Mike Glover: We Had Units Ready to Save Ambassador Stevens - They Were Shut Down

About this video

Ritland recounts standing up a Special Forces contingency response unit for Africa and his deployment to Libya just before the 2012 Benghazi attack. He describes having advance intelligence about deteriorating security, witnessing the attack unfold remotely, and his firsthand account of available military assets that were not deployed to respond. Ritland attributes his decision to leave active duty after 18 years to political interference preventing action on hostage situations and terrorist targets, culminating in frustration with senior leadership.

Key takeaways

• Ritland states his unit had detailed intelligence on security threats in Libya weeks before Benghazi and asserts quick reaction forces were available in the region but not deployed
• According to Ritland, despite developing capture-or-kill target packets for those responsible for Benghazi, diplomatic leadership under Chargé d’Affaires Alexander Pope declined to authorize action citing political climate
• Ritland recounts that command denied his team permission to conduct a hostage rescue of American oil workers in Algeria, leading to their deaths and his decision to leave the military in frustration with leadership

Episode details: published May 8, 2026 · 148.9K views · 26:55 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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