D ECISION TO R ESPOND

Witnesses confirmed that senior CIA officials on the ground in Benghazi immediately decided to send the Annex security team to the State Department compound, but first sought to obtain additional support from local police, militia, and government contacts before the team departed.

Three individuals described the initial discussion between the Chief of Base, Deputy Chief of Base, and Security Team Leader, during which the Chief of Base immediately agreed that the security team should assist State Department personnel at the Special Mission

Compound.

One of those individuals explained:

The [Security Team Leader] advised [the Chief of Base] what the situation was and said: We got to go get those guys. And [the Chief of Base] responded “Absolutely.” “Absolutely.” Not, “I got to go call the Chief of Station.” Not, “I got to go check with somebody in Washington.” All [the Chief of Base] said was, “Absolutely.” So I want to make that very clear because I know there’s conflicting accounts about that discussion. There were three people in that discussion: [the Security Team Leader], [the Deputy Chief of Base], and [the Chief of Base]. And anybody writing any books or making movies, or whatever else, I can tell you none of those guys were in the room when that discussion occurred.21

He continued:

[The Chief of Base] was on the phone because [the Chief of Base] was trying to contact 17th February leadership to deconflict the possible green-on-blue [friendly-fire] incident as those guys responded to the assault. Now, they [the security team members] have this recollection of sitting in the car for some horrendous length of time. I can tell you, that’s not the way I remember that at all. They were in the car, and they were ready to go. But we all agreed, [the Security Team Leader], [the Deputy Chief of Base], and [the Chief of Base] agreed that we were going to do the best we could to deconflict the potential for an attack against them as they went over there. And that’s what was happening.22

A second individual provided a consistent account to HPSCI in 2013:

At this point [the Annex Security Team Leader], [the Deputy Chief of Base], and [the Chief of Base], the three of us are standing out in front of the Annex talking about this. [The Chief of Base is] making multiple phone calls. Some aren’t successful, so [the Chief of Base is] calling additional militia-type contacts. Basically the concern was, hey, there is [redacted] of us, we don’t quite know what we are getting into. The hope was, okay, hey, look, we know the militias have technicals, which is basically pickup trucks with large caliber machine guns mounted on the vehicles, so the goal was to get some bigger guns than what we had and coordinate a movement over to the [Special Mission Compound].23

That individual explained to the Select Committee that the Security Team Leader made the request for additional local security support, including heavy weapons on gun trucks:

A: [The security Team Leader] said: Hey, look, Chief, what we want is technicals. So what we want is, you know, the trucks with bigger guns than what we have because I don’t know what we’re going into. So whether it be Dishka-type weapons or some type of heavy machine gun mounted on a truck, that’s what [the Annex security team] definitely [wants].

Q: And that’s [the Security Team Leader] making that request to [the Chief of Base]?

A: Yeah. So while this is going on, one of ... the guys there are pretty much just kind of wrapping up, getting, you know, the ammo, and you know, first aid kits, all that stuff, and then they’re basically standing by loading in front of [the] building. And one of the officers ... comes out, and he says: Hey, look, you know, we got to get going. We’ve got to go. We got to go. [The Security Team Leader] said: Yeah, I know that, but I don’t know what we’re getting into, and the Chief’s trying to make some phone calls. [The Security Team Leader also said:] I want to get some

technicals to go with us because I don’t know what we’re—what we’re going to get into.24

A third official explained:

Q: So at some point, the [Annex security] folks were kitted up, and what happened at that point that you can recall? Do you recall seeing them all kitted up?

A: I was standing right in the area that they were getting their stuff. It took them, I would say, about 15 minutes to get ready. It was a very—to me, the time passed by very quickly.

Q: Uh-huh.

A: And people were going to [storage] and getting ammunition and water, and getting batteries and MPGs and such. At one point, [the Security Team Leader] came to [the Chief of Base], I would say maybe 15 minutes into it and said that [he] wanted to see if [the Chief of Base] could arrange a technical, or a gun truck, from 17th February. So [the Chief of Base] called back to 17th February and was working on getting that gun truck. So [the Chief of Base] was in contact with [the Security Team Leader]. ...

Q: And [the Chief of Base] called February 17th? A: Yes.

Q: What was the response?

A: Well, their response was, okay, but I don’t have one, or it’s going to be difficult. I have got to check. It was—it was not like immediately we are going to be able to—the person who [the Chief of Base] was talking to, who was one of their commanders whose name I don’t remember. Q: And did [the Chief of Base] relay that back to [the Security Team

Leader]? A: Yes.

Q: What was [Security Team Leader's] response? A: That’s when they left to go on the rescue.25

When it became clear that no local support was readily available, the Annex Security Team Leader made the decision to depart:

So at some point, you know, whatever, couple of minutes, it becomes kind of clear that there’s nothing readily coming, or there’s—like [Chief of Base] isn’t

making positive coms [communications] with anybody who’s saying, hey, I’ve got you, you know, two, three, four, five technicals, they’re going to meet you at whatever location. That’s not happening. So [the Security Team Leader says]: Hey [Chief of Base], look, we’re going. And to be honest with you, I don’t recall [Chief of Base] saying anything. [Deputy Chief], you know, kind of looks at [the Security Team Leader], and [he’s] like, well, [he’s] like, you know, [Security Team Leader], God speed, hopefully we’ll see you guys back here shortly. So at that point [they] roll out. I can tell you between, you know, the time stamp on our CCTV [closed-circuit television], like I said roughly, I think [the] phone call came at like 21:43 depending on what timestamp you look at, [they] roll out at like 22:04, so 21, 23, 24 minutes, whatever.26

The Select Committee interviewed all surviving members of the Benghazi-based Annex security team members. They generally agreed that it was reasonable to try to obtain additional security support, but some criticized the length of time that passed before the team departed. One member of the security team had the following exchange:

Q: And you also spoke about when you were preparing the QRF [Quick Reaction Force] and you were responding to the request for help from the Embassy—I’m sorry, from the Special Mission Compound. In that time, when the Chief of Base, you mentioned that the Chief of Base and the Deputy Chief of Base were on the telephone. And then you

mentioned that there—what were the reasons that you were saying that you wanted to—that they may have been wanting to be on the phone in that moment?

A: They were trying to gather support to help respond to the attack, as far as I know.

Q: And in—what type of support would that have been, by local militias or fire power or—

A: No, local militias.

Q: Okay. And what would you consider the benefits of involving locals? Would you consider there to be benefits involving locals?

A: Yes.

Q: And do you think it would be the Chief of Base’s responsibility to consider the second and third order effects of sending a Quick Reaction Force out to the consulate?

A: Yes.

Q: And was there ever a sense that there might have been a simultaneous attack on the Annex? A time—is there—

A: That was possible.

Q: Was that something that was discussed or possible? Do you think maybe the Chief of Base was considering that?

A: I don’t know what he was considering, but it’s a possibility.27 He also had this exchange:

A: Deputy Chief of Base was standing out there. I believe he was on the phone as well. It was sort of chaotic. Guys were just trying to gather information. We wanted to leave to go get eyes on the area and, you know, establish, I guess, a position to be able to be better prepared to move on to the compound. The earlier we got there, the better we’d have the chance to surprise the enemy.

Q: During this time, where you said it was kind of chaotic, did [you] have any direct communications with the Chief of Base?

A: I don’t remember. I remember him saying, “Wait.” Q: And what did you think when he told you to wait?

A: I believe at first I just said, okay, maybe he’s talking to somebody that can help, and, you know, I respected the fact that he wanted us to wait and see if he can gather additional fire power to help. At some point, though, the wait was too long, and we decided, you know, we couldn’t wait any longer and we left. We didn’t know if that wait was going to be an indefinite wait and you’re-not-going wait or a real wait or—but nothing was happening for several minutes. And so we can hear the State Department’s cries for help on the radio, and we just reached a point where we decided to leave on our own.28

Various individuals on the ground reported differing recollections about when the first attack commenced, including one report that it started as early as 9:32 p.m. Benghazi time. The Select Committee reviewed the video footage from the Annex and State Department compound, which indicate that the attack on the compound began at 9:42 p.m. and that the Annex security team departed 21 minutes later at 10:03 p.m.29 Documents provided to the Select Committee corroborated this timing. This timeline is also consistent with the timeline included in HPSCI’s bipartisan report.

Some security team members told the Select Committee that they believed that had they left earlier, they could have saved the lives of Ambassador Stevens and Sean Smith. However, as one of the team members explained, such an immediate response into an unknown situation against an unknown enemy force likely would have cost more lives:

Q: You mentioned, I think, during the last hour, a specific HPSCI report or a conversation you may have had with one of the HPSCI members, that

you believed if you had left earlier, you could have saved the Ambassador and Sean Smith?

A: Yes, sir.

Q: Can you elaborate a little bit?

A: About the reason why or just the conversation? Q: The reason why.

A: Yeah, very easy. We get over there, and we don’t go guns a blazing over there. I know people want to assume that’s what we do. If we can intervene, we’re going to intervene with the best tactical way possible. The only people that know how to do that is us. You don’t have another force over there like a [Special Forces team] there that could help us with that. We can’t rely on the locals. The biggest thing though is we could have pulled the fire to us. Now, would we have probably died? Yes, probably so. It’s okay. It’s our job.

Q: When you say pulled the fire to us?

A: We could have been able to intervene and fight AAS and AQIM. Q: And you’re talking about gunfire, not literal fire?

A: No. Basically we would have been able to pull the attention from the attackers to us to allow State Department to do their job, which was save the Ambassador and get him out of there. That’s perfect. That’s exactly what we’re there for. People asked if we were to die, probably. The Ambassador would still be alive, and so would Sean Smith. It’s our job. And I’m okay with that.30

Senior CIA officials unanimously agreed with the on-the-ground, tactical decision made by the Chief of Base to seek additional local support. The Tripoli-based Chief of Station, who was the senior intelligence official in Libya, explained:

Q: To the extent that the Chief of Base was trying to obtain militia support for the [Annex security] team, would you say that was reasonable of him to do so?

A: Absolutely. And if he hasn’t done it, it would have been negligent.31

In his interview with the Select Committee, CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell made the same point in the following exchange:

Q: In your recent book, The Great War of Our Time, as in your testimony before HPSCI, you’ve explained that the slight delay, which you note in your book was five to eight minutes was justified, and exactly the right

decision by the Chief of Base who had to “ensure that he was not sending his officers needlessly to their deaths.” The Chief of Base has understandably not spoken publicly in light of the book and upcoming movie. Do you want add anything further to what you just said in terms of the decisions made by the Chief of Base.

A: No. I think he made the right decision, sir.32

General Petraeus, then-Director of the CIA and former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, explained to the Select Committee that he considered checking with local forces for additional support to be a reasonable precaution. He had the following exchange:

Q: And the decision by the Chief of Base to try to get the support of the 17th February militia or at least not—at least make sure, to the degree they can, that they’re not charging into an ambush, you would agree that was a prudent decision to make?

A: Yes. Yeah. No, I think this is a very reasonable precaution to take, but of course, if it drags on and there’s no clear sense that this is going to come to completion, then understandably the Quick Reaction force feels responsibility for the security of fellow Americans, even though they’re on another facility, starts to grow and grow and grow.33

General Petraeus explained that he considered the response time of 22 or 23 minutes to be reasonable, if not remarkable:

Q: Do you think that the mounting of that response time, that response team effort was done in a reasonable timeframe?

A: I do. And, again, let me just highlight that in the wake of that, I talked to the [Annex security team] members; some back when they came back through here others when I went out to Tripoli. And I was in Tripoli having been out there before. At that time, I also talked to the chief of station, the chief of base, to the [DOD servicemen] who had been part of the Tripoli Quick Reaction Force that seven- or eight-man team that went with translators, operators, medics, and so forth to Benghazi on the contracted aircraft.

Really, about anybody that I had could illuminate what took place. And my understanding was there were not words to stand down. Certainly nothing came back to the United States or even, I suspect, to Tripoli. This was a local dynamic where the team miraculously is ready within 16 or so roughly minutes. Again, there’s different accounts, you know, if you want to parse the minutes.

And then they do wait for some, again, 6 to 8 minutes, depending on whose account you have, while the chief of base tries to get them some support from the militia that have these big anti-defense guns on the

back, in some cases, at the very least heavy machine guns, through whose checkpoint they were going to have to move if they went by road. And, of course, they did have to go by road, but then some others also went essentially sort of cross country through other compounds.

And I think that was reasonable. At least some of the accounts said that the Quick Reaction Force, you know, wanted to get that support as well if it could be gotten in an expeditious manner. But when he realized that it wasn’t going to materialize after waiting for 6 or 7 minutes, he said: We need to get on with this.

So they were out of the gate within, again, 22, 23, whatever minutes. That’s really pretty remarkable and speaks very, very highly, I think, of the sheer professional expertise of these guys, the readiness for this kind of mission, and, frankly, just the sheer determination and spirit to go to the rescue of fellow Americans.34

One individual on the ground that night told the Select Committee that he considered the Chief of Base to be the most qualified and appropriate individual to make the decision about when to leave, stating:

I’m telling you, he [the Chief of Base] was the most experienced operator on that base when it came to judging operational decision-making. And those guys were looking at the world through a tactical straw. And, you know, again, I have the utmost respect for their capabilities, their heroism, what they did that night. I’m alive today because of their efforts, and I never forget that for a minute. But what they are writing about in that book about what

happened is just not accurate. They don’t understand the total situation. And without the context of what we were doing there, it is impossible to get an accurate picture of what was happening.35

The Chief of Base told the Select Committee:

I personally think that everybody in Benghazi, during the attacks, did their duty to the best of their ability and made good decisions. There’s no doubt that the six [Annex security team members] are heroes. But in my mind, the team lead who led them is as much a hero. I don’t think he’s considered to be one of the six.36

None of the security team members told HPSCI that the Chief of Base or anyone else told