Little-Acorn
Gold Member
Remind me again, what the downside to the United States would be, if Obama simply cancelled the trip due to excessive cost?
How, exactly, would our country be worse off?
Alternatively, could we save some money if we made the trip one-way? The article mentions long-term accommodations available on Robben Island.
That alone might make the expenditure worth it.
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Document: Major resources needed for Obama Africa trip - The Washington Post
Document: Major resources needed for Obama Africa trip
By Carol D. Leonnig and David Nakamura
Published: June 13
When President Obama makes his first extended trip to sub-Saharan Africa this month, the federal agencies charged with keeping him safe wont be taking any chances.
Hundreds of U.S. Secret Service agents will be dispatched to secure facilities in Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania. A Navy aircraft carrier or amphibious ship, with a fully staffed medical trauma center, will be stationed offshore in case of an emergency.
Military cargo planes will airlift in 56 support vehicles, including 14 limousines and three trucks loaded with sheets of bullet*proof glass to cover the windows of the hotels where the first family will stay. Fighter jets will fly in shifts, giving 24-hour coverage over the presidents airspace, so they can intervene quickly if an errant plane gets too close.
The elaborate security provisions which will cost the government tens of millions of dollars are outlined in a confidential internal planning document obtained by The Washington Post. While the preparations appear to be in line with similar travels in the past, the document offers an unusual glimpse into the colossal efforts to protect the U.S. commander in chief on trips abroad.
The first family is making back-to-back stops from June 26 to July 3 in three countries where U.S. officials are providing nearly all the resources, rather than depending heavily on local police forces, military authorities or hospitals for assistance.
The president and first lady had also planned to take a Tanzanian safari as part of the trip, which would have required the presidents special counterassault team to carry sniper rifles with high-caliber rounds that could neutralize cheetahs, lions or other animals if they became a threat, according to the planning document.
But officials said Thursday that the safari had been canceled in favor of a trip to Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, where Nelson Mandela was held as a political prisoner.
Internal administration documents circulated in April show that the Obama family was scheduled to go to both Robben Island and the safari park, according to a person familiar with the plans.
Many details about foreign presidential trips are classified for national security reasons, and there is little public information about overall costs. A report from the Government Accountability Office found that Clintons 1998 trip to six African nations cost the U.S. government at least $42.7 million.
Obamas trip could cost the federal government $60 million to $100 million based on the costs of similar African trips in recent years, according to one person familiar with the journey, who was not authorized to speak for attribution.
How, exactly, would our country be worse off?
Alternatively, could we save some money if we made the trip one-way? The article mentions long-term accommodations available on Robben Island.
That alone might make the expenditure worth it.
-----------------------------------------
Document: Major resources needed for Obama Africa trip - The Washington Post
Document: Major resources needed for Obama Africa trip
By Carol D. Leonnig and David Nakamura
Published: June 13
When President Obama makes his first extended trip to sub-Saharan Africa this month, the federal agencies charged with keeping him safe wont be taking any chances.
Hundreds of U.S. Secret Service agents will be dispatched to secure facilities in Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania. A Navy aircraft carrier or amphibious ship, with a fully staffed medical trauma center, will be stationed offshore in case of an emergency.
Military cargo planes will airlift in 56 support vehicles, including 14 limousines and three trucks loaded with sheets of bullet*proof glass to cover the windows of the hotels where the first family will stay. Fighter jets will fly in shifts, giving 24-hour coverage over the presidents airspace, so they can intervene quickly if an errant plane gets too close.
The elaborate security provisions which will cost the government tens of millions of dollars are outlined in a confidential internal planning document obtained by The Washington Post. While the preparations appear to be in line with similar travels in the past, the document offers an unusual glimpse into the colossal efforts to protect the U.S. commander in chief on trips abroad.
The first family is making back-to-back stops from June 26 to July 3 in three countries where U.S. officials are providing nearly all the resources, rather than depending heavily on local police forces, military authorities or hospitals for assistance.
The president and first lady had also planned to take a Tanzanian safari as part of the trip, which would have required the presidents special counterassault team to carry sniper rifles with high-caliber rounds that could neutralize cheetahs, lions or other animals if they became a threat, according to the planning document.
But officials said Thursday that the safari had been canceled in favor of a trip to Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, where Nelson Mandela was held as a political prisoner.
Internal administration documents circulated in April show that the Obama family was scheduled to go to both Robben Island and the safari park, according to a person familiar with the plans.
Many details about foreign presidential trips are classified for national security reasons, and there is little public information about overall costs. A report from the Government Accountability Office found that Clintons 1998 trip to six African nations cost the U.S. government at least $42.7 million.
Obamas trip could cost the federal government $60 million to $100 million based on the costs of similar African trips in recent years, according to one person familiar with the journey, who was not authorized to speak for attribution.
