Heed the Lessons of Beirut as the Current Crisis Unfolds
The MOC
By
Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
September 30, 2024
Santayana Rides Again: Heed the Lessons of Beirut as the Current Crisis Unfolds
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
George Santayana, The Life of Reason, 1905.
Late last week, Dataminr (one of our CMS sponsors) was among the first to report of the strike and apparent death (now confirmed) of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanese Hezbollah. Israel has been hunting Nasrallah for two decades as he has consolidated power in Lebanon and constructed a network of artillery and rockets that have claimed the lives of hundreds of Israelis. What does Nasrallah’s death portend for the region and the future actions of Navy and Marine Corps forces in the theater?
Nasrallah assumed the leadership of Hezbollah at the young age of 32 when Israel killed his predecessor. He was a cold, calculating, leader with a charismatic appeal to a large portion of the disenfranchised in Lebanon. Under his leadership, Hezbollah became the most powerful organization in Lebanon, eclipsing even the legitimately elected government. The elimination of Nasrallah and much of Hezbollah’s top-tier leadership and field commanders in a wave of Israeli strikes now opens the window for other factions to vie for power in the war-torn country. The developing situation is very dangerous. The power vacuum and Israel’s massing of armored columns on the border could lead to a wider civil war and more carnage.
The last time this happened was in 2006, when Nasrallah and Hezbollah fought a short war against Israel inside Lebanon. There were heavy military losses on both sides and innocent civilians were caught in the middle of the crossfire. At the time, the U.S. Sixth Fleet was called into action to coordinate a Non-Combatant Evacuation (NEO) operation from Beirut to safe havens elsewhere in the Mediterranean. The conflict took a turn for the worse on July 12, 2006 when Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers on the border. Israel responded with massive kinetic strikes on military targets and choke points all over Lebanon, including airports, seaports, highways, and bridges. At this point in the conflict, the State Department called for departure of American personnel and a Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) began on July 16th.
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are well rehearsed in conducting NEOs in a variety of circumstances including benign, non-permissive, or hostile conditions. The Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in conjunction with USS Mount Whitney and a mix of U.S. Navy destroyers, one oiler, and a Joint High-Speed Vessel (JHSV) were involved in the operation. Over 15,000 American citizens were evacuated to neighboring Cypress and then on to other locations and homes of record. It was the largest NEO to date and generally speaking very successful.
In 2011, as a one-star Admiral and Deputy Commander of Sixth Fleet, working for VADM Harry Harris, Commander Sixth Fleet, I found myself at the center of the Arab Spring and a kinetic campaign in the country of Libya. Throughout the nine-month campaign we remained concerned about Hezbollah taking advantage of the occupation of U.S. and NATO forces in Libya to make a move on Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean. The 2006 NEO was front-of-mind as we readied plans to conduct a similar operation should the need arise.
In such situations, there is no substitute for a “terrain walk” so I orchestrated a trip to Beirut to survey the landscape and challenges of a NEO for myself. I approached the trip with an appropriate level of caution, but there were many Americans living and working in Beirut every day. In happier times, “the Paris of the Eastern Mediterranean” was a beautiful and thriving place to live or visit. During the filming of one of my all-time favorite movies, “Lawrence of Arabia”, the 1962 bio-epic of T.E. Lawrence, co-stars Omar Sharif and Peter O’Toole visited the city during breaks from filming in the Jordanian desert. Uncorroborated reports claim that during one long binge, the two actors spent $900,000 enjoying the night life on the “Corniche” of Beirut.
By contrast, my brother-in-law, an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a Vietnam veteran, told stories about serving in Beirut. He survived the embassy bombing in April 1983. The U.S. Embassy was completely destroyed and later, in October 1983, 241 U.S. Marines were killed by a Hezbollah truck bomb that attacked the Marine Barracks in their compound in Beirut.
On our reconnaissance trip, we flew to Beirut in an unobtrusive plain white aircraft and landed at Beirut International Airport. As I debarked the airplane on the tarmac, I was struck by the fact that the airport was practically devoid of other traffic. Furthermore, I noticed CCTV cameras everywhere and felt like I was under continuous surveillance, presumably by both airport personnel and also likely Hezbollah. In a word, it was “creepy.”
We were met by personnel from the U.S. Embassy’s Defense Attaché Office and were driven to the Embassy for meetings with the country team. On the way to the Embassy, while in constant communication with their home base, they changed the route at least once due to the possibility of an “unfriendly” checkpoint. Our hosts knew what I wanted to see and they did their best to accommodate. One of the places they took me was the site of the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, on the Corniche next to the Saint George Hotel. I was struck by the beauty of the Corniche and to me, it legitimized the moniker “the Paris of the East.” the contrast was stark with the 2,000 pounds of TNT that blew up Hariri’s vehicle and left pock marks in the adjacent buildings that were still visible to the naked eye, I realized just how volatile this region had become since the frequent visits of Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif.
During my trip, I also obtained an appreciation of how challenging the safe and professional conduct of a Non-Combatant Evacuation of American citizens would be for Navy and Marine Corps forces regardless of whether or not we faced opposition. Last week, Dataminr reported three alarming updates: (1) Great Britain warned all UK nationals in Lebanon of the pending danger and advised that they evacuate immediately while airports and seaports are still open. (2) Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Admiral Dan Hagari said Israeli aircraft currently patrolling airspace and will not allow “hostile flights with weapons” to land at Beirut Airport. And finally, (3) the U.S. State Department ordered departure of certain employees of American Embassy in Beirut.
It is time to dust off the plans for a NEO and ensure that we incorporate the lessons learned from past operations in order to ensure that American citizens and those of our allies are kept safe, and if necessary evacuated, as this situation escalates The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are present in the theater and will do their best to ensure the restoration of a safe and secure environment while protecting the interests and welfare of American citizens in the region. Steady as she goes America… the Navy’s got your back!
Center for Maritime Strategy
By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Santayana Rides Again: Heed the Lessons of Beirut as the Current Crisis Unfolds
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
George Santayana, The Life of Reason, 1905.
Late last week, Dataminr (one of our CMS sponsors) was among the first to report of the strike and apparent death (now confirmed) of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanese Hezbollah. Israel has been hunting Nasrallah for two decades as he has consolidated power in Lebanon and constructed a network of artillery and rockets that have claimed the lives of hundreds of Israelis. What does Nasrallah’s death portend for the region and the future actions of Navy and Marine Corps forces in the theater?
Nasrallah assumed the leadership of Hezbollah at the young age of 32 when Israel killed his predecessor. He was a cold, calculating, leader with a charismatic appeal to a large portion of the disenfranchised in Lebanon. Under his leadership, Hezbollah became the most powerful organization in Lebanon, eclipsing even the legitimately elected government. The elimination of Nasrallah and much of Hezbollah’s top-tier leadership and field commanders in a wave of Israeli strikes now opens the window for other factions to vie for power in the war-torn country. The developing situation is very dangerous. The power vacuum and Israel’s massing of armored columns on the border could lead to a wider civil war and more carnage.
The last time this happened was in 2006, when Nasrallah and Hezbollah fought a short war against Israel inside Lebanon. There were heavy military losses on both sides and innocent civilians were caught in the middle of the crossfire. At the time, the U.S. Sixth Fleet was called into action to coordinate a Non-Combatant Evacuation (NEO) operation from Beirut to safe havens elsewhere in the Mediterranean. The conflict took a turn for the worse on July 12, 2006 when Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers on the border. Israel responded with massive kinetic strikes on military targets and choke points all over Lebanon, including airports, seaports, highways, and bridges. At this point in the conflict, the State Department called for departure of American personnel and a Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) began on July 16th.
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are well rehearsed in conducting NEOs in a variety of circumstances including benign, non-permissive, or hostile conditions. The Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in conjunction with USS Mount Whitney and a mix of U.S. Navy destroyers, one oiler, and a Joint High-Speed Vessel (JHSV) were involved in the operation. Over 15,000 American citizens were evacuated to neighboring Cypress and then on to other locations and homes of record. It was the largest NEO to date and generally speaking very successful.
In 2011, as a one-star Admiral and Deputy Commander of Sixth Fleet, working for VADM Harry Harris, Commander Sixth Fleet, I found myself at the center of the Arab Spring and a kinetic campaign in the country of Libya. Throughout the nine-month campaign we remained concerned about Hezbollah taking advantage of the occupation of U.S. and NATO forces in Libya to make a move on Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean. The 2006 NEO was front-of-mind as we readied plans to conduct a similar operation should the need arise.
In such situations, there is no substitute for a “terrain walk” so I orchestrated a trip to Beirut to survey the landscape and challenges of a NEO for myself. I approached the trip with an appropriate level of caution, but there were many Americans living and working in Beirut every day. In happier times, “the Paris of the Eastern Mediterranean” was a beautiful and thriving place to live or visit. During the filming of one of my all-time favorite movies, “Lawrence of Arabia”, the 1962 bio-epic of T.E. Lawrence, co-stars Omar Sharif and Peter O’Toole visited the city during breaks from filming in the Jordanian desert. Uncorroborated reports claim that during one long binge, the two actors spent $900,000 enjoying the night life on the “Corniche” of Beirut.
By contrast, my brother-in-law, an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a Vietnam veteran, told stories about serving in Beirut. He survived the embassy bombing in April 1983. The U.S. Embassy was completely destroyed and later, in October 1983, 241 U.S. Marines were killed by a Hezbollah truck bomb that attacked the Marine Barracks in their compound in Beirut.
On our reconnaissance trip, we flew to Beirut in an unobtrusive plain white aircraft and landed at Beirut International Airport. As I debarked the airplane on the tarmac, I was struck by the fact that the airport was practically devoid of other traffic. Furthermore, I noticed CCTV cameras everywhere and felt like I was under continuous surveillance, presumably by both airport personnel and also likely Hezbollah. In a word, it was “creepy.”
We were met by personnel from the U.S. Embassy’s Defense Attaché Office and were driven to the Embassy for meetings with the country team. On the way to the Embassy, while in constant communication with their home base, they changed the route at least once due to the possibility of an “unfriendly” checkpoint. Our hosts knew what I wanted to see and they did their best to accommodate. One of the places they took me was the site of the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, on the Corniche next to the Saint George Hotel. I was struck by the beauty of the Corniche and to me, it legitimized the moniker “the Paris of the East.” the contrast was stark with the 2,000 pounds of TNT that blew up Hariri’s vehicle and left pock marks in the adjacent buildings that were still visible to the naked eye, I realized just how volatile this region had become since the frequent visits of Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif.
During my trip, I also obtained an appreciation of how challenging the safe and professional conduct of a Non-Combatant Evacuation of American citizens would be for Navy and Marine Corps forces regardless of whether or not we faced opposition. Last week, Dataminr reported three alarming updates: (1) Great Britain warned all UK nationals in Lebanon of the pending danger and advised that they evacuate immediately while airports and seaports are still open. (2) Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Admiral Dan Hagari said Israeli aircraft currently patrolling airspace and will not allow “hostile flights with weapons” to land at Beirut Airport. And finally, (3) the U.S. State Department ordered departure of certain employees of American Embassy in Beirut.
It is time to dust off the plans for a NEO and ensure that we incorporate the lessons learned from past operations in order to ensure that American citizens and those of our allies are kept safe, and if necessary evacuated, as this situation escalates The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are present in the theater and will do their best to ensure the restoration of a safe and secure environment while protecting the interests and welfare of American citizens in the region. Steady as she goes America… the Navy’s got your back!