Together with the CIA assets in Benghazi, consulate security forces had access to a wide swath of lasers and targeting devices.
CIA operatives from the Global Response Staff (GRS), who were only a mile away from the consulate when the attack began, had Mark 48 machine guns outfitted with two types of lasers: one of which was visible to the naked eye and one of which was visible only to operators wearing night vision goggles.
The visible laser provides the benefit of identifying enemies and also of frightening them into rethinking what they’re doing (because of the red dot they see on their bodies). The “passive” laser, not visible to the naked eye, was the PEQ-15 which gives operatives the upper hand in night-fighting.
The team also had Ground Laser Designators (GLDs). These are the markers military personnel use to pinpoint where rounds need to be fired when air support rolls in.
Former Navy SEALS Tyrone Wood and Glen Doherty used GLDs to mark the targets for the air support that never came on Sept. 11.
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