Tuesday
Jul182006
Pentagon Update
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 3:00AM
By Wendy Wang
Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman confirmed that a contracted cruise ship, the Orient Queen is on its way to the Mediterranean area, though he cannot confirm that it has docked at Lebanon ports, to evacuate Americans stranded in the region. Commercial chartered vessels, capable of holder larger number of passengers will be the primary means of evacuation though military vessels will also be onsite to help the process. The State department is in contract negotiations with commercial vessels for this endeavor.
Air evacuations, on military aircrafts are continuing and are used for special needs individuals who cannot endure a 5 day ocean trip. Six CH-53 aircrafts are operating and 3 more are expected to join the evacuation process. Yesterday 40 people were evacuated by air and so far 60 have been transported today though more are expected to leave throughout the day.
Whitman says that the State Department wants to ensure the safe, deliberate and orderly evacuation of Americans, in response to criticism that the US was slow to act compared to its European counterparts. He says that the DOD is determined to ensure the safe passage of evacuees. He would not say if uniformed US personnel is currently onboard the Orient Queen or other contract vessels. There are no reports of attacks on evacuation transportations, though Whitman says the US military is closely monitoring the evacuation process and committed to ensuring the safety of evacuees.
It is not known how many plans to stay in the region though the ground situation may convince more people to leave. Whitman would not speak on Hezbollah's capability and its threat to US presence in the region as a matter of intelligence. He also would not indicate if the US was in communication with Israel to hold fire on a region where Americans are evacuating. Whitman stated simply that he would not get into a discussion on the Israel blockade of Lebanese ports, and the US reliance on sea vessels to evacuate its nationals. He would only say that they are monitoring the situation in the region.
Reimbursement for evacuation transportation will be determined by the State department. Currently the DOD is not known to make a distinction between US citizens waiting to leave the region with that of other nationals. They are filling requirements set by the State Department.
Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman confirmed that a contracted cruise ship, the Orient Queen is on its way to the Mediterranean area, though he cannot confirm that it has docked at Lebanon ports, to evacuate Americans stranded in the region. Commercial chartered vessels, capable of holder larger number of passengers will be the primary means of evacuation though military vessels will also be onsite to help the process. The State department is in contract negotiations with commercial vessels for this endeavor.
Air evacuations, on military aircrafts are continuing and are used for special needs individuals who cannot endure a 5 day ocean trip. Six CH-53 aircrafts are operating and 3 more are expected to join the evacuation process. Yesterday 40 people were evacuated by air and so far 60 have been transported today though more are expected to leave throughout the day.
Whitman says that the State Department wants to ensure the safe, deliberate and orderly evacuation of Americans, in response to criticism that the US was slow to act compared to its European counterparts. He says that the DOD is determined to ensure the safe passage of evacuees. He would not say if uniformed US personnel is currently onboard the Orient Queen or other contract vessels. There are no reports of attacks on evacuation transportations, though Whitman says the US military is closely monitoring the evacuation process and committed to ensuring the safety of evacuees.
It is not known how many plans to stay in the region though the ground situation may convince more people to leave. Whitman would not speak on Hezbollah's capability and its threat to US presence in the region as a matter of intelligence. He also would not indicate if the US was in communication with Israel to hold fire on a region where Americans are evacuating. Whitman stated simply that he would not get into a discussion on the Israel blockade of Lebanese ports, and the US reliance on sea vessels to evacuate its nationals. He would only say that they are monitoring the situation in the region.
Reimbursement for evacuation transportation will be determined by the State department. Currently the DOD is not known to make a distinction between US citizens waiting to leave the region with that of other nationals. They are filling requirements set by the State Department.
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