Security officers testify on Benghazi

There was never enough security U.S. mission in Benghazi --- this was the testimony of the former head of security in Libya.

Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Wood told lawmakers in Washington that security was drawn down in Benghazi ahead of the attack that killed four Americans including the ambassador.

SOUNDBITE: Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Wood saying:

"The security in Benghazi was a struggle and remained a struggle throughout my time there. The situation remained uncertain and reports from some Libyans indicated it was getting worse. Diplomatic security remained weak. In April, there was only one U.S. diplomatic security agent stationed there. The RSO (regional security officer) struggled to obtain additional personnel there (in Benghazi), but was never able to attain the numbers he felt comfortable with."

Wood served as the Site Security Team (SST) commander in Libya from February 12 to August 14, until just about a month before the attack

Another former U.S. security officer in Libya, Eric Nordstrom, told the committee that he twice asked his State Department superiors for more security agents for but he received no response.

SOUNDBITE: Former U.S. Security officer in Libya, Eric Nordstrom saying:

"In the spring of 2012, we noted an increasing number of attacks and incidents which appeared to target foreign affiliated organizations... We reiterated our request at all levels of government for a consistent, armed, host nation security force to support the mission."

The hearing is Congress' first public examination of what went wrong at the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi.