Posted on 11/16/2001 1:14:00 PM PST by sdcraigo
Retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, a 1964 U.S. Military Academy graduate, and the academy's Olin Distinguished Professor of National Security Studies, provided an interesting answer to a Social Sciences Cadet at the academy who had asked a question on what the General considered the "endstate" to be in dealing with terrorists. The General has given permission for distribution of his answer.
Question from Cadet:
Sir, I was hoping you could describe what you think the United States should consider as an "endstate" on the matter of dealing with terrorists? Eradication, containment, or some other option? And what would the United States consider the literal and figurative center of gravity? Thanks for your time.
GEN. McCaffrey's Answer:
Great issue to consider... we have too liberally borrowed from the language of science to deal with the imperfections of political and security analysis. There will be no endstate...we will, if successful, manage this chronic threat to our survival, economy, and self-confidence by dramatically lowering the risk. We will build a series of defensive programs that will make a multiple order of magnitude increase in our day-to-day security. Second, we will form a coalition based on common danger. Much of the globe will join us to leverage foreign intelligence services and security forces to fight these FTO's forward in the battle area. Finally, we will at last take the gloves off and use integrated military power to find, fix, and destroy these organizations.
We are going to disrupt these people through pre-emptive attack... we will deceive them, we will run psyops on them, at selected points and times they will be killed suddenly, in significant numbers, and without warning. Tomahawk missiles, 2000 lb laser guided weapons dropped from B2's or F22's at very high altitude, remote control booby traps, blackmail, and at places... small groups of soldiers or SEALs will appear in total darkness...blow down the doors and kill them at close range with automatic weapons and hand grenades. We will find their money and freeze it. We will arrest their front agents. We will operate against their recruiting and transportation functions. We will locate their training areas and surveil or mine them. We will isolate them from their families. We will try to dominate their communication function and alternately listen, jam, or spoof it. We will make their couriers disappear. If we can find out how they eat, or play, or receive rewards, or where they sleep... we will go there and kill them by surprise.
The military component will be a supporting but lesser aspect of a strategy that will be based fundamentally on diplomatic and economic leverage to compel cooperation with international law. Of prime importance, we must reduce the environmental factors that feed this type of extremist madness... foreign aid must be dramatically increased to address the misery and poverty of the Palestinians, the Afghans, the Sudanese and others. We must also not be unwilling to confront the State sponsors of terror... Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Cuba, North Korea... none can be allowed to provide the base for another sickening strike against our civilian population or our Allies. Conventional military power will be used at the end of the day to place at risk those states who present a direct threat to our security. If deterrence does not work with coherent political and economic measures in support of a threat capability... then their political will must be shattered with overwhelming violence directed at their armed forces and the political decision-makers.
The big challenge will be to organize America to protect our transportation, our economic activity, our entertainment... etc. with minimal invasion of our privacy and our free movement. We will constrain domestic law enforcement through the protection of our Judicial System. We will ensure the unfettered operation of a free press. We will have to be zealous to protect the Bill of Rights and the dignity and safety of foreigners living among us during this war. We can do all of this. We have no option. The American people will depend on you and your fellow soldiers to step forward and stand between us and the barbarians.
END REPORT
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