I feel real sorry for the Operational Planners.

1. In an area thick with poorly controlled hostile forces with everything from snipers to ATGM, how do you work this force protection problem?

2. What are your ROE if you take fire? What if you are confronted with a wave of people wanting refuge on the ship? What if ship’s company goes missing ashore?

3. This is at the far end of the Mediterranean…in spring. Storm season is past, so hopefully the weather will cooperate.

I almost made this post about what a bad idea this was, but the die is cast and all we can do now is trust that those tasked with planning will do the best they can with what they’ve been provided, and those who have to execute the mission are both good and lucky. Such activities, from Lebanon to Libya, do not turn out all that well in this part of the world. A lot can and will happen in the weeks it will take to get there, so perhaps fate will help.