Rumsfeld Solidifies Aim To Move CentCom
Published: Sep 20, 2002
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Rumsfeld's testimony, during a Senate Armed Services Committee review of the Bush administration's request to use all means to overthrow Saddam Hussein, surprised Sen. Bill Nelson, a member of the committee, and quickly sent a fresh round of shock waves south.
``It's clear to me that what he intends to do is move Central Command. He was signaling his intent and the White House's intent,'' said Nelson, a Tallahassee Democrat, after Thursday's hearing on Capitol Hill. ``In my opinion, [Rumsfeld] has already decided to move'' CentCom.
Nelson said he will seek additional discussions with the Pentagon and will rally other members of the Florida delegation against a change.
``Were going to have to find out what we can do, if anything,'' he said. ``The president does have the power to direct that these commands be moved. The Congress cannot prevent that.''
Neither Rumsfeld nor Myers said a decision had been made on the fate of CentCom, which directed the war in Afghanistan and is preparing to shift some 600 staff members to a new air base in Qatar to test the readiness of a mobile command and communications facility, possibly as a prelude to war.
Now the exercise is being seen as the potential precursor to a more permanent move.
Myers stressed the temporary nature of the shift. ``We are talking about a forward element that could be used from time to time,'' he said.
But during Thursday's testimony, neither Rumsfeld nor Myers backed away from statements suggesting the door was open to a more permanent shift.
``Is that what you are speaking of, a forward element?'' asked Nelson. ``Or are you talking about a complete relocation of the Central Command?''
Responded Myers: ``It's to be decided how permanent a forward element you would have, how large it would be. You would certainly ... want to have some infrastructure there that people could fall in ... rather than having to lay that in every time. Terribly expensive to do it that way.''
Rumsfeld repeated statements that already had raised eyebrows in the Tampa Bay area when he appeared to ridicule the logic of overseeing operations in distant battle zones such as Afghanistan or Iraq from MacDill Air Force Base.
``It's the time zones,'' Rumsfeld told the committee. ``It makes everything a little harder.''
He added that ``the European Command is in Europe. Our Pacific Command is in the Pacific. And our Central Command, for that whole region, Afghanistan and the Middle East, that whole portion of the world, is in Tampa, Florida.
``That does not say anything against Tampa, Florida, except that Tampa, Florida, happens not to be located in the Central Command'' region.
An Old Complaint
Within the military, frustration over the command's distance from the field ``preceded me,'' Rumsfeld said. Before becoming defense secretary, ``the Central Command has had concern about its location.''
Rumsfeld noted that Gen. Tommy Franks, CentCom combatant commander, ``has ever since I arrived raised this issue with me,'' and was finally ``moving some pieces of things so he and some of his key people will be capable of functioning in that part of the world.''
Rumsfeld pointed out that Florida has several other key military installations, including some at MacDill, and praised the state's hospitality toward the military.
Nelson said he thought that was an attempt at consolation, that even without CentCom, ``you've still got everything else.''
He said he didn't buy Rumsfeld's complaints about time zones, especially given technological innovation and CentCom's proven ability to manage wars via satellite, optic fiber and video.
Politics may influence the base's fate. The Tampa Bay area is a key battleground in campaigns, and Florida is a swing state. Not only would the president's brother, Jeb, like to win re-election as governor, but the parties are also vying for dominance in the next presidential election.
International politics also may be an important factor. Sensitivities and instabilities in the Mideast and Asia have made it impossible to move CentCom before.
Mike Pheneger, a retired Army colonel and former deputy director of intelligence at CentCom, noted the long-standing wishes of the military for a forward presence - closer to fields of conflict - because of the relative ease of managing operations.
Where To Put It?
The history of CentCom is rife with discussions about whether to move and speculation about why it exists in Tampa rather than any number of other locations. The command is responsible for a 3,600-mile-long swath from northern Africa to Southeast Asia, covering 25 nations.
``Of course if you're in a unified command you want to be in the area. Central Command and the Pentagon have wanted that for years,'' said Retired Gen. Charles Wilhelm, until 2000 commander in chief of the Southern Command.
Reporters Kathy Steele and George Coryell contributed to this report.
