01 June 2010

US Military Doesn't Want Control of Gulf Oil Spill

The US Military is rejecting (and outright running from) the growing call for them to take over fighting the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said they had no more tactics left in their arsenal following BP’s latest failure to plug the leak.
Responding to calls for the armed forces to take control of the oil spill disaster, Mr Mullen said: “We’ve looked at that continuously since the leak started – whether or not we would have submersibles that could go do this.

“And the fact is the best technology in the world, with respect to that, exists in the oil industry.”

President Barack Obama is facing increasing criticism over his handling of the environmental catastrophe, which occurred when BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, causing a well more than a mile under the surface to rupture pumping millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

James Carville, a leading Democratic strategist, said: “This is literally a war we are in. Foreign substances are invading our coastline.”

Meanwhile, Louisiana Senator David Vitter added: “We need the federal response to really get with it and go on a wartime footing.”

More than 1,400 members of the US coast guard have been mobilised to help with the clean up operation in the gulf region, but Mr Mullen said there was little the armed forces could do to stop the leak help and the best chance remained with BP’s engineers.

Mr Mullen said: “We actually have been involved, but we have not been the lead. Any change with respect to the lead would be a decision the president would have to make.”


To be fair, the military doesn't have the ability to fight this thing. They don't have the equipment, technical knowledge, or expertise to do this. It just ain't their game.

By: Brant

1 comment:

Steve said...

Ummm, other than nuke it, what the hell would you have the military do???

And, I have to say it....

"Surge in Afghanistan? Send in the oil industry!"