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Subscribe to RSSDefense Secretary Leon Panetta signed an order that sends Patriot missiles to NATO ally Turkey to defend its border with Syria. The US will also deploy about 400 Americans to operate the missiles. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.
Updated at 7:20 a.m. ET: INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta signed an order Friday to send two Patriot missile batteries to Turkey to protect it from rounds crossing the border from Syria.
The order includes 400 American personnel to operate the batteries.
"We are deploying two patriot batteries here to Turkey along with the troops that are necessary to man those batteries, so that we can help Turkey have the kind of missile defense it may very well need in dealing with threats that come out of Syria," Panetta told the troops at Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey.
Turkey, a NATO member, has repeatedly scrambled jets along the countries' 560-mile joint frontier and responded in kind when shells from the 20-month-old Syrian conflict came down inside its borders, fanning fears that the civil war could spread to destabilize the region.
Abir Sultan / EPA, file
A Patriot anti-missile battery is shown during joint U.S.-Israeli military exercises near Jerusalem in October. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Friday that the United States had agreed to send two Patriot batteries to NATO ally Turkey to protect from shells crossing over from fighting in neighboring Syria.
Photos: Destruction, resistance in war-torn Syria
The widely expected decision follows similar steps by Germany and the Netherlands, which are also sending Patriot batteries.
The three countries are the only NATO countries with the most modern type of Patriots and each had to approve separately its own commitment.
US: Concerns about chemical weapons
In his most explicit comment so far on intelligence suggesting Syria was considering the use of chemical weapons, Panetta told the troops that U.S. intelligence suggested "they had in fact moved to begin to arm weapons that would involve ... the use of chemical and biological material."
He said that was why President Barack Obama had publicly warned Syria not to use chemical weapons.
Panetta spokesman George Little declined to say where the U.S. Patriot batteries would be located and said the systems would be deployed to Turkey for an unspecified length of time.
The ancient, once-bustling city has been devastated by war and even health clinics are forced to operate in secrecy to avoid being bombed. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
He acknowledged that the move was a symbolic show of force.
"The purpose of this deployment is to signal very strongly that the United States, working closely with our NATO allies, is going to support the defense of Turkey, especially with potential threats emanating from Syria," Little told reporters.
Assad regime losing control of Syria to rebels, his ally Russia says
"We expect them to be deployed in the coming weeks," he added.
Muhammed Muheisen / AP
A look back at the violence that has overtaken the country
NATO approved Turkey's request for air defense batteries on Dec. 4, in a move meant to calm Ankara's fears of an attack, possibly with chemical weapons, from Syria.
The Patriot system is designed to intercept aircraft or missiles. NATO says the measure is purely defensive, but Russia, Syria and Iran have criticized the decision, saying it increases regional instability.
Complete World coverage on NBCNews.com
U.S. troops at the base the Turkish border with Syria asked Panetta whether he believed Assad's government would respond negatively to the new Patriot systems.
"We have to act to do what we have to do to make sure that we defend ourselves and that Turkey can defend itself against that," Panetta said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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This is what Kennedy did back in the early sixty's. Key words-"advisers" Then Jonson took over. Then Nixon. The rest is history.
Of course, we had a few hundred casualties even during "advisor" status in Vietnam. People forget that we suffered our first casualty in Vietnam in 1945 (a US Army MI guy killed by the Viet Minh)
Actually, we were allied with the Viet Minh, and Ho Chi Minh and General Giap in 1945 to oust the Japanese from Hanoi. (was blue on blue) Then, in 1950, ( Aug 3, 1950 to be exact) we sent 127 advisors and support personnel to Saigon and locations in South Vietnam to support the French forces there. The unit formed there in 1950 was called JUSMAAG. (Joint U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group). And, yes, the rest most of you know. But, I agree with Art-98103 in that it always seems to start this way. Look at Africa. First, we go into Djibouti covertly. Then, into Somalia. We know what happened in Somailia. What most dont know is that now we are in Libya, Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Congo, etc.. During Obama's administration, it's going to grow from there most assuredly.
Syria is a prelude to the attack on Iran, Buckle up....
symbolic show of force, what happens next is not going to be good, as long as Obama is calling the shots you can bet that we will not hear the truth about what is really happening.
edit: posted in wrong place
As a member of NATO that shares the availability of nuclear weapons if needed, I hardly think Turkey has anything to worry about..
Here we go again, but don't worry, we can pay for it by cutting from programs for the poor and needy in THIS country
Great, another war. The industrial/military complex sure knows how to run this county regardless of who is President. Maybe they can deploy Petraeus and his guided muscle.
What in hell is Washington doing? Granted, Turkey has some great hash, but how are we supposed to get it to the US? What other reason do we have for incursion into Turkey? Geez.................
Already been there for 60 years or so. No incursion happening.
And, no, actually, Afghanistan has the best hashish. It's called "black afghan". Just not much of it floating around.
Yet another display of people not wanting to take ownership of a situation. Bringing up BUSH and ROMNEY in a story which has nothing to do with them?
Your guy won, people. Remember...forward???
You will reap what you've sowed, sadly. It's begun...
Ya ok, whatever LOL LOL
Not worthy of one LOL, let alone two.
I think it worth three, since it is only you bringing up unrelevent things LOL LOL LOL
OK Ed, tell me, how is posting about Bush and Romney relevant to this story? Ya know, since what I posted was not relevant.
What the heck are you rambling about LOL
One big Question that has not ben answered: Where did Syria obtain those Chemical Weapons??? Possibly from Saddam Hussein??? Maybe John Kerry and Hillary Clinton know. Or maybe even Colin Powell????
The world is full of people willing to spread weapons to make money. It has always been that way throughout history no matter what was going on in America
Answer the question Mr. Ed, is it possible that chemical weapons could have come from Iraq.
Or what Dave?? Am I in trouble then?? Nerws flash, you aren't the boss of me, and I don't take orders from you...however....
There have always been people willing to spread weapons for profit, but they don't tell me first LOL
"You aren't the boss of me" BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
OK, now at least we know what we're dealing with.
By the looks of YOUR post ( BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA )?????, ya, I think we do LOL
No they did not come from Iraq. Probably Iran, maybe Russia or China. Iraq would not give chemical weapons to a neighboring country. This issue is who gets them after the government falls.
We just went through a whole election where the main issue was our country's debt. Now we are talking about going over a cliff. How can we fund an issue such as this? I don't even want to think about the provocation this represents for Russia! We are out of our collective minds!
Not our collective minds, I/we were not asked about sending Patriots, or personnel to Turkey. Panetta talked to Obama, you remember, Mr. Mandate. This is an Obama owned issue, yes as an American I am with him 100%; for further references, it is his call.
Is it possible that the foreign policies of this administration has caused the unrest of the region. I'm just asking.
Is it possible they didn't?? Just asking....
Yup a negative comment about Obama and how he is trying to divert attention from HIS Fiscal Cliff and it gets collapsed.
We have no business sending any troops to any part of that civil war and Turkey is not a friend to the U.S. They demonstrate against us, they hate us, and now we are sending troops and weapons to them. FAT CHANCE.
Those weapons will end up in the hands of the terrorists who are trying to over throw the current government.
JUST like OBAMA secretly sent weapons to them before the election to support the terrorists, now we are sending weapons to them through Turkey.
Obama made it clear who's side he was on in this civil war, and all those weapons that he sent to those terrorists that killed anyone, that blood is on his hands.
Does Obama and the military really think the public is that ignorant that we don't know where those weapons are headed?
Had Obama not stuck his nose into this civil war in the first place it would have ended before it started.
I am sure this comment will also get collapsed or I will be kicked off and punished for speaking out against Obama and his dirty little secret war.
You think we're sending Patriot batteries to the Syrian rebels? Really?
Based on this
I'd say the answer to this question
is yes.
He said that was why President Barack Obama had publicly warned Syria not to use chemical weapons.? The United States is one to warn another country about what arms to use. The dumb ass Yanks should keep their phucking mouths shut and stay out of others affairs. You shiitmongers are still the ONLY country to use any sort of WMD ini the existance of this fine planet. So before you dumb ass yanks open up your shiit hole mouths remember you killed over 400000 people with 1 bomb. Just like Hitler and his henchmen were tried for war crimes so should the pilots and the manufacturers of the atomic bomb stand trial. LOL as if that will ever happen. Your day will come.
quite a lot of anger there. plus factual errors.
You are right , so 300000 people have died from the radiation and immediate deaths from your bombs. Sorry americans are still aholes.
Are you referring to the bombs we dropped on Japan in 1945?
Good point - would it have been a much better idea to kill millions in an invasion or to kill millions by starving them out?
I get that you hate your home country; you've made that abundantly clear over the course of the last two years. But do think things through.
Will McCain and Romney be pleased with this action?
I thought that the voting American public already said what it thought of McCain and Romney. So who really cares if they are pleased?
Nobody cares what Romney thinks anymore. McCain loves foreign wars so I bet he is all for it.
When we needed help in Iraq Turkey helped us not a whit. Why are we helping out future enemies? Edrogan is just as despicable as any other Islamist and has meade Turkey pretty much irrelevent with his active Jew Hating.
Actually, Turkey did in fact help us out in Iraq. We had air bases there and TACCAN sites.
Hey .. aren't we broke?
As soon as we put Michele Obama on a 'no-fly' list so she cant take anymore 3m $$ vacations, I'll believe we're broke. We just gave the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt 1.3 billion dollars (1,300 million). That was after their protestors assaulted our embassy in Cairo in protest. Which was not at all relevant to the incident in Libya. Now, in Turkey, we send a token force to help defend Turkey (who doesn't need our help) so, we can send in 2,800 unknown personnel additionally with the ruse of the 7:1 ration it takes in supporting 1 man in the field with 7 men in support, and then, it gets complicated.
Yes we are.
Hey Obama, if you don't stir it , it don't stink.
Why @#$%!@@##$%#@#$ aren't these Missles set up on the Mexican Border?????? We are protecting every countries Border BUT OUR OWN. Turkey is NO Ally of the U.S. What in the Hell are we doing there?? We keep messing around with these Damned Muslim countries. This is what we get for YOU people electing Muslim Obama.
Are you afraid of Mexico shooting missiles at us? Really.
Turkey is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and as such is, by definition, our ally.
I'd tell you to try to keep up, but your "Muslim Obama" comment proves you deserve to be left behind.
Can't help but wonder what company makes Patriot Missiles and how many of our politicians own stock in the company. Whoever they are, they should've jumped on board when Cheney and Rumsfeld and Bush were buying it up. Business is good.
Raytheon. You can buy stock too.
why does the US have to provide this. Isn't Russia over there, China over there, the EU over there. Why do we have to do it?
Good Morning Everyone!
That's why I learned to go to other news sites to get my information and figured it out for myself of what's really going on. I may have this a little bit off because its going from memory from the other day but bbcnews did have a story that Syria was building railroad car style containers for gas.
I have visited IsraelNationalNews and news sources from Palestine and they have a lot more of whats going on then what we are told.
I have learned more about what is happening in the world from visiting other countries news web sites and its amazing what were not told. Yet we have freedom of the press.
Your right - this is all about getting control of the saran gas after the government collapses.
You mean like Germany and the Netherlands? Did you even read the article?
Russia has had war ships off the Gaza coast for several weeks now and I don't think China is involved yet but if Egypt gets more involved China will probably back them.
There's a 'saying' on Capitol Hill that all 535 of our politicans are fully aware of and chuckle about it all the time. Because, it's the only thing they've found that all 535 can agree upon. That saying is, "All we have to do is keep 85% of the peasants out their bu!!shi!!ed and we can have our party anyway we want it."
You mean the 51%
It doesn't look like we the people can do anything about this so we may as well sit back and enjoy the fireworks.
WHAT THE HELL!!! I CAN'T afford anymore of my tax money to go somewhere else. The US needs to STAY OUT of everyone else's business.
Gas chambers are being built by Syria, this can't be allowed. The President was right in waiting until now to make any move.
I'm not remotely buying the gas chamber story, sorry.
randomreturn
Go to bbcnews or IsraelNationalNews and you'll read about it.
Found nothing on BBC nor on israelnationalnews; got a link?
And what would be the point of gas-chamber train cars anyway?
randomreturn
It would have been just a few days ago, but they say they're building them for natural gas but would you really believe them? For me even for the article about it I read show more proof than photo's
In addition to not believing that Syria is building gas chamber train cars, I'm having a hard time imagining a useful military purpose for them. They tend to just shoot people, behead people or torture them to death in Syria. I can't think of why they'd waste the money to build such things and on whom they'd use them.