EgyptAir Flight 804

Facts

An airplane en route from Paris to Cairo went missing in the early hours of this morning (Thursday)

What we know:

*Egypt Air Flight 804 crashes into the Mediterranean

*Reported that there are 66 passengers and crew

*Cause:At this moment unknown

*Distress beacon signal confirmed (media reports)

*Survival time in Mediterranean water:Estimated between 4- 40 hours dependant on health and body condition (media report)

10 Hours Later Not A Single Civilian Rescue Plane Has Even Arrived On The Scene – and this is in the Mediterranean not off the coast of some backward remote third world country (!)

DIY Rescue

If we cannot even get military nor civilian rescue craft to any point within the Mediterranean in a 10 hour window in the year 2016, then what a sad and sorry state it is – and it speaks volumes about the organization, structure, and limits (including financial) of Western Europe's logistical long-haul airlift rescue capabilities in emergency situations.

What If It Was Air France or Lufthansa?

Why bother to pay for NATO when in a crises where it could be usefully deployed with its logistical capabilities in the Mediterranean it simply sits on its *ss because it has no mandate nor directive to assist in emergency civilian situations?

I get reams of literature from NATO every month telling me what a great job it is doing.

I don't use one iota of it because I have yet to see NATO respond in any meaningful manner to a real emergency – be it in the Ukraine, in The Eastern Mediterranean or in any other designated North Atlantic zone.

The literature I receive covers Afghanistan, piracy and The Horn of Africa, West Africa, Australia, The Pacific, The South China Seas, the Philippines and the Far East. All are vital trading sea lanes (some in dispute) and I do not doubt their strategic value.

Deja Vu?

In a situation where a civilian airline has gone missing, after 9/11, I ask myself, 'have absolutely no lessons been learned which are applicable to the North Atlantic zone?'

It would appear not.

The Mediterranean, The Ukraine and The Baltic and Nordic areas are certainly part of this North Atlantic Treaty zone.

How are we to know that this 'disappearance' is not a 'dry run' for something else?

Are we only prepared to shoot down civilian airlines which stray off course over land - and give no thought to emergency rescue – as an 'exercise' in 'rapid deployment' for where (and when) real emergencies occur?

Egypt has neither the military capability nor the incentive to prevent Europe rescuing its citizens - even if the airline has crashed (or blown up) within the territorial boundaries of Egypt.

Hear No Evil See No Evil?

With all on it's plate, perhaps Europe would rather the Egyptian authorities 'take care' of this matter rather than have to deploy yet another military force (further scarce resources) to 'combat' ISIL in the Southern Mediterranean?

It's an embarrassment for the Egyptian government because there were also non-Arab nationals on board flight 804 and their governments do want answers as to why the plane went down.  If they were all Arab nationals on board, the priority would not be so high to discover the likely cause of the crash - especially if it involved an act of terrorism.

EgyptAir 804 - Where NATO Can Assist

In a crisis involving 66 lives on EgyptAir, there is simply no 'political capital' to be gained by utilizing long-haul humanitarian rescue capabilities – which NATO has (or at least the literature I have been receiving tells me it has.)

I would like to use a similar analogy as in my previous blog:

when flesh and blood of 66 victims is weighed on the scale against any political capital to be made, in such an instance, there are no gains for NATO – so a 'do nothing' policy exists under the banner or cloak of 'no mandate' to assist with civilian emergency rescue operations within the North Atlantic zone.

NATO has been telling us of its 'humanitarian intervention role' for almost a decade – yet it cannot even deploy a civilian-assist rescue mission in it's own backyard, because it has no mandate.

What Should Happen In the Future?

Lessons For Learning

In such a situation, where a plane has gone missing within such a vital strategic area (or cruise liner has been hijacked) such as the Mediterranean for NATO not to immediately deploy a search and rescue aircraft (or tactical team) as a natural humanitarian support to civilian authorities is a damning indictment.

Indeed at least one aircraft and one ship should be on permanent standby (with a dual function) 24/7 365.25 within the North Atlantic zone with a permanent directive to aid and assist civilian authorities of the NATO zone member countries as and where directed.

And where any regime tells NATO and The European Union not to act to aid and assist with an immediate search and rescue, with immediate deployment inside or on the borders of territorial boundaries and there are EU or U.S. nationals lives in peril, a system should be in place to publicly shame and humiliate such countries in the open societies of Christendom.

©Patrick Emek, May 2016

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/egyptair-disappearance-points-to-bomb-says-terrorism-expert/news-story/86eefb38f365927a5300eea1c55e143b


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/20/world/middleeast/egyptair-flight-804.html?_r=0


http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/6699699/