 Lieutenant-Colonel Clarence F. Blanton, commander of USAF personnel at the facility, was given no authority to supervise his own perimeter or to order a retreat if they again came under attack.Throughout January and February, intelligence collected by the Hmongs confirmed that a major assault on Lima Site 85 was being prepared, but Sullivan and the US military took no steps to strengthen the defenses.In late February, a Combat Controller, Technical Sergeant James Gary, arrived to augment the defenses by directing air strikes.