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Anti-Terror War Requires 'Robust' Special Operations Role
American Forces Press Service ^ | Feb. 6, 2004 | By Gerry J. Gilmore

Posted on 02/06/2004 1:07:37 PM PST by Calpernia

Prosecuting the war against terrorism necessitates taking the fight to the enemy rather than waiting for another 9-11-style assault, a senior DoD civilian leader said here today.

"The stakes are so high that we must take action before the threats ripen and destruction is again brought to our shores," Thomas W. O'Connell, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict, said to attendees at a downtown defense industry symposium.

Accordingly, O'Connell said he supports President Bush's policy of taking pre- emptive military action against global terrorists.

Such a policy, he pointed out, "necessitates a new, more robust, and increasingly critical role" for U.S. special operations forces.

The special operations community is now undergoing transformation, O'Connell explained, to be employed proactively and globally to better confront terrorism threats. However, special operations will maintain its capability to respond to other contingencies and to assist allies, he emphasized, such as the training of Colombian military to fight narcotics traffickers.

"SOLIC must be ready to act at any time in all environments," he pointed out. O'Connell said SOLIC has achieved considerable success as "the primary DoD tool for fighting the war on terror." Still, he acknowledged, "Much remains to be done."


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: dod; forces; oconnell; preemptive; presidentbush; soa; specialops; wot

1 posted on 02/06/2004 1:07:38 PM PST by Calpernia
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To: MJY1288; Calpernia; Grampa Dave; anniegetyourgun; Ernest_at_the_Beach; BOBTHENAILER; Jessamine; ...
Pro Military, Pro Coalition, Pro de-Baathification News!

The special operations community is now undergoing transformation, O'Connell explained, to be employed proactively and globally to better confront terrorism threats. However, special operations will maintain its capability to respond to other contingencies and to assist allies, he emphasized, such as the training of Colombian military to fight narcotics traffickers.

Private Mail to be added to or removed from the GNFI (or Pro-Coalition) ping list.

2 posted on 02/06/2004 1:09:07 PM PST by Calpernia (http://members.cox.net/classicweb/Heroes/heroes.htm)
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To: Calpernia
SOC rules! The coolest, most professional soldiers I've met -- and among the smartest.
3 posted on 02/06/2004 1:14:04 PM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: Calpernia
...darkness is our friend...
4 posted on 02/06/2004 1:20:29 PM PST by Khurkris (Ranger On...)
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To: Calpernia
"The stakes are so high that we must take action before the threats ripen and destruction is again brought to our shores," Thomas W. O'Connell, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict, said to attendees at a downtown defense industry symposium. "

====

Of course that is not the philosophy of the Democrats, that's why they are so dangerous.

I am sure Special Ops have played and are still playing a tremendous role in tracking and eliminating the terrorists, but they can't tell us the details.

But we know the result of their efforts: 2/3 of Al Qaeda's leadership has been killed or captured. That's a tremendous accomplishment.

5 posted on 02/06/2004 1:34:00 PM PST by FairOpinion (If you are not voting for Bush, you are voting for the terrorists.)
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To: Calpernia
Bump!
6 posted on 02/06/2004 9:15:23 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Calpernia
Bump!
7 posted on 02/06/2004 9:16:34 PM PST by windchime (Podesta about Bush: "He's got four years to try to undo all the stuff we've done." (TIME-1/22/01))
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To: Khurkris
...darkness is our friend...

I always get a warm fuzzy feeling when "something goes bump in the night" and my wife of twenty years turns out the lights....

8 posted on 02/06/2004 9:28:33 PM PST by Woahhs
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To: Calpernia
BUMP!
9 posted on 02/07/2004 12:16:54 AM PST by radu (May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
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