while the other chased the bad guys away, and we even got flyovers every couple hours for the next two days so don’t tell me the military doesn’t go into unknown situations to save some clown’s ****.
  
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- slugo
  Posted on October 30, 2012 at 12:06am
  excellent post
  
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Female
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:39am
Defense Secretary Leon Pannetta said last week, ”You don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s [going] on, without having some real time information about what’s taking place.”

Hmmm, really? Then why are we sending out patrols for what more then 200 years? Or why does anybody ever get shot or blown-up? The most absolutely, ridiculous statement of unbelievable dung ever! How about at least sending a couple of people just to see what kind of and who is attacking. But, no, it was a “stand-down” order, Then, a general is removed, who prepared his men to defend the post. Plus, a distracting video announcement of tremendous incompetence, which caused more attacks world-wide of embassies endangering more personnel.

We still have people who want these people to continue running our country?

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- taintso
  Posted on October 29, 2012 at 12:12pm
  Rear Adm. Gaouette also removed.
  
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schroeder123
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:36am
Someone wanted our diplomat killed. I wonder who ? and Why ?

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DadRocked
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:32am
Relax folks, it has only been 48 days and remember that it’s still under investigation. I would speculate that the investigation will be complete, oh say late Friday night – 09NOV. Yea, that sounds about right!

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voting-for-romney
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:29am
It takes “artificial intelligence” to pretend to be a human, and have an embassy open after Muslims have proven they view foreign embassy attacks as a sport, like a yearly super bowl event, where foreign nationals are routinely kidnapped, tortured, and your property burned? Would you call such a politician who makes such decisions of negligence to open or keep open an embassy in the middle of an Islamic country, a drone?

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crusaderx9
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:28am
TRUTH: Real-Time FMV is delivered to sites in CONUS everyday to IMMEDIATELY prosecute targets in Theater, as well as to Operations Centers throughout the war zones.

For those who will watch the PUTRID POLITICAL movie on the Bin Laden mission – you will no doubt see the prez and his regime principals watching a live feed from his Situation Room.

Delays may occur which can create a “near time” delay in some cases – but depending on the signal and many other factors to include atmospherics – feeds going directly into priority CONUS based Situation Rooms and Ops Centers will be minimal – measured in seconds.

Anyone who says that D.C. cannot get these feeds real-time is LYING.

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EZrider12
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:26am
Leon Pannetta said ”You don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s [going] on, without having some real time information about what’s taking place.”

And just what does he call the calls from the Americans that were there in Benghazi? You know….the ones that were abandoned? Left to die? I guess they don’t count?

What a disgrace. That’s just plain ignorance. What a sorry excuse for a defense sec.

And Barry is a piss poor Commander in Chief to allow these murders to take place.

He should be fired. (to say the least) Then arrested on charges of treason.

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IMCHRISTIAN
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:19am
Mr President… If you can’t do or say something with truth and honor then please do not run again. The four greatest heroes were the ones that risked their lives for others. I am so proud of them.

The guilty people are the ones that will have this their guilt running through their minds day and night and they will know what they did do and didn’t do.

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loveliberty83
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:15am
I wonder if obama & his people were in on this whole thing

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loveliberty83
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:13am
why was valerie jarrett (iranian left hand of obama) why did she just go to iran something is fishy was it to get a stop make some arrangements so o looks good 7 why were iranians outside the consulate earlier this summer look @ the canadian press they may have the answers

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wizzywiz
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:10am
The truth lives here? Last week all I read on this site was about how the president was most certainly watching this unfold, real-time, in the situation room. “Experts” who had held top security positions in the past or spoke with inside sources were interviewed and led us to believe this to be the case. Now, “Experts: Drones Could Have Provided Real-Time Video Surveillance of Benghazi Attack if Dispatched in Time” Come on!!!!

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- G-WHIZ
  Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:21am
  They were watching this from a drone….this drone also has 2-missels….Duh!! Were the WH the only ones watching the “feed” in REATIME?? O’bagman never goes to any real “meetings” so HE is knowingly-un-informed…he was “un-officially-watching” the live-feed so HE cansay HE never saw it!!
  
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HounddogCincoRzrbkUno
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:04am
“Gun running and dissing our allies, Obama’s lying through his teeth. Aided and abetted by the liberal media, four dead in Benghazi.” This is my partial rewrite of the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song “OHIO” used to bash Nixon.

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Dismayed Veteran
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:58am
”You don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s [going] on, without having some real time information about what’s taking place.”

BS. Many missions are launched without full real time intelliegence. They were getting real time intelligence from the people on the ground.

Pannetta is a forment Army officer. He was a Military Intelligence officer in Vietnam. He knows there is never enough pure intelligence. That’s why they call it going in harm’s way.

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Mike Benton
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:49am
If it really takes this much time to figure things out, how do we know the jihad killers aren’t cooking up another attack. And if they do attack we are obviously not ready to respond quickly.

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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:47am
Could have been in real time? No. It was in real time, our President watched them die, and stood by and did nothing.

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- PATTY HENRY
  Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:56am
  Clearly, we are being Stalled. GEN. HAMM is being rail-roaded. WE are being lied to. DEMAND ANSWERS !!
  
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- PATTY HENRY
  Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:01am
  MAYBE GEN. HAMM is stepping down to care for his terminally ill wife. I’m very sorry for them. Timing is very suspicious. I agree that if this dope, this traitorous dope obama is re-elected he can expect the military to lose it’s brightest and best. Who wants to give this type of sacrifice for a dope who would watch them die and then fly off – all smiles – the next day to Nevada (yes, after a quickie speech from the ROSE GARDEN that did NOT call this attack a terrorist act) . Obama is trying to wait this one out. Don’t let him.
  
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- barber2
  Posted on October 29, 2012 at 11:02am
  SNOW: don’t you love the legalese wording of ” real” time ?! Like there is ” unreal ” time ? Like the old ” depends on what the meaning of is, is ?! ” So tired of these cowards and PC idiots running our country. TSA draining our tax money while states are being sued for trying to close our borders. Ridiculous . UnAmerican. Idiots. NOBAMA 2012 NO DEMOCRATS 2012
  
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IMCHRISTIAN
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:46am
Poor leadership all around because no one are leaders enough to take control and want to blame everything and everybody except themselves. Shame..Shame…Shame

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- barber2
  Posted on October 29, 2012 at 12:13pm
  Agree. We have just announced that it is Open Season on American Embassies. Thanks, Obama. Thanks, our New Far Left Democrat Party. Thanks, our New Far Left Democrat Party’s international Best Buddies. NOBAMA 2012 NO DEMOCRATS 2012
  
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Mike Benton
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:46am
I think he should have sent the gun ship as soon a possible and showed those clowns what will happen if we see this sort of attack again. A couple warning shots would have cleared them out, then I would reduced the place to dust.

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AxelPhantom
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:41am
I have real time monitoring up at my mailbox and down in our pasture it cost less than $500, are they expecting me to believe that they didn’t have better monitoring at the American CIA/consulate than I do at my home? Will the ineptitudes never cease?

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HounddogCincoRzrbkUno
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:40am
“Gun running and dissing our allies, Obama’s lying through his teeth. Aided and abetted by the Liberal Media, four dead in Benghazi.” This is my partial rewrite of the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song “Ohio”, used to attack President Nixon. Words by Clark Beegle.

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Carrie3570
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:33am
Defense Secretary Leon Pannetta said last week, ”You don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s [going] on, without having some real time information about what’s taking place.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire! Exactly who does Pannetta think he’s fooling with that statement?

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- FED-UP-AND-READY-TO-TAKE-ACTION
  Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:47am
  We all might as well except that not a DAMN thing is going to be done about this. It is being pushed under the rug buy the OBAMA administration as well all the media for the most part. While anyone who has an eye can see and an ear can hear there are so many people who could care less about what the truth is. So what is a few patriots lives worth compared to the agenda of those wanting to see OMAMA stay in power regardless of what he is covering. The final work is too many people don’t want to know the truth, too many people don’t care about the truth, too many people know the truth will effect what they feel in their personal best interest. That covers everything from free phones, birth control, food stamps, welfare and the damn fact that they have what they consider a friend in the white house.
  
  While there should be everything from prison to a possible firing squad for those who have failed to act and then seek to cover it up nothing will be done because people just don’t care! While that is so hard to understand and accept from those of us who do still seek truth and honor we are in the minority. The world is going to hell in a hand basket and all the masses seeks if more more more giver more free ****!
  
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:28am
If 0bama does win this election, we will never know of any further information on Behghazi. As so many before have mentioned Nixon resigned the presidency because he kept quiet about some of his over zealous men’s activity at the Watergate Hotel. The worst thing they did was find info on Thomas Eagleton. The worst thing Nixon did was a cover up for those men. Reprehensible, you bet, but nobody was killed, and nobody ran guns and other weapons to our enemies.

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Militiaofone
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:21am
Conclusive.We should be emailing our Congressmen and Senators: “We the people must see the videos now!”

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- momrules
  Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:43am
  Doubtful that we will ever see the videos. I wanted to see pictures of a dead Bin Laden as proof that Obama *got him* but that never happened either.
  
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mike_trivisonno
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:19am
The US Military could have extracted our people, moved them to safety, and turned Benghazi into a smoldering pile of wreckage if allowed to wage war instead of being forced to act as Janissaries for the House of Saud.

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gyro
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 10:19am
smoke and mirrors the white house says nothing so nothing happened they never lie

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