Review of Military's Domestic Role Urged
By Vernon Loeb
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 5, 2001; Page A26
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz
said yesterday that to
enhance the nation's ability to counter terrorism, he strongly favors
reviewing a legal doctrine that has kept the U.S. military from
engaging in domestic law enforcement activities since 1878.
Testifying before the Senate Armed
Services Committee, Wolfowitz
said the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon have made it possible for Americans to envision terrorist
attacks -- particularly those involving chemical or biological
weapons -- in which the military would have unique response
capabilities.
Wolfowitz's comment came in response
to a question from Sen.
John W. Warner (R-Va.), the committee's ranking Republican.
Warner told Wolfowitz that he believes it is time to reexamine the
legal doctrine of posse comitatus and asked the Pentagon's
second-ranking official whether he agreed.
"I agree very strongly,"
Wolfowitz said. He added that it would be
much better to determine in advance how the military would
function under civilian control in the event of terrorist incident.
While much of the questioning involved
the Pentagon's response to
the Sept. 11 attacks and its new plans for homeland defense,
Wolfowitz appeared before the committee to discuss the
Quadrennial Defense Review, a congressionally mandated
codification of military strategy, force requirements and
organization.
The 71-page document, completed Monday
after months of
preparation, makes homeland defense the Pentagon's highest
priority and embraces "transformational" new technologies in
information warfare, intelligence and space.
In a critical revision, the document
does away with the military's
long-standing requirement to be able to win two major theater wars
simultaneously. Under the new plan, the military is expected to win
one major war decisively, meaning that it could occupy the enemy's
capital, if necessary. At the same time, the military would be able to
swiftly defeat a second adversary, engage in peacekeeping
operations and invest in advanced defense technologies.
Wolfowitz said the document represents
a "paradigm shift" in
planning the nation's future fighting force, defining six key priorities
for military transformation.
But the committee's chairman, Sen.
Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.),
criticized the document, calling it a "vision" statement that lacked
specifics about how Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld will
proceed beginning with next year's budget.
While the document makes homeland
defense the Pentagon's
highest priority, Levin said, it lacks detail on "how the military will
rearrange itself to prevent terrorist attacks on U.S. soil and support
civilian authorities in managing their deadly consequences."
One specific initiative favored by
some transformation advocates
inside the U.S. Air Force -- the purchase of more B-2 stealth
bombers -- arose when Sen. Jean Carnahan (D-Mo.) asked
whether the Pentagon is considering an expansion of the fleet.
Previously, top Air Force officials
have said the answer is no. But
Air Force Lt. Gen. Bruce A. Carlson, a top planner on the
Pentagon's Joint Staff who appeared with Wolfowitz, said
expanding the B-2 fleet "will be one of the options that the Air
Force considers."
--
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