Posted on 01/31/2002 9:30:02 AM PST by RCW2001
In a speech laying out the Bush administration's justification for proposing a $48 billion increase in the 2003 defense budget, Rumsfeld said the nation is vulnerable to new forms of terrorism ranging from cyberattacks to attacks on U.S. military bases abroad to ballistic missile attacks on American cities.
"Our job is to close off as many of those avenues of potential attack as is possible," he said in a speech at the National Defense University.
His remarks coincided with new indications that terrorists have considered a range of possible attacks. The FBI warned on Wednesday that al-Qaida terrorists may have been studying American dams and water-supply systems in preparation for new attacks. And in a report to Congress made public Wednesday, CIA Director George Tenet said rudimentary diagrams of nuclear weapons were found in a suspected al-Qaida safehouse in Kabul, Afghanistan. Other evidence uncovered in Afghanistan includes diagrams of American nuclear power plants, although it is unclear if an attack was planned.
Rumsfeld said there could be no doubt that in the years ahead the American people will be faced with an attacker as unconventional and unpredictable as the hijackers who killed more than 3,000 people by flying airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
He warned of new adversaries who may strike in unexpected ways with weapons of increasing range and power. He appeared to be referring to ballistic missiles, a weapon the administration fears countries like North Korea, Iran and Iraq could either use against America or sell to terrorist groups.
"These attacks could grow vastly more deadly than those we suffered" on Sept. 11, he said.
The speech made a case for spending more money on a wide range of weapons and other military programs, although Rumsfeld mentioned no specific amounts of spending for individual programs.
He made a pitch for deploying defenses against ballistic missiles to guard against the possibility that American and allied cities could be held hostage to "nuclear blackmail." And he said new earth-penetrating weapons could make obsolete the deep underground bunkers where terrorists hide.
He said the war in Afghanistan has shown the effectiveness of some new military technologies that past administrations failed to develop in sufficient numbers. He cited the example of unmanned aircraft such as the Predator, which provides live TV images of the battlefield but is in short supply.
He also mentioned a shortage of manned reconnaissance and surveillance planes, command and control aircraft like the Air Force's AWACS plane, chemical and biological defense equipment and certain types of special operations forces.
Rumsfeld cited specific lessons learned from the Afghan campaign:
- Wars in the 21st century will increasingly require all elements of national power - not just the military. They will require that economic, diplomatic, financial, law enforcement and intelligence capabilities work together.
- The ability of military forces to communicate and operate seamlessly on the battlefield will be critical to success. He noted the success of U.S. special forces on the ground in Afghanistan communicating target information to pilots of Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps strike aircraft.
- Wars must be fought by "coalitions of the willing" - they should not be fought by committee. The United States has taken the lead in the war in Afghanistan, not allowing coalition partners to determine the mission.
- Defending the United States requires prevention and sometimes pre-emption. Rumsfeld has said many times that the Sept. 11 attacks showed that it is impossible to defend against every possible threat in every place at every conceivable time. He cited the old saying that the best defense is a good offense.
AP-ES-01-31-02 1320EST
At least, not with this administration. Nor is everything done for television. How pleasing.
As for China, probably the best offense there is .... Christianity.
There's a reason China is so afraid of group movements like Christianity and the Fulan Gong -- it threatens the commies' authority. And apparently there are something like 50 million Christians in China.
In addition, US law enforcement and intelligence agencies have received indications that Al-Qa'ida members have sought information on Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems available on multiple SCADA-related Web sites. They specifically sought information on water supply and wastewater management practices in the US and abroad. There has also been interest in insecticides and pest control products at several Web sites.
Recipients can find additional information regarding posting sensitive infrastructure-related information on Internet Web sites in NIPC Advisory 02-001 issued on 17 January 2002 at http://www.nipc.gov/warnings/advisories/2002/02-001.htm. The intent of this advisory was to encourage Internet content providers to review the sensitivity of the data they provide online.
The NIPC encourages recipients of this Information Bulletin to report information concerning criminal or terrorist activity to their local FBI office http://www.fbi.gov/ or the NIPC, and to other appropriate authorities. Recipients may report incidents online at http://www.nipc.gov/incident/cirr.htm , and can reach the NIPC Watch and Warning Unit at (202) 323?3205, 1-888-585-9078 or mailto:nipc.watch@fbi.gov.
Yeah, he gave us a bridge alright! He left the country walking on an 'unprotected', 'booby-trapped', 'terrorist-infested' bridge to NOWHERE!
For months now, there's been a row of AWACs planes sitting on the tarmac at Boeing Field, so we must not need them too bad. Speaking of Boeing and China, why are we allowing Boeing to lay off 30,000 Americans while they ship those manufacturing jobs to China? Don't they realize that with the aircraft plans, NC milling machines, the knowledge of what metals to use, and their own trained people, soon the Chinese won't need Boeing. And who's going to manufacture our war planes if/when China ever attacks us?
We need a real life Ryan Doctrine...
We go after the head of State....not just the terrorist grunts..
This administration is circling around and moving toward China.
The axis nations Bush mentioned all have one thing in common -- ties to China where China has been supplying them with the materials, aid and technology to build WMD and to increase their abilities to wage war on us.
This has not been ignored. In fact the Ambassador to China, Clark Randt, said the other day that proliferation by China is a "make or break" issue.
It is very interesting how this is shaping up. That Bush and his administration are not going to go against trade with China is clear. In that you are right and no one could argue. But it seems the Bush administration is of the idea that trade exists and and is good for the economy and is now an established part of the international economic system.
Yet, this provides an advantage to us in that we can go after the regime without a consequent total loss of relations with China.
Bush's statements have to send shock waves through the ChiCom leadership.
Eevn prior to 911, I would not agree, but at least then it was a reasonable opinion. Now it just seems like a memory of a quainter time where our biggest worry was about guys trying to get work picking fruit.
Yep, robbed by the Clintons and the RATS! Guess SS and Mediscare are not much good now that we have to live in the shadow of war.
How does a country with 278 million people (a chuck of which are illegal aliens, and another chunk draft-dodgers) prepare against a country with 1273 million (1.27 billion) people. Here is a country that has 200 million males fit for military service and their military has not been deployed for stupid United Nations peacekeeping efforts around the globe, as opposed to a country who's military has been downsized for the last 10 years, and has parts all over the place.
We need a real life Ryan Doctrine...
We go after the head of State....not just the terrorist grunts..
Don't misunderstand me; I don't necessarily disagree, at least as a general policy, if not an absolute one.
But remember two things before you wish for such a thing: that turn about is fair play, and that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Be careful of that for which you wise. It could come true. In spades.
-archy-/-
A point every politician will deny, and every statesmen will agree with.
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