Extended edition: Episode 4-24-23
Good morning, my friends!
Here’s the Monday update for paid subscribers (with a partial preview for free subscribers). This includes a brief round-up of news and some daily motivation.
If you just happened to stumble by, here’s what I’m doing with The View from the Front extended edition.
My name is Stan R. Mitchell and I’m a prior Marine, journalist, and man who loves this country with all of my heart. I also like to focus on covering our military and looming hot spots, while also trying to unite the country as best I can.
I truly do appreciate all my supporters and listeners, and The View from the Front extended edition is just a small way I want to add value and repay those who have signed up as paid subscribers. (And it also is another step forward toward the long-term dream and vision I currently have.)
I will also continue to do my weekly podcast each Thursday.
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In this edition, we cover:
Lots and lots of reporting on the American evacuation of embassy personnel from Sudan.
A sneak peak into the coming Ukrainian spring offensive.
And plenty of motivation and wisdom at the end.
U.S. news:
Special forces swiftly evacuate US embassy staff from Sudan
From the story in the AP:
U.S. special operations forces carried out a precarious evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Sudan on Sunday, sweeping in and out of the capital with helicopters on the ground for less than an hour. No shots were fired and no major casualties were reported.
With the final embassy employee out of Khartoum, the United States shuttered its diplomatic mission indefinitely. Remaining behind in the East African nation are thousands of private American citizens. U.S. officials said it would be too dangerous to carry out a broader evacuation operation.
Battles between two rival Sudanese commanders had forced the closing of the main international airport and left roads out of the country in control of armed fighters. The skirmishes has killed more than 400 people.
The Department of Defense provided quite a bit of detail about the operation:
U.S. forces evacuated just under 100 American staff of the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan yesterday, U.S. government officials said.
President Joe Biden gave the order to evacuate the embassy from the embattled country. A small number of allied diplomats were also evacuated, State Department officials said in a telephonic news conference.
The Defense Department had deployed troops and capabilities to Djibouti just in case there was an order to evacuate the embassy in Khartoum, said Army Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II, the Joint Staff's director of operations. "[Yesterday], the U.S. military evacuated those personnel in support of the State Department closing operations at the Embassy in Khartoum," Sims said. "[Yesterday] at 9 a.m. Eastern, a contingent of U.S. forces lifted off from Djibouti and landed in Ethiopia. The aircraft — including three MH-47 Chinooks refueled in Ethiopia before flying approximately three hours to Khartoum.
"The evacuation was conducted in one movement via rotary wing," Sims continued. "The operation was fast and clean, with service members spending less than an hour on the ground in Khartoum. As we speak, the evacuees are safe and secure."
Sims said there were just over 100 special operations personnel conducting the operation. The U.S. Marine Embassy guards were also evacuated.
"I am proud of the extraordinary commitment of our embassy staff, who performed their duties with courage and professionalism and embodied America's friendship and connection with the people of Sudan," Biden said in a written release. "I am grateful for the unmatched skill of our service members who successfully brought them to safety."
Biden also thanked the governments of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia who aided the U.S. evacuation operation.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said the evacuation was under command of U.S. Africa Command and conducted in close coordination with the U.S. State Department. "I'm proud of our extraordinary service members who executed and supported this operation with outstanding precision and professionalism," he said.
Two other important points from the Dept of Defense.
First, the Marines protecting the embassy have probably had an extremely challenging week, if you want to read into this statement some.
Christopher Maier, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity warfare, praised the Marines who protected and defended the embassy during the past week. "Our Marines who protect many of our embassies overseas do not often get the credit they deserve," he said. "Their courage under duress represents America as its best again in this instance."
Also, this seems relevant: more Americans remain.
There are still American citizens in Sudan. "In the coming days, we will continue to work with the State Department to help American citizens who may want to leave Sudan," Maier said. "One of those ways is to potentially make the overland routes out of Sudan potentially more viable. So, DOD is at present considering actions that may include use of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to be able to observe routes and detect threats."
Most news outlets are stating that 16,000 American citizens — many of them dual nationals, who do not work for the government — remain in Sudan.
Many other countries are trying to evacuate its citizens, including France, Germany, Egypt, China, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and other countries.
The situation remains tenuous as fighting continues in Sudan.
The Washington Post reported that U.S. officials remain anxious.
“I am concerned about the safety and security of U.S. nationals who’ve been serving in humanitarian missions or in other ways across the country,” Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) said Sunday on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.”
“There are quite a few U.S.-Sudanese dual nationals in the country, and the U.N. and the U.S. and a number of other countries will do their best to help return to civilian rule to end the fighting to support a stabilization in Sudan.”
The Post also went into further detail on what led to the government collapse in Sudan.
The scramble to evacuate foreign nationals and diplomatic staff followed Sudan’s collapse into civil conflict, after political tensions between rival generals erupted into violence on April 15. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — widely referred to by his nickname, Hemedti — heads the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group whose origins trace back to the Janjaweed militias that terrorized Darfur. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is the commander of Sudan’s armed forces and the country’s de facto head of state.
Together, the two men seized power in Sudan in 2021, toppling a civilian-led government. In December, under intense diplomatic pressure, they agreed to a draft deal aimed at returning the country to civilian rule. But they clashed over power-sharing and a timeline to integrate Hemedti’s forces into the military; Hemedti wanted a longer timeline to maintain his power base. The final deal was due in April, but instead the two generals went to war.
Now, already, this entire situation has become political.
But here’s the thing. Situations like this can spiral very quickly. And the United Sttates helped arrange a temporary cease fire. Even more complicating, often the U.S. citizens refuse to leave until it’s almost too late. (Humans always expect it won’t be as bad as it often gets.)
Could the State Departement and our military have done more? Sure they couldn’ve. (And they may still do so.)
But here’s a list of warnings and updates about Sudan from the State Department website. Read it before you go assigning blame. (Just click the link and see how long it is…)
These things are never simple, so don’t listen to the bloviating opinion news host or your loud-mouthed friend.
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