Posted on Feb 2, 2017
White House insists Yemen raid was well-planned, successful
1.3K
10
8
3
3
0
White House officials on Thursday pushed back on reports that hasty planning may have resulted in the death of a Navy SEAL in last weekend’s assault on an al-Qaida facility in Yemen, saying the mission has been under consideration since last fall.
Navy SEAL William "Ryan" Owens was killed and three other U.S. servicemembers wounded in a firefight with militants at the compound. Pentagon officials said 14 militants were killed in the assault, but local authorities said the casualties also included a number of other women and children.
The military mission was the first authorized by President Donald Trump, who traveled to Delaware on Wednesday to witness the return of Owens’ body to American soil.
Numerous news outlets have cited military sources calling the raid a poorly-planned tragedy, detailing the crash of a V-22 Osprey aircraft and a 50-minute firefight with enemy fighters after the commando team lost the element of surprise.
But White House Spokesman Sean Spicer said the timeline for planning the raid dates back almost three months, to the end of President Barack Obama’s administration.
“Not only was it a very thought out process by this administration, it had started back in November,” he told reporters on Thursday. “This was a well thought out and executed effort.”
Spicer said numerous Obama and Trump administration officials — including Defense Secretary James Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford — reviewed and approved of the mission before Trump signed the final orders.
He also indicated that Obama administration officials would have gone ahead with the mission if not for strategic timing decisions. The mission was launched on Jan. 29 because it was “a moonless night,” offering more potential cover for U.S. forces.
Trump was updated periodically as the raid progressed, and was quickly informed of Owens’ death.
Despite the loss and setbacks, Spicer still classified the mission as a success.
“It’s hard to ever call something a complete success when you have a loss of life or people injured,” he said. “But when you look at the totality of what was gained to prevent the future loss of life here in America and against our people and our institutions, I think it was a successful operation by all standards.”
Spicer also hailed Owens, a 36-year-old on his 12th deployment overseas, as a hero who “died in sacrifice for someone else here in this nation.”
Earlier in the week, Trump released a statement calling the mission a key intelligence victory “that will assist the U.S. in preventing terrorism against its citizens and people around the world.”
Navy officials announced Thursday that Owens was posthumously advanced to senior chief petty officer.
Follow @LeoShane
Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be reached at [login to see] .
TSgt Joe C. SFC William Farrell PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC Stephen F. CSM Charles Hayden SGT Robert George SPC Margaret Higgins MSG Chris Allen SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas PO2 (Anonymous) Maj Marty Hogan SGT (Join to see) SGT Damaso V Santana LTC (Join to see) SFC George Smith MSG Andrew WhiteCpl Craig Marton ] MSgt George Cater SGT (Join to see) Capt Tom Brown
Navy SEAL William "Ryan" Owens was killed and three other U.S. servicemembers wounded in a firefight with militants at the compound. Pentagon officials said 14 militants were killed in the assault, but local authorities said the casualties also included a number of other women and children.
The military mission was the first authorized by President Donald Trump, who traveled to Delaware on Wednesday to witness the return of Owens’ body to American soil.
Numerous news outlets have cited military sources calling the raid a poorly-planned tragedy, detailing the crash of a V-22 Osprey aircraft and a 50-minute firefight with enemy fighters after the commando team lost the element of surprise.
But White House Spokesman Sean Spicer said the timeline for planning the raid dates back almost three months, to the end of President Barack Obama’s administration.
“Not only was it a very thought out process by this administration, it had started back in November,” he told reporters on Thursday. “This was a well thought out and executed effort.”
Spicer said numerous Obama and Trump administration officials — including Defense Secretary James Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford — reviewed and approved of the mission before Trump signed the final orders.
He also indicated that Obama administration officials would have gone ahead with the mission if not for strategic timing decisions. The mission was launched on Jan. 29 because it was “a moonless night,” offering more potential cover for U.S. forces.
Trump was updated periodically as the raid progressed, and was quickly informed of Owens’ death.
Despite the loss and setbacks, Spicer still classified the mission as a success.
“It’s hard to ever call something a complete success when you have a loss of life or people injured,” he said. “But when you look at the totality of what was gained to prevent the future loss of life here in America and against our people and our institutions, I think it was a successful operation by all standards.”
Spicer also hailed Owens, a 36-year-old on his 12th deployment overseas, as a hero who “died in sacrifice for someone else here in this nation.”
Earlier in the week, Trump released a statement calling the mission a key intelligence victory “that will assist the U.S. in preventing terrorism against its citizens and people around the world.”
Navy officials announced Thursday that Owens was posthumously advanced to senior chief petty officer.
Follow @LeoShane
Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be reached at [login to see] .
TSgt Joe C. SFC William Farrell PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC Stephen F. CSM Charles Hayden SGT Robert George SPC Margaret Higgins MSG Chris Allen SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas PO2 (Anonymous) Maj Marty Hogan SGT (Join to see) SGT Damaso V Santana LTC (Join to see) SFC George Smith MSG Andrew WhiteCpl Craig Marton ] MSgt George Cater SGT (Join to see) Capt Tom Brown
White House insists Yemen raid was well-planned, successful
Posted from militarytimes.comPosted in these groups: 
White House
Yemen
White House Yemen
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 7
3
3
0
I expect the criteria for evaluating the success of this mission is focused on the information, assets and personnel retrieved from the al Qaeda compound primarily SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL. All of that is so highly classified it could not be discussed here.
Certainly it is sad that Navy SEAL Chief William "Ryan" Owens was killed during the conduct if the raid and that other team members were wounded. Thankfully they were all extricated and the downed aircraft was destroyed.
As in the raid on Bin Laden's compound, redundant capabilities tend to be the rule in cases where sensitive operations take place because things happen.
Of course the rabid media is questioning virtually everything that President Donald Trump does or happens on his watch.
LTC Stephen C. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown CW5 (Join to see) CW5 Charlie Poulton SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT (Join to see) SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright
Certainly it is sad that Navy SEAL Chief William "Ryan" Owens was killed during the conduct if the raid and that other team members were wounded. Thankfully they were all extricated and the downed aircraft was destroyed.
As in the raid on Bin Laden's compound, redundant capabilities tend to be the rule in cases where sensitive operations take place because things happen.
Of course the rabid media is questioning virtually everything that President Donald Trump does or happens on his watch.
LTC Stephen C. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown CW5 (Join to see) CW5 Charlie Poulton SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT (Join to see) SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright
(3)
(0)
2
2
0
If the raid failed because of not enough intel, or insufficient planning of military contingencies, that falls directly on CENTCOM and JSOC, not the POTUS. It's not his job to figure out if the military planners allocated enough backup helicopters or have the intel they need. It is his job to weigh the total risks, including international politics, economic consequences etc to decide if the overall risks to the country are worth the risk compared to what we gain.
Now, if the military recommended a no go due to lack of intel, and the POTUS said go anyway, that's different. But I haven't seen anything on that. It's disconcerting that "military sources" would be trying to dodge the military's responsibility for any shortcomings in the planning. And that's if there actually were any shortcomings. Sometimes a well made plan just goes wrong.
Now, if the military recommended a no go due to lack of intel, and the POTUS said go anyway, that's different. But I haven't seen anything on that. It's disconcerting that "military sources" would be trying to dodge the military's responsibility for any shortcomings in the planning. And that's if there actually were any shortcomings. Sometimes a well made plan just goes wrong.
(2)
(0)
1
1
0
Condolences to the family and friends that lost their loved one. Prayers to those wounded members as well. Thank you SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL for the read and share today.
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google