New Delhi – The White House will, of course, stay in Washington but the heart of the famous building will move to India when President Barack Obama lands in Mumbai on Saturday.
Communications set-up, nuclear button, a fleet of limousines and majority of the White House staff will be in India accompanying the President on this three-day visit that will cover Mumbai and Delhi.
He will also be protected by a fleet of 34 warships, including an aircraft carrier, which will patrol the sea lanes off the Mumbai coast during his two-day stay there beginning Saturday. The measure has been taken as Mumbai attack in 2008 took place from the sea.
Arrangements have been put in place for emergency evacuation, if needed.
Obama is expected to fly by a helicopter — Marine One — from the city airport to the Indian Navy’s helibase INS Shikra at Colaba in south Mumbai.
From there, he will drive down in Lincoln Continental — the Presidential limousine — to the nearby the Taj Hotel.
Two jets, armed with advanced communication and security systems, and a fleet of over 40 cars will be part of Obamas convoy.
Around 800 rooms have been booked for the President and his entourage in Taj Hotel and Hyatt.
The President will have a security ring of American elite Secret Service, which are tasked to guard the President, along with National Security Guards (NSG) and personnel from central paramilitary forces and local police in Mumbai and Delhi.
Similar arrangements will be in place in Delhi, with the Air Force One to be kept in all readiness throughout Obama’s stay here from Sunday afternoon to Tuesday morning.
(Source: NDTV)
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13 Responses
If I were an official in India I would be insulted. It looks like a propaganda mission to make them look like a dangerous place.
Did anybody hear Obama’s speech after the elections about how we have to cut spending? This a good start for his downfall in 2012.
I’m willing to bet many of the ships are based in the Indian Ocean to support our operations in the area.
He’s trying to impress. It probably is important to impress India since it is of great significance to the US economically, politicially and militarily.
The costs are inflated since the cost, for example, of a warship visiting India is NOT the cost of operating the warship per day, but how much extra it costs for it to visit India over the cost had it been doing nothing.
I’m certainly no Obama fan, but the cost if something were to happen is probably a lot higher. I remember when JFK was shot, the whole country did nothing for about a week, except watch television. Security for the president, even this president, is priceless.
“….Anchors aweigh!”
How do you spell Out Of Touch With Reality????
BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA!!
He is going for personal reasons & it is his sole job to live life to its – OUR – fullest for the next 775 days or so till Jan 20, 2013. That day won’t come fast enough for all of us.
#4 esmith92000 —
You wrote… “Security for the president, even this president, is priceless.”
I think instead of spending the multi-millions of dollars they are doing,
— They should just bring a dozen or so of the TSA security guards (that we see at all the airports) to take care of obama’s security. IF THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH FOR US, THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH FOR HIM.
I think the president needs to protected at all costs even if i dislike him but this seems very strange. When Obama went to Egypt, Iraq, Ethiopia, Kenya, Jordan,and Afghanistan why did he not require so much protection? These places are all FAR more dangerous than India.
If anyone has a real answer instead of political propaganda I would like to know. For the time being this seems to be what it is, a massive waste of tax payer money.
I agree with #4. I’m not a big Obama fan and I’m a fiscal conservative, but I have no problem with this. Protection against the president getting killed or worse, kidnapped, is worth the price. Also the president’s prestige is the nation’s prestige and is important. This money is barely a drop in the bucket in the greater scheme of American spending. My only concern is that the inconvenience to ordinary Indians will engender bad-will towards the United States.
Esmith92000
You gotta wonder why he feels that everybody wants to kill him…
This man is psychopathic and must be removed, legally, but summarily, as soon as possible.
As to the cost, I doubt that his staff told him or warned him about the unsuitability. Even if they did, he discounted/disregarded it, just as he simply runs from any perceived affront to his self-image of greatness.
He is a true danger, as any psychopath with access to power is.
The rational people in government must act now to restrain him. There is sound Constitutional basis for this.
akuperma as usual your comment is incoherent
So, uh, once again, why is he going?