President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have scrapped a safari expedition during their trip to Africa because of the costs of snipers needed “to neutralise cheetahs, lions and other animals if they became a threat�, it was claimed Friday.
The couple will end a week-long tour of Africa in Tanzania, but austerity measures in the Secret Service mean that they will not head into the African wilderness, as was first planned.
US taxpayers will foot the bill of between pounds 40 million and pounds 65 million for the trip, only Mr Obama’s second to the continent of his father’s birth since he became president, leaked documents showed. But even with the overall costs involved, their scheduled afternoon’s visit to a Tanzanian wildlife sanctuary was judged to be too expensive and difficult to arrange, The Washington Post reported. It was dropped in favour of a tour of Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, during the Obamas’ visit to South Africa before they fly to Tanzania.
The safari “would have required the president’s special counter assault team to carry sniper rifles with high-calibre rounds that could neutralise cheetahs, lions or other animals if they became a threat�, the newspaper reported, citing a leaked Secret Service internal planning document. “We do not have a limitless supply of assets to support presidential missions, and we prioritised a visit to Robben Island over a two-hour safari in Tanzania,� Josh Earnest, a White House spokesman, said.
The logistics of any presidential trip are costly. But arranging back-to-back visits to three developing countries with poor security infrastructure and limited medical resources could become the most expensive foreign excursions of Mr Obama’s time in office.
Military cargo planes will airlift 56 vehicles including 14 limousines, ambulances equipped for chemical and biological attacks and radio-jamming trucks to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.
A US aircraft carrier or amphibious warship with a full medical trauma centre will be anchored just offshore in case of emergencies. Three lorries will be used just to carry sheets of bullet-proof glass to be put up at hotels where the Obamas will stay during their trip, between June 26 and July 3.
Because the visits happen one after another, three separate security, medical and logistics teams will be dispatched, one to each country. At least 445 Secret Service and White House security agents will be involved.
“Even in the most developed places of western Europe, the level of support you need for mass movements by the president is extraordinary,� Steve Atkiss, special assistant for operations to George W Bush, told the Post. “As you go farther afield, to less-developed places, certainly it’s more of a logistical challenge.�
Mr Obama has spent less than 24 hours in sub-Saharan Africa during his time as president – a visit to Ghana in 2009. His office has been keen to stress that his pending visit is purely business.
The president is reported to be travelling with an entourage of more than 500 American entrepreneurs and investors, who will discuss commercial opportunities in each of the African countries.
His trip comes three months after Xi Jinping, China’s new premier, toured South Africa, Tanzania and the Republic of Congo within a fortnight of taking office in March.
Click here to Book Accommodation in Cradock, Graaf Reinett, Hofmeyer or surrounds.
Article source: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Obama+scraps+safari+over+cost+snipers+required+neutralise+cheetahs/8528488/story.html