-Caveat Lector- Military role grows on home front <http://www.msnbc.com/news/546844.asp?cp1=1> 'Mission creep' becomes a domestic issue By Robert Windrem PHILADELPHIA As Republicans gathered here last August to nominate George W. Bush for president, a drama played out in secret locations across the city as thousands of American soldiers stood poised for a catastrophic event. Along with a host of civilian emergency specialists, these specialized troops braced for a biological, chemical or nuclear terror attack on the GOP and its nominees the kind of attack that might force a declaration of martial law. NO SPECIFIC or credible threat ever surfaced in Philadelphia or in any of the dozen other U.S. cities hosting similarly high-profile events in the past five years. But the Philadelphia plan sheds light on a new domestic role for the military. Some argue that the role makes sense in light of the threat posed by modern terrorist groups. But a diverse coalition of civilian law enforcement agencies, civil rights advocates and libertarian groups worry about allowing the military to play so prominent a role on U.S. soil. "There used to be a bright line separating the military from involvement in civilian affairs," says Steve Aftergood, who directs the Project on Government Secrecy at the American Federation of Scientists. "The pernicious aspect of terrorism is that it threatens to erode what is a clear distinction. We are seeing them on all these 'fronts.'" The "bright line" Aftergood refers to is called the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, enacted to prevent the military from engaging in police activities in the United States without the consent of Congress or the president. In the mid-1990s, after the bombings of the World Trade Center and the federal building in Oklahoma City as well as a sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system the law was amended to allow the attorney general to send armed troops into American cities in cases of catastrophic attacks. This new role for the military prompted Rep. William Thornberry, a Texas Republican on the Armed Services Committee, to introduce a bill last month that would create an office called the National Homeland Security Agency to help civilian federal agencies do a job that the military is being drawn into by default. Thornberry, who is a rancher and fierce critic of government intrusion into the lives of its citizens, believes the country should be careful not to put the military in the position of acting as police in the United States. Thornberry may be facing a tough battle. NEW MISSIONS As the world's borders have become more porous, the definition of national security has expanded into many new areas: counter-terrorism, tracking drug traffickers and disaster preparedness. Secretary of State Colin Powell said recently he will add immigration to that list as well. The military's move into domestic law enforcement territory began with drug interdiction along the U.S. border during the Reagan administration, and expanded significantly during the Clinton years. Officials at several key civilian agencies from the FBI to the Public Health Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency say the military's growing role in preparing for a domestic terrorist attack is disconcerting. "We used to be the main people involved in this," said a domestic preparedness official with the Public Health Service who spoke only on condition of anonymity. "Now, there are fewer of us and more of them." REAL BREAKDOWN Despite the Posse Comitatus Act and concerns about domestic mission creep, a doctrine known as "Garden Plot" exists in the Department of Defense that would allow the armed forces to step in to take control of civilian affairs following a catastrophic event if the president requested it. As with the military's posture abroad - the "Defense Condition" or "DEFCON" there is a step-by-step system for military involvement at home as well. It's known as Civilian Disorder Condition, or "CIDCON." This scenario is the last resort following the collapse of order at home. In this most dire of circumstances - possibly anarchy in the wake of a large-scale terrorist incident, for instance the "Garden Plot" doctrine gives the president the power to invoke martial law under The Insurrection Act. Here's how it would have worked last August in Philadelphia: Two military "Joint Task Force" units were available for quick deployment. One, called Joint Task Force-Civil Support, is based at Fort Monroe in Virginia. It is trained to coordinate countermeasures for terrorist attacks and would generally be deployed without weapons. The other unit, code-named "Task Force 250," is meant to go in fully equipped for battle. This unit, according to documents obtained by NBC News, is meant to restore civil order after major terrorist events. "Task Force 250" is more commonly known as the Army's 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, N.C. THE PHILADELPHIA PLAN Even without a crisis, hundreds of servicemen were on hand in Philadelphia last summer, and more than 1,000 were on alert to move into the city if necessary. Command centers and alternate command centers - in case the primary headquarters was destroyed - were established. Among those stationed the center: More than 80 military bomb disposal teams, several Army biological advisory and assessment teams, four Department of Defense biological sampling vehicles and the Nuclear Emergency Search Team of the Department of Energy. The Navy even set up a facility for "use as a detainee processing center," the documents say, in case there were numerous arrests. In addition, some 10 military bases and another Marine Corps biological and chemical response teams were on alert. Similar plans existed for the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles last year and the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., in 1999. Smaller plans have become commonplace for other events, including the annual State of the Union speech and the presidential inauguration. These so-called "federal response plans" fill dozens of pages, complete with locations, phone numbers and contact names for counter-terrorist teams, civilian emergency response agencies, law enforcement and military operations. They also contain instructions on the limits of the Task Force's power while law and order are being restored. According to the documents obtained by NBC, the plans for the presidential conventions said: "Use deadly force only with great selectivity and precision." WHO'S IN CHARGE? Defense Department documents describe the Joint Task Force-Civil Support as "the primary DoD command element for the planning and execution of military assistance to civil authorities for domestic counter-measure operations as a result of a weapons of mass destruction incident." But the military's new role has added to confusion over who would ultimately be in charge in the event of a domestic catastrophe, according to several officials who spoke to NBC News. "The U.S. government spends $12 billion a year on terrorist-related activities," said one former Clinton administration official involved in counter-terrorism. "I think there will be a major review by the new crowd. There needs to be a national strategy and there needs to be an agency in charge. Someone at OMB [the Office of Management and Budget] has to put someone in charge." R. Michael Walker, who has served former presidents as both undersecretary of the Army and deputy director of FEMA, says that in spite of years of discussion, the issue of "who is in charge after an attack the crisis management side or consequence management side remains an issue." It is one more issue the Bush administration has to consider as it revamps the military worldwide. ACKNOWLEDGING CONCERN The Pentagon is aware of the red flags raised by giving the military a role in a domestic crisis. For instance, prepared orders to the commanders of the Joint Task Force, obtained by NBC News, are kept ready for issuing on the stationery of the chairman of the military joint chiefs of staff. The order says the military's involvement in an attack at home would be complex, and adds: "It is intended this way to ensure that civil liberties and fundamental rights are protected as set forth in the Constitution." ---------- Robert Windrem is an investigative producer at NBC News based in New York. Independent military analyst Bill Arkin and MSNBC's Michael Moran contributed to this report. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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