ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:96091608.TXT
DATE:09/16/96
TITLE:16-09-96  TEXT:  DOD ANNOUNCES NEW MILITARY FORCE PROTECTION MEASURES

TEXT:
(Perry says threat of terrorism is front and center)  (860)

Washington -- The Pentagon announced new measures to protect U.S.
military forces from terrorist attacks September 16.

"To begin with, as we decide where and how to deploy our forces
overseas, we will place the threat of terrorism front and center,"
Defense Secretary Perry said in a letter to President Clinton.

The changes include the issuance of a new DoD-wide directive on force
protection and the appointment of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff as the focal point for force protection. "The Department's
actions make force protection an integral part of mission
accomplishment," Deputy Secretary John P. White announced at a
Pentagon news conference.

General Shalikashvili, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and retired
General Wayne Downing also participated in the news conference, the
DoD announcement said.

Following is the text from the Pentagon:

(begin text)

The Department of Defense announced today new measures to protect
military forces from terrorist attacks. "To begin with, as we decide
where and how to deploy our forces overseas, we will place the threat
of terrorism front and center," Defense Secretary William J. Perry
said in a letter to President Clinton.

The changes include the issuance of a new DoD-wide directive on force
protection and the appointment of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff as the focal point for force protection. "The Department's
actions make force protection an integral part of mission
accomplishment," Deputy Secretary John P. White announced at a
Pentagon news conference.

General Shalikashvili, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and retired
General Wayne Downing also participated in the news conference.

On June 25, 1995, 19 U.S. airmen were killed by a truck bomb outside
the Khobar Towers housing facility in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Secretary
Perry appointed General Downing, former Commander, U.S. Special
Operations Command, to assess the circumstances surrounding the
bombing and to recommend improvements in force protection. The
findings and recommendations of the Downing Task Force Assessment of
U.S. Central Command and the Khobar Towers bombing reaffirm major
changes already underway in the department's approach to force
protection.

The Downing Assessment was attached to a report Dr. Perry sent to the
President and Congress entitled "The Protection of U.S. Forces
Deployed Abroad." In his report, Perry laid out numerous force
protection measures DoD has taken, both before and after the Khobar
Towers attack.

"The attack on Khobar Towers should be seen as a watershed event
pointing the way to a radically new mind-set and dramatic changes in
the way we protect our forces deployed overseas," Dr. Perry said in
his report.

Immediately following the attack, Perry ordered a fundamental
reevaluation of U.S. force posture in the Arabian Gulf Region which
led to a major realignment of forces. Deployed forces in Saudi Arabia
and other countries in the Gulf region began relocating from urban
areas to more isolated locations that were easier to protect. At the
DoD's request, the Department of State implemented an "authorized
departure" of all U.S. government dependents from Saudi Arabia and DoD
withdrew command sponsorship for dependents of most permanently
assigned military members, which had the practical effect of an
orderly, mandatory return.

Perry also directed the commanders of all Unified Commands to look at
force protection in their areas of responsibility and report back to
him on how best to deal with the rapidly escalating threat to U.S.
forces. Their ideas and recommendations have been incorporated in the
force protection initiative the department is undertaking.

White said Downing provided exactly what DoD asked for: a tough,
hard-hitting look at the Khobar Towers bombing, and a broad assessment
of force protection measures throughout the Central Command area of
responsibility. The department has taken the following actions in
response to the principal recommendations:

-- Revised the principal DoD directive dealing with combating
terrorism to provide an improved, single standard on force protection.

-- Designated the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the
principal advisor and the single DoD-wide focal point for force
protection activities.

-- Gave designated local commanders increased responsibility and
authority for force protection.

-- Realigned force protection responsibilities in Southwest Asia
between the Department of Defense and the Department of State.

-- Initiated efforts to improve the collection and timely
dissemination of intelligence on threats to U.S. forces.

-- Established a new division of responsibility on force protection
matters between the United States and host nation officials.

-- Raised the funding level and priority for force protection and
increased efforts to harness advanced technology to the force
protection mission.

In addition, Perry asked the Secretary of the Air Force to examine
disciplinary and other issues raised in the report concerning how the
Air Force supports forces deployed to combatant commands.

Secretary Perry concluded in his report that "terrorists cannot win
unless we let them." In a letter to the President accompanying the
report he stated his confidence that as these new initiatives are
implemented, they will minimize risks and keep the U.S. military fully
engaged in defending U.S. interests around the world.

(end text)
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