FOXNews.com: BENGHAZI FALLOUT: Panetta Defends Military Response to Deadly Attack

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BENGHAZI FALLOUT: Panetta Defends Military Response to Deadly Attack Feb 7th 2013, 15:50 Defense Secretary Leon Panetta staunchly defended the U.S. military response to the terror attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi last September, saying at a hearing Thursday that the difficulty in dispatching assets to the scene was "a problem of distance and time."   Responding to long-running questions about whether more military assets could have been dispatched to protect those under fire in Libya on Sept. 11, Panetta claimed there simply wasn't enough time to do more.  "There was not enough time given the speed of the attack for armed military assets to respond," he said before the Senate Armed Services Committee. "We were not dealing with a prolonged or continuous assault which could have been brought to an end by a U.S. military response. ... Time, distance, the lack of an adequate warning, events that moved very quickly on the ground prevented a more immediate response."  Still, he said the Pentagon "spared no effort ... to save American lives." Panetta, in what may be his final public appearance on Capitol Hill as he prepares to leave the department, was testifying along with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey.  The secretary's testimony on Benghazi was long-sought by Republican lawmakers. After then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified last month, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham demanded that Panetta be brought before the Senate -- threatening to hold up the nomination of his prospective replacement Chuck Hagel over the issue.  Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., announced last week that Panetta would testify.  Graham made clear Thursday he would have plenty of questions for the secretary. "How could these people be left undefended for seven hours on 9/11?" he said on Fox News.  Panetta, in his testimony, detailed the military response on the day and night of the attack.  As Fox News has previously reported, he said an unarmed, unmanned drone was positioned overhead the Benghazi compound.  But he said armed aircraft like AC-130 gunships would have taken too long to get there -- "at least nine to 12 hours if not more to deploy."  "This was, pure and simple ... a problem of distance and time," he said.  Panetta said he also directed that a Marine Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team stationed in Spain prepare to deploy in addition to a second FAST platoon; a special operations force in Central Europe prepare to deploy to a staging base in Southern Europe; and a special ops force in the U.S. similarly prepare to deploy to Southern Europe.  As for what was happening in Libya, he claimed the "quickest response" was the Tripoli-based team of six people which was sent to Benghazi.  "Members of this team, along with others at the annex facility, provided emergency medical assistance and supported the evacuation of all personnel. Only 12 hours after the attacks had begun, all remaining U.S. government personnel had been safely evacuated from Benghazi," he said.  Since the September assault, some have questioned whether enough was done to protect those at the consulate and CIA annex in Benghazi. Four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed that night.  There have been questions about the perceived delays CIA officials -- stationed in Benghazi -- encountered that night and their frustration that air support was not sent from nearby Sigonella air base. In recent weeks, Fox News has learned that the rescue unit that left Tripoli was told that air support would be above when they landed in Benghazi, but it wasn't.

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