2RHPZ
05-06-2004, 06:44 AM
03 May, 2004 12:00 EST
Democrats Offer Long-Term Anti-Terror Plan
By WILLIAM MATTHEWS
U.S. House Democrats want 60,000 more soldiers and 50,000 more special forces
troops to help fight the war on terrorism.
But in an 85-page plan they?re touting as the first comprehensive blueprint to
win the war, they also want 500 more diplomats who speak Arabic, more effective
cultural exchange programs, more university scholarships for Arab and Muslim
youth, and billions of dollars in economic aid and development assistance for
the Arab world.
?Up to now, we?ve had a rather limited view on what it?s going to take to
prevail in the war on terrorism,? said Rep. Jim Turner, D-Texas, the senior
Democrat on the House Select Committee on Homeland Security.
Turner proposes a three-part strategy: Attack the terrorists, protect the
homeland and prevent the rise of future terrorists.
Ultimately, to win the war on terrorism, the United States must win a battle of
ideas which pits American ideals of freedom, democracy and economic opportunity
against radical Islamic fundamentalism, Turner said.
Turner and Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., introduced the Democrats? plan April 27.
Harman is the ranking Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence.
At a cost of $440 billion during the next decade, the plan calls for
restructuring parts of the U.S. military, overhauling U.S. intelligence
agencies, substantially beefing up homeland security and launching a campaign to
improve the image of the United States among hundreds of millions of Arabs.
Harman suggested that money to help pay the cost could be diverted from the
national missile defense program, which she said ?doesn?t work.?
The Democrats? plan charges that so far, President George W. Bush ?has been
strong on rhetoric and weak on action? since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11,
2001.
?Intelligence is the tip of the spear in the war on terrorism,? Harman said. But
in the two and a half years since the terrorist attacks, ?the intelligence
bureaucracy that failed so miserably that day is relatively unchanged,? the plan
says.
Harman called for appointment of a director of national intelligence to oversee
all U.S. intelligence agencies, including those of the military, to improve
coordination and information sharing.
The Democrats? plan, ?Winning the War on Terror,? calls for speeding up military
transformation so that new technologies and operational concepts are put into
practice faster. An additional 60,000 soldiers would enable the Army to create
new units designed for the war on terrorism, including a division of ?stability
operations? troops trained to handle the aftermath of war.
In place of the 2,653 additional special forces the Bush administration proposed
for 2004, the Democrats are calling for 50,000. They would include 25,000 more
Special Operations troops and 25,000 Marines trained to be ?special-forces
capable.?
Other elements of the Democrats? strategy include:
* Expand the FBI by 50 percent.
* Add 3,000 border patrol agents.
* Monitor every mile of the U.S. border around the clock.
* Screen all incoming cargo containers for nuclear materials.
* Secure unprotected nuclear material worldwide, and destroy all chemical
weapons by 2010.
* Launch a Middle East Marshall Plan to create a middle class and a regional
common market.
* Spend $10 billion to improve education for Arab children.
* Increase the Peace Corps by 25,000.
* Triple funding for democratization efforts worldwide.
The Bush administration, meanwhile, announced April 28 that the president signed
a directive instructing federal agencies to better coordinate their efforts to
protect U.S. food and water supplies, and to strengthen U.S. defenses against
biological attacks.
E-mail: bmatthews@defensenews.com
Democrats Offer Long-Term Anti-Terror Plan
By WILLIAM MATTHEWS
U.S. House Democrats want 60,000 more soldiers and 50,000 more special forces
troops to help fight the war on terrorism.
But in an 85-page plan they?re touting as the first comprehensive blueprint to
win the war, they also want 500 more diplomats who speak Arabic, more effective
cultural exchange programs, more university scholarships for Arab and Muslim
youth, and billions of dollars in economic aid and development assistance for
the Arab world.
?Up to now, we?ve had a rather limited view on what it?s going to take to
prevail in the war on terrorism,? said Rep. Jim Turner, D-Texas, the senior
Democrat on the House Select Committee on Homeland Security.
Turner proposes a three-part strategy: Attack the terrorists, protect the
homeland and prevent the rise of future terrorists.
Ultimately, to win the war on terrorism, the United States must win a battle of
ideas which pits American ideals of freedom, democracy and economic opportunity
against radical Islamic fundamentalism, Turner said.
Turner and Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., introduced the Democrats? plan April 27.
Harman is the ranking Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence.
At a cost of $440 billion during the next decade, the plan calls for
restructuring parts of the U.S. military, overhauling U.S. intelligence
agencies, substantially beefing up homeland security and launching a campaign to
improve the image of the United States among hundreds of millions of Arabs.
Harman suggested that money to help pay the cost could be diverted from the
national missile defense program, which she said ?doesn?t work.?
The Democrats? plan charges that so far, President George W. Bush ?has been
strong on rhetoric and weak on action? since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11,
2001.
?Intelligence is the tip of the spear in the war on terrorism,? Harman said. But
in the two and a half years since the terrorist attacks, ?the intelligence
bureaucracy that failed so miserably that day is relatively unchanged,? the plan
says.
Harman called for appointment of a director of national intelligence to oversee
all U.S. intelligence agencies, including those of the military, to improve
coordination and information sharing.
The Democrats? plan, ?Winning the War on Terror,? calls for speeding up military
transformation so that new technologies and operational concepts are put into
practice faster. An additional 60,000 soldiers would enable the Army to create
new units designed for the war on terrorism, including a division of ?stability
operations? troops trained to handle the aftermath of war.
In place of the 2,653 additional special forces the Bush administration proposed
for 2004, the Democrats are calling for 50,000. They would include 25,000 more
Special Operations troops and 25,000 Marines trained to be ?special-forces
capable.?
Other elements of the Democrats? strategy include:
* Expand the FBI by 50 percent.
* Add 3,000 border patrol agents.
* Monitor every mile of the U.S. border around the clock.
* Screen all incoming cargo containers for nuclear materials.
* Secure unprotected nuclear material worldwide, and destroy all chemical
weapons by 2010.
* Launch a Middle East Marshall Plan to create a middle class and a regional
common market.
* Spend $10 billion to improve education for Arab children.
* Increase the Peace Corps by 25,000.
* Triple funding for democratization efforts worldwide.
The Bush administration, meanwhile, announced April 28 that the president signed
a directive instructing federal agencies to better coordinate their efforts to
protect U.S. food and water supplies, and to strengthen U.S. defenses against
biological attacks.
E-mail: bmatthews@defensenews.com