UNITED24 - Make a charitable donation in support of Ukraine!

Intelligence

Cohen Vows to Combat Terrorism

 
 American Forces Press Service

 WASHINGTON -- Fight or fold -- that is America's choice when it 
 comes to terrorism. Defense Secretary William Cohen vows America 
 will never fold.
 "America cannot retreat behind concrete bunkers and barriers and 
 expect to be a force for good in the world -- or even to remain 
 secure in our own homes," Cohen said recently to New York's 
 Council on Foreign Relations. "No government can permit others to 
 attack its citizens with impunity if it hopes to retain the 
 loyalty and confidence of those it is charged to protect."
 The defense secretary pledged America will remain strong and 
 brave in the face of terrorist threats. "Those who sponsor or 
 support acts of terrorism are not beyond the reach of America's 
 military might," he said. "We demonstrated this after the attacks 
 against our embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. Those who 
 attack American citizens will find no safe harbor, no haven in 
 which to hide."
 The United States is also preparing for possible terrorist 
 attacks at home. "We can no longer think of terrorists as 
 malefactors who [only] attack American interests abroad," he 
 said. "The World Trade Center bombing and Oklahoma City have 
 destroyed that myth. The challenge of terrorism demands that we 
 think the unthinkable -- attacks with weapons of mass destruction 
 on American soil."
 The United States has had several false alarms, such as anthrax 
 hoaxes in Washington, Las Vegas and Wichita, Kan., and one close 
 call in New York when the World Trade Center bombers failed to 
 develop a chemical weapons capability to supplement their truck 
 bomb. U.S. authorities say renegade multimillionaire Osama bin 
 Laden is known to be working to acquire chemical weapons.
 "These facts, combined with the multiple chemical weapons attacks 
 in Japan by the Aum Shinrikyo cult, should make clear that the 
 threat is real," Cohen stressed. "We must be prepared." 
 Terrorism requires a coordinated, resolute response, he said. "We 
 must never allow messengers of hate to alter the course of 
 America's role in the world."
 At present, the Defense Department works with and trains other 
 federal, state and local authorities to prepare for such attacks, 
 Cohen said. Nearly 10,000 leaders, "first responders" and other 
 emergency officials in 30 cities have trained to date and those 
 in another 25 cities are slated for training in the coming year. 
 DoD also is creating 10 Rapid Assessment and Initial Detection 
 teams starting in fiscal 1999 that would deploy within four hours 
 to help communities respond in case of nuclear, biological and 
 chemical attacks. Each team of 22 full-time National Guard 
 members would be supported by other specialists drawn from 
 existing reserve component forces.
 "Our program is designed so the people we train will become 
 trainers themselves," the secretary said. "This approach will 
 greatly magnify our efforts to produce a core of qualified first 
 responders across the nation."
 DoD is also setting up 10 Rapid Assessment, Identification and 
 Detection teams in the National Guard. "These new RAID teams will 
 quickly reach the scene of an incident to help local first 
 responders figure out what kind of attack occurred, its extent 
 and the steps needed to minimize and manage the consequences," 
 Cohen said.
 Combating terrorism will require discipline, patience and 
 strength, the secretary concluded. "There is no doubt that 
 terrorists will test our resolve. There is no doubt that we will 
 meet the test."
 




NEWSLETTER
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list