Posted on 01/30/2005 12:26:25 PM PST by SandRat
FORT HUACHUCA - The importance of this southern Arizona Army post as part of the national intelligence arsenal in the war against terrorism will be highlighted in a special congressional committee, U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi said.
The Arizona congressman who represents District 1 was appointed Wednesday to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.
"I fought. I wrestled. I did everything the last two years to get on the committee," said Renzi, a Republican who began his second two-year term this month. The committee chairman is U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich.
Renzi also was put on the subcommittee that oversees human intelligence, something he said is a critical component at Fort Huachuca.
The Intelligence Center at the fort trains people who use what they are taught in places such as Iraq.
But, Renzi said, the beltway that surrounds the nation's capital lacks an understanding of what the military intelligence community faces, the build-up of human intelligence needed to fight worldwide terrorism and the insurgency problem in Iraq and how Fort Huachuca is a major player.
Retired Army Brig. Gen. James Marks, whose last assignment in 2004 was commander of the Intelligence Center and the fort, said Renzi is right on the mark to highlight the post.
"Rick is the right person (for the committee). He's perfect," said Marks, who worked with the congressman when he was in uniform.
Renzi must hit the importance of military intelligence and the ever-expanding role it is playing in protecting the United States, the retired general said.
Marks hopes to meet with Renzi to share ideas and information. He wants the congressman to understand the role intelligence is playing in the Army's transformation and the creation of units of action.
"Besides, he owes me a dinner," Marks said, noting he was supposed to meet the congressman for a meal but Renzi had to go and vote in the House. "I was already on the metro to meet him."
Firsthand knowledge
On Friday, Renzi met with post officials, including Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast, the fort's senior intelligence officer. While he has received briefings and seen training on the post, the congressman wants to bring the subcommittee's chairman, U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., to the post to obtain firsthand knowledge about the fort's missions, including intelligence and high-tech operations done by other units.
As for Fast, who has been designated the future commander of the Intelligence Center and the fort, Renzi said he hopes she gets the top position soon.
The major general is waiting for the conclusion of some detainee abuse investigations. She has never been named as being responsible for the actions taken in Iraq that led some soldiers and others to abuse detainees.
"She will be a commander of excellence," Renzi said of Fast. "The Army needs to get Abu Ghraib behind them."
On Friday, Renzi was the guest speaker at the fort's annual awards banquet recognizing seven military and one civilian, the best of the best on the post. He spoke to the Herald/Review before the event. He also attended the All-Army Boxing Championships on the fort on Saturday.
A graduate of Buena High School in Sierra Vista, Renzi said that when his father was stationed at the post - his dad is retired Army Maj. Gen. Gene Renzi - he gained an appreciation of the area, especially the fort's importance. Even though his district does not include the fort, the congressman said he will always have a warm spot for the post.
Renzi's district includes mostly northern Arizona. The post is in Congressional District 8, which is represented by 11-term U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe, who is also a Republican.
To prepare himself for gaining a position on the committee, Renzi said he took and completed the senior intelligence course offered by the Intelligence Center.
The preparation and pushing for a spot on the 21-member committee - 12 Republicans and nine Democrats - shows Renzi is a man in a hurry to ensure the nation's intelligence needs are met and exceeded.
The committee is energized because Congress took actions in establishing a national intelligence czar and acting on some of the suggestions outlined in the 9-11 commission report, the congressman said.
While one of the major recommendations of having a joint congressional committee made up of members from the House of Representatives and the Senate will not be done, Renzi said both chambers understand the importance of intelligence reform.
"Now we have to prove we can work together," he said.
Work being done
Marks said Renzi can open the eyes of the intelligence committee members to what the post provides. Some of those actions would show the Intelligence Center is updating doctrine through lessons learned in today's operations.
The Army has always used lessons learned, from its experience in Vietnam and British combat in Malaysia on how insurgents operate, Marks said.
The center is incorporating new tactics insurgents are using and trying to look ahead on how they will operate, which is why intelligence is a key component, he said.
Renzi said the subcommittee also is concerned about technology and tactics. Some of his cohorts may not know the post is heavily into technology and tactics, the congressman said. One of the fort areas he visited last week was the Joint Interoperability Test Command.
Being able to see such things firsthand will give the committee members a better appreciation of the state of the work and what may be needed to continue the job, Renzi said.
Renzi said he observed interrogator training and has visited the U.S. Navy installation at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, where detainees from the war on terror are being held. He said he appreciates the connection between what is taught on the fort and how it is applied in the field.
As the two chambers in Congress have to work together in overseeing intelligence, they will have to understand that such cooperation is happening between the military and federal civilian intelligence communities, Renzi said.
In the past couple of weeks, it was reported that the Pentagon has a clandestine spy section set up to keep the Central Intelligence Agency out of the picture. Renzi said the effort to keep the CIA out of the loop is untrue. The CIA and the Department of Defense have worked in concert on the program to bring about a better way of sharing human intelligence.
Marks agreed.
"It was much to do about nothing," he said of the new report.
The human intelligence aspect is important in the fight against terrorism. The Department of Defense and CIA have roles to play, along with other federal agencies, Marks said.
Renzi said it would have been more of a news story if the CIA and Department of Defense were not working together.
"There is no theft of turf," he said.
Renzi said it is important that the three-letter acronyms - CIA, NSA, DIA, FBI and DoD - come together in the war against terror, while keeping an eye on other possible hot spots, such as North Korea and Iran.
Other issues
The congressman also spoke on the local water issue, immigration and Base Realignment and Closure.
Saying the fort has to be protected from closure, the local water issue concerning the flow in the San Pedro River needs continuing attention, Renzi said.
There are talks with a private land owner near the river to work out an agreement to retire more than 3,000 acre-feet of water use a year, he said. Because of the sensitivity of the of the discussions, the congressman declined to identify the parties involved.
Immigration is also a concern, especially in Cochise County. Renzi has joined the immigration reform caucus, led by U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., to find ways to stop illegal immigrants and drugs from crossing the border with Mexico.
Renzi also met with Garrison Commander Col. Jonathan Hunter to discuss some of the problems the fort is experiencing with illegal immigrants. According to Renzi, more than 3,800 illegal immigrants were apprehended on post property last year.
To Renzi, the untold story remains the fort's importance to the nation's security. The fort has a clean electro-magnetic environment, a restricted airspace and land that can be used for high-tech missions, something he sees leading to expanding operations on the post once this year's BRAC process ends.
"The (intelligence) center and the fort have to stay," Renzi said.
BRAC and Military Intelligence School
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