The U.S. now has boots on the ground in Libya, albeit not many.
Four members of the U.S. military are accompanying State Department personnel as part of an effort to determine when the American embassy in the country should be re-opened, according to the Defense Department.
The four arrived over the weekend and are reportedly armed for their personal protection. The team includes two explosive ordnance specialists who are on hand due to concerns over hazards posed by remaining munitions in the area.
The Defense Department maintains that this is the only on-ground involvement from the U.S. military currently in the pipeline and emphasized that their entry into the country does not signal any significant change in U.S. policy.