The U.S. Public Message On Yemen Is In Disarray

Zack Beauchamp, VOX: These Obama administration quotes about Yemen are almost too cringe-worthy to read

Yemen is descending into chaos — and the Obama administration's response, at least in its public statements about the crisis, has been a total mess.

The central Yemeni government, which the US had relied on to fight the al-Qaeda branch in Yemen's south, has been deposed by Shia rebels. On March 25, a Saudi-led coalition began bombing those rebels, called the Houthis, in order to stop their advance. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are warning they may invade, and Yemen's president has fled the country.

If this sounds like a disaster, that's because it is. The Obama administration, which just earlier this week was touting its "Yemen model" as a success in counterterrorism strategy, has not been eager to own up to the country's disintegration. And that has come out in a series of muddled, highly cringe-worthy statements given to the press to explain how the US is handling the crisis. It will not leave you feeling confident in the administration's grasp of what to do about Yemen's chaos.

WNU Editor: The quote that is the "Poster Child" to me on how confused the White House is on the Yemen crisis came from the White House Press Secretary two days ago .... White House: Yemen Is Still A Successful Model For Counterterrorism.

What Is The U.S. Military And Political Role In The Yemen War

Dan Lamonthe, Washington Post: How U.S. weapons will play a huge role in Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen

Yemen spiraled further into chaos on Wednesday night, with a Saudi Arabia-led Arab coalition launching a military intervention marked by airstrikes by dozens of fighter jets and the deployment of thousands of ground troops and tanks on its Yemeni border. U.S. officials said they will offer intelligence and logistical support to the Saudis, but that’s really only a piece of it: The Saudi military is equipped with billions of dollars in advanced American-made weapons.

Between October 2010 and October 2014, Washington and Riyadh reached more than $90 billion in weapons deals, according to a report published in January by the Congressional Research Service. The sales have included everything from war planes to armored vehicles, along with powerful missiles and bombs.

More News On The U.S. Military And Political Role In The Yemen War

Officials: Saudi-led action in Yemen relied heavily on U.S. intelligence -- Washington Post
US Warships in Red Sea Ready to Respond in Yemen - CENTCOM -- Sputnik
US Weighs Tanker, Radar Planes for Saudi Yemen Op -- Defense News/AFP
US offering logistical, intel support to Saudi airstrikes in Yemen -- The Hill
U.S. Backs Saudi-Led Yemeni Bombing With Logistics, Spying -- Bloomberg
U.S. Confirms It Is Supporting Saudi Military Operations In Yemen -- NPR
US Seeking Political Solution in Yemen, Despite Unrest -- VOA
U.S. Role in Middle East Revamped as Chaos Engulfs Yemen -- WSJ
What just happened in Yemen is 'a nightmare' for the US military -- Armin Rosen, Business Insider

White House: Yemen Is Still A Successful Model For Counterterrorism

ABC News: White House Continues to Back Yemen as Model For Successful Counterterrorism

The White House continues to hail Yemen -- a country that is descending into chaos -- as a model for fighting extremism, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said today.

“The White House does continue to believe that a successful counter-terrorism strategy is one that will build up the capacity of the central government to have local fighters on the ground to take the fight to extremists in their own country,” Earnest told reporters at the White House. “That is a template that has succeeded in mitigating the threat that we face from extremists in places like Yemen.”

President Obama has long pointed to the counterterrorism campaign in Yemen as a model for the fight against ISIS.

“This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years,” Obama said in September as he outlined his strategy to degrade and destroy ISIS.

WNU Editor: WTF !?!?!?!

Iran-Backed Houti Rebels In Yemen Loot Secret Files About U.S. Spy Operations And Informants

L.A. Times: Iran-backed rebels loot Yemen files about U.S. spy operations

Secret files held by Yemeni security forces that contain details of American intelligence operations in the country have been looted by Iran-backed militia leaders, exposing names of confidential informants and plans for U.S.-backed counter-terrorism strikes, U.S. officials say.

U.S. intelligence officials believe additional files were handed directly to Iranian advisors by Yemeni officials who have sided with the Houthi militias that seized control of Sana, the capital, in September, which led the U.S.-backed president to flee to Aden.

For American intelligence networks in Yemen, the damage has been severe. Until recently, U.S. forces deployed in Yemen had worked closely with President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi’s government to track and kill Al Qaeda operatives, and President Obama had hailed Yemen last fall as a model for counter-terrorism operations elsewhere.

Update: Yemen rebels gained access to secret US files – report -- RT

WNU Editor: The bad news from Yemen just keeps on getting worse.

US Counter-Terrorism Strategy In Yemen Has Collapsed

Washington Times: Yemen chaos leaves U.S. intel in the dark on al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

Yemen’s descent into political chaos makes it the latest Mideast nation too dangerous for U.S. officials to operate in — a development intelligence sources say will dangerously limit America’s ability to track and target al Qaeda and other extremist terror movements in the region.

While some Obama administration critics see the military triumphs of Shiite Muslim Houthi rebels in Yemen as a victory by the region’s Shiite powerhouse, Iran, others say the more dangerous fallout will be the loss of real-time intelligence and on-the-ground assets following the withdrawal of U.S. special forces from a Yemeni air base that has long played a key role in the battle against Sunni extremist al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

WNU Editor: Even the base that U.S. Special Forces used in launching drone strikes and other military operations against Al Qaeda has fallen .... Yemeni President Flees as Rebels Take Base Vacated by U.S. Special Forces (Time).

More News On The Collapse Of U.S. Counter-Terrorism Strategy In Yemen

US counterterror strategy in Yemen collapses as country's violence spins out of control -- FOX News
US counterterrorism strategy in Yemen collapses amid chaos -- AP
Chaos in Yemen Stymies U.S. Counterterror Operations -- WSJ
CIA insider: U.S. intelligence to suffer from troop withdrawal in Yemen -- CBS
Homeland Security chairman: US blind in Yemen after pullout -- The Hill
No U.S. intelligence in Yemen or Syria, Homeland Security chairman warns -- Washington Examiner

Update: White House responds .... White House: Despite Yemen Withdrawal, U.S. Can Still Fight Terror (Washington Free Beacon/Reuters).

A Tabulation Of What The U.S. Lost When They Admitted That $500 Million In Weapons Given To Yemen Had Disappeared

Zero Hedge: US "Loses" $500 Million In Weapons Given To Yemen, Now In Al-Qaeda Hands

Nobody could have possibly foreseen that yet another US foreign diplomacy "success story" would turn out to be an epic disaster. Well, nobody, except for those who accurately predict that every US intervention abroad is now a staggering fiasco (for everyone involved except the US military-industrial complex of course). As for Yemen, the outcome was clear long ago:

• Yemen's US-Backed Government & President Resign
• Obama's "Partners" In Yemen Overthrown As Presidential Palace Falls To Local Militiamen
• Deserted US Embassy In Yemen Immediately Seized By Armed Rebels
• The Coup Is Complete: US Embassy In Yemen Shutting Down, Ambassador To Leave By Wednesday

And, naturally, after noting that "the employees said that more than 20 vehicles were taken by the fighters after the Americans departed from Sanaa's airport" we asked how long until we have a "tabulation of losses to US taxpayers, just like the great Islamic State 'robbery' of hundreds of millions in US military equipment in Iraq?" That, of course, was another epic US intervention success story.
Anyway, thanks to WaPo we have an answer: according to Jeff Bezos' recent media acquisition, "the Pentagon is unable to account for more than $500 million in U.S. military aid given to Yemen." 

Previous Post: U.S. Loses Track Of $500 Million In Weapons Given To Yemen

WNU Editor: A no one in Washington has been held responsible for this fiasco.

U.S. Evacuating The Last Of Its Special Operations Forces Out Of Yemen

CNN: Sources: U.S. pulling last of its Special Operations forces out of Yemen

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN)The U.S. military is in the process of evacuating about 100 Special Operations forces members from the Al Anad airbase in Yemen due to that country's deteriorating security situation, sources in the region familiar with the situation told CNN.

Those being evacuated are the last American troops stationed in the Arab nation, which is home to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the terrorist group also known as AQAP. The United States closed its embassy in Sanaa last month, after Houthi rebels took over the Yemeni capital.

For years, the U.S. military has worked closely with Yemen's government to go after AQAP though that cooperation has been beset by troubles. These include the rise of the Houthis, their battles with forces loyal to ousted President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi and the presence of not only al Qaeda fighters but other militants.

WNU Editor: Al Anad is the largest and most important air base in Yemen .... its fall to militants would be the final nail in the coffin for U.S. counter-terrorism efforts against Al Qaeda in Yemen.

U.S. Loses Track Of $500 Million In Weapons Given To Yemen

U.S. firearms supplied to the Interior Ministry in Yemen, which has received $500 million in aid from the United States since 2007 under an array of Defense Department and State Department programs. (Government Accountability Office)

Washington Post: Pentagon loses track of $500 million in weapons, equipment given to Yemen

The Pentagon is unable to account for more than $500 million in U.S. military aid given to Yemen, amid fears that the weaponry, aircraft and equipment is at risk of being seized by Iranian-backed rebels or al-Qaeda, according to U.S. officials.

With Yemen in turmoil and its government splintering, the Defense Department has lost its ability to monitor the whereabouts of small arms, ammunition, night-vision goggles, patrol boats, vehicles and other supplies donated by the United States. The situation has grown worse since the United States closed its embassy in Sanaa, the capital, last month and withdrew many of its military advisers.

Update #1: U.S. Weapons Worth $500 Million Vanish in Yemen -- Fiscal Times
Update #2: Pentagon loses track of $500 million in military aid to Yemen, officials say -- FOX News

WNU Editor: I guess it is safe to assume that the extremists in Yemen now have the weapons that they need to continue their war within Yemen .... and maybe abroad.

Former Commander Of U.S. Special Operations In Yemen: 'Counterterrorism Strategy In Yemen A Fantasy'

The Hill: Navy SEAL: Light counterterrorism strategy in Yemen 'a fantasy'

A Navy SEAL captain and former commander of a special operations team in Yemen said in a recent interview that a U.S. counterterrorism approach there reliant on drone strikes and special operations raids is a "fantasy."

"The solution that some people champion where the main or whole effort is drone strikes and special operations raids — is a fantasy," said Capt. Robert Newson in a Feb. 27 piece in the CTC Sentinel, published by the U.S. Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center.

WNU Editor: The full transcript of this interview is here. What is my take .... Yemen is a significant U.S. counter-terrorism strategy failure .... and no one in the government is acknowledging it.

Report: Sensitive Information And Emails Exposed After U.S. Embassy Evacuation From Yemen

FOX News: Emails reveal sensitive info left exposed after US pullout from Yemen

Internal State Department emails reviewed by Fox News reveal that as security unraveled in Yemen, U.S. personnel were scrambling to finalize their exit plan and were so uncertain about what would happen that procedures for safeguarding sensitive information were bypassed -- with permission from Washington.

Update: U.S. embassy evacuation from Yemen left sensitive information exposed: emails -- Washington Times

WNU Editor: I was always led to believe that every U.S. embassy has a plan on what to do when the evacuation order comes in. Apparently .... if these reports are true .... the only plan they have is to make it "on the fly" and in complete panic mode.

Top U.S. Counter-Terrorism Official Admits That The U.S. Was Surprised By The Collapse Of The Yemen Government

AP: US official: US was surprised by collapse of Yemen govt

WNU Editor: In a matter of a few days the following has happened .... the UN chief is saying that Yemen is falling apart and is now at the brink of civil war, the U.S. embassy is evacuated, U.S. Marines are ordered to destroy their weapons, and Al Qaeda seizes a military base with its weapons and equipment. And the response from the Obama administration's senior counter-terrorism official is that "they were surprised"?!?!?!! I am still trying to digest the fact that someone ordered the U.S. Marines to destroy their weapons .... which when you take a second to think about it is beyond incomprehensible (where was that rapid reaction force that they are always talking about?) .... but when the top counter-terrorism official admits that he does not know what is happening .... that is when you know that you have a serious problem.

U.S. Marines Destroyed Their Weapons Before Leaving Yemen (Not Surrendering Them As Originally Reported)

Hot Air: Report: State Department ordered U.S. Marines to disarm during Yemen embassy evacuation

So claims Megyn Kelly in the clip below, citing a defense source. Question: Did State issue that order because it wanted to, or because it felt it had to?

Houthi rebels took all U.S. Embassy vehicles parked at the Yemeni capital’s airport and wouldn’t let departing U.S. Marines take their weapons with them, a top Sanaa airport official said about the latest evidence of unrest in an Arab nation long seen as key in America’s fight against terrorists…

WNU Editor: I suspect that this is something that the Marines did not want to do .... that someone had to order them to do it ... and my betting is that it was the State Department.

Previous Post: U.S. Marines Surender Their Weapons To The Rebels In Yemen

More News On Reports That The U.S. Marines in Yemen Destroyed Their Weapons (Not Surrendering Them) As Originally Reported

Marines provide new details about Yemen evacuation -- Marine Times
Official: No operational USMC weapons left behind in Yemen embassy evacuation -- Marine Times
Marines destroy weapons before leaving Yemen -- Stars and Stripes
U.S. Marines say they destroyed weapons before leaving Yemen -- Reuters
US denies reports on Yemen rebels seizing weapons from Marines -- Naval Technology
Marine Corps: Marines Did Not Turn Over Weapons to Anyone, Says Crew-Served Weapons Were Destroyed at Embassy -- FOX News

U.S. Marines Surender Their Weapons To The Rebels In Yemen

CNN: Official: Houthis take U.S. vehicles, weapons in Yemen

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN)Houthi rebels took all U.S. Embassy vehicles parked at the Yemeni capital's airport and wouldn't let departing U.S. Marines take their weapons with them, a top Sanaa airport official said about the latest evidence of unrest in an Arab nation long seen as key in America's fight against terrorists.

WNU Editor: For a U.S. Marine this must be humiliating. Reports are also coming out that the U.S. embassy has been looted .... if true .... expect even more disturbing images to be released soon.

Citing Growing Unrest, U.S. Closes Its Embassy In Yemen And Orders Its Ambassador To Leave

A general view of the U.S. embassy compound in Sanaa (Reuters)

Reuters: United States closing its embassy in conflict-hit Yemen

The United States is closing its embassy in Yemen, the Arabian penninsula state where a rebel group has seized control of the capital, embassy employees and a U.S. official in Washington said on Tuesday.

WNU Editor: This is what happens when U.S. foreign policy in a country completely and utterly fails .... you close up shop and run away.

More News On The U.S. Closing Its Embassy In Yemen By Wednesday

Officials: US closing embassy in Yemen due to unrest -- AP
US closes Yemen embassy and orders ambassador to leave -- Al Jazeera
US embassy in Yemen closing by Wednesday – sources -- RT
US Embassy in Yemen to Close -- Sputnik
U.S. Embassy in Yemen Is Closed: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know -- Heavy.com

Are U.S. Soldiers Heading To Yemen?

Paul Rogers, New Republic: Will Obama Put Boots on the Ground in Yemen?

WNU Editor: When I first read the title of this article .... the first thing that popped into my head was that NO WAY will the U.S. send "boots on the ground" .... especially into the mess that is Yemen today. But after reading it I will grudgingly concede that Paul Rogers does make a case that since everyone is now accepting the premise that current U.S. policy has failed in Yemen .... the options are now either (1) to leave and let the situation work itself out, or (2) escalate U.S. involvement. If what is happening in Iraq/Syria is any indication .... and with Republicans like Sen. McCain now in control of the Senate .... expect the White House to escalate U.S. military/CIA involvement in Yemen.

Update: The above video is from CNN (5 days ago), and they are reporting that U.S. policy will not change .... but may in fact increase.

U.S. Official: U.S. Counterterrorism Operations With Yemen Are Now Suspended

Washington Post: U.S. counterterrorism operations with Yemen suspended, officials say

Update: U.S. counter-terror ops 'paralyzed' in Yemen (Reuters)

WNU Editor: Just this afternoon White House spokesman Josh Earnest reiterated that the U.S.-Yemen counterterrorism partnership will continue even amid all of this political chaos. Now .... a few hours later .... U.S. officials are saying that "some counter-terrorism" operations will be suspended .... Some counter-terrorism efforts in Yemen frozen for now - U.S. officials (Reuters). What's my take .... these counter terrorism operations are over, and for groups like Al Qaeda .... they are now positioned to establish safe-havens that will not be continuously attacked by Yemeni/U.S. forces and CIA drone strikes. The above PBS video provides a good analysis on what is happening in Yemen, what may be the future for that country, and why this implosion is dangerous for the U.S..

U.S. Evacuates More Of Their Embassy Personel From Yemen

Reuters: U.S. pulls more staff from Yemen embassy amid deepening crisis

WNU Editor: It appears that the Pentagon wants to pull out everyone .... but the White House wants to keep the embassy operational as long as possible .... CNN: Pentagon Pushing for Evacuation of US Embassy in Yemen Before Situation Worsens (Breitbart).

More News On The U.S. Evacuation Of Its Embassy In Yemen

State Department Reduces US Embassy Personnel in Yemen -- ABC News/AP
US pulls more personnel from Yemen embassy -- FOX News
State Department quickly pulls staff from Yemeni embassy as U.S.-backed president resigns and 'anti-American' rebels take power -- Daily Mail/Reuters
U.S. Downsizes Yemen Embassy Staff as Crisis Builds -- Time
US State Department to Further Reduce Embassy Staff in Yemen -- Sputnik
Pentagon in position to evacuate U.S. Embassy in Yemen -- CNN
U.S. Embassy in Yemen 'Not as Risk' From Houthi Rebels: Officials -- NBC

BREAKING: Two U.S. Navy Warships Have Positioned Themselves Off The Coast Of Yemen To Evacuate The U.S. Embassy

CNN: Pentagon in position to evacuate U.S. Embassy in Yemen

Update: US Senator Dianne Feinstein .... the Democratic vice-chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence .... is now demanding the immediate evacuation of the U.S. embassy .... Feinstein: Evacuate Yemen Embassy Now (Josh Rogin, Bloomberg).

WNU Editor: Shiite radical rebels backed by Iran have violently taken control of the capital city .... it does not take a security specialists to know that the U.S. embassy is probably under threat right now. But here is an easy prediction .... with President Obama's State of the Union Address only a few hours away .... there is going to be no evacuation of the embassy. The optics of a President giving such a speech while U.S. helicopters are landing on the US embassy grounds to evacuate U.S. personnel will be .... to put it bluntly .... a signature moment of his Presidency that he will never be able to shake.