Benghazi attack puts spotlight on Marine embassy guards.

• Author: Parsons, Dan
• Position: Training + Simulation

When the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was overrun on Sept. 11, public outcry erupted over whether security at the installation was sufficient.

Much of the confusion surrounded the perceived role of Marine Embassy Security Guards, who it turned out were not present at the time of the attack. A quick-response force was sent to the consulate following the incident, but no Marines are currently stationed there, according to U.S. officials.

Had Marines been present, it is likely they could have minimized the damage and loss of life, security experts have said. The attack has been variously described as a protest-turned-violent-riot and a coordinated military-style assault. The troops chosen for embassy guard duty train for both scenarios, as well as everything else that could conceivably happen at the 285 such installations that span the globe.

Officials involved with the Marine Embassy Security Group said the confusion underscores a common misperception. Most Americans are aware that Marines are tasked with protecting U.S. diplomatic installations abroad, but few understand their duties in times of crisis.

"First of all, Marines do protect U.S. facilities abroad, but they are not at every embassy and consulate around the world," a former Marine embassy guard, who asked not to be named because of the current controversy, said. "The State Department decides where to send them."

While Marines could have provided an extra line of defense for personnel within the Benghazi consulate, that is not their primary objective.

They are under order first to protect sensitive information "in order to prevent the compromise of classified material vital to the national security of the United States," reads a statement from the security group headquarters. "The secondary mission of the MSG is to provide protection for U.S. citizens and U.S government property located within designated U.S. diplomatic and consular premises during exigent circumstances (urgent temporary circumstances which require immediate aid or action)."

The host nation is responsible for security beyond the facility's walls.

The Marine Embassy Security Group, overseeing Marines at 148 embassies out of the 285 U.S. diplomatic installations, is headquartered at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.

The group oversees more than 1,200 Marines stationed throughout the world at security detachments and regional headquarters. The headquarters in Quantico has a complement of about 150 Marines and...