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| Terror Networks & Islam |
| The Pentagon has a secret new strategy for taking on terrorists |
| 2005-07-28 |
| From the 1 AUG 05 issue On March 3, with little fanfare, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard Myers, signed a comprehensive new plan for the war on terrorism. Senior defense officials briefed U.S. News on the contents of the still-secret document, which is to be released soon in an unclassified form. ... Pentagon officials say they have a strategy that examines the nature of the antiterror war in depth, lays out a detailed road map for prosecuting it, and establishes a score card to determine where and whether progress is being made. Was the United States really winning the war on terrorism, Rumsfeld asked his commanders, and how could we know if more terrorists were being killed or captured than were being recruited into the ranks? The initial result was a 70-page draft report, which subsequently went through over 40 revisions as it was shared with Rumsfeld's inner circle, then a larger group, called the senior-level review group ("Slurg," in Pentagon-speak), and then regional commanders and other agencies. For those who wondered why we were doing "nothing" - this is evidence of the answer I gave a long time ago: we ARE doing something, but the public hasn't been told because its classified Traditionally, the geographic commands have been reluctant to yield to SOCOM on counterterrorism issues, but that's no longer an option... The Pentagon's Special Operations Command is designated in the new plan as the global "synchronizer" in the war on terrorism for all the military commands and is responsible for designing a new global counterterrorism campaign plan and conducting preparatory reconnaissance missions against terrorist organizations around the world. Under a draft national security presidential decision directive, expected to be approved next month, the White House would have greater flexibility to resolve turf battles in the government's overall counterterrorism effort. I cannot emphasize enough just how important these 2 steps above are The new strategy, for the first time, formally directs military commanders to go after a list of eight pressure points at which terrorist groups could be vulnerable: ideological support, weapons, funds, communications and movement, safe havens, foot soldiers, access to targets, and leadership. Each U.S. geographic command is to follow a systematic approach, first collecting intelligence on any of the two dozen target groups that are operating in its area of responsibility and then developing a plan to attack all eight nodes for each of those groups. Here is the part that will have the left and the Islamist fellow-travelers howling - and its a VERY important change The terrorist threat against the United States is now defined as "Islamist extremism" --not just al Qaeda. The Pentagon document identifies the "primary enemy" as "extremist Sunni and Shia movements that exploit Islam for political ends" and that form part of a "global web of enemy networks." Read more - there is a TON of info at the link in the article - and there's also a pre-emptive spin attempt to show this as being kind-of PC (you'll see what I mean) |
| Posted by:OldSpook |
| #12 What about the state sponsors of terrorism? Namely, Syria, Saudi, Iran, and Pakistan. |
| Posted by: jolly roger 2005-07-28 19:10 |
| #11 BH, by the time an unclassified version is leaked to the press, it's already been in use, refined, revised, analyzed and cranked up. By the time it reaches the "official publication" stage, well .... |
| Posted by: too true 2005-07-28 14:28 |
| #10 heh. Is this a "new" secret strategy, or did they crib it from Wretchard? ;) |
| Posted by: BH 2005-07-28 14:15 |
| #9 OldSpook: well I know. Perhaps 20 years hence, however, a few of the tales will be told, most likely while bass fishing. I've heard a few authenticated ones from the Vietnam era, and I'm pleased to report that our people were true craftsmen of their art. I suspect that this new generation, filled as they are with the milk of human kindness, will cut down their groves and vineyards and plow their fields with salt. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-07-28 13:47 |
| #8 As I said to mmurry, Anonymoose... You will never hear about the ones that didnt make it to Gitmo. 'nuf said. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2005-07-28 13:36 |
| #7 While I may continue to have some misgivings about Rummy's strategy in reducing SF and other officers in the AF, I really like what I see here. This is solid. I think yesterdays', "Redefinition of terror" article and the questions it produced in my mind about defining terrorism and the enemy have been answered here in this article. They clearly define who the enemy is, and lay out very specific indicators of success for the WoT. I am impressed.And many of my fears of an open ended war are obviously being felt within the C&C structure as well. Good deal. I like this move, and look forward to seeing how these command shifts and performance indicators affect depolyment and the larger WoT. EP |
| Posted by: ElvisHasLeftTheBuilding 2005-07-28 13:35 |
| #6 I would like to hope that much of what SOCOM is engaged in is "wetwork" operations along the lines of the Phoenix Program. A lot of their work would boil down to "dead pool" lists, taking out those who support terrorist ops in discreet and numerous assassinations. For example, set up a dozen fake "charities" that make it clear to donors that their money is going to terrorists. If they contribute a substantial amount, they are on the list--instant karma. Imams who shoot their mouths off should have a 72-hour life expectancy. Madrassas should be exploding like ripe puffer mushrooms--a terrible run of accidents. Since the US doesn't assassinate political leaders, they should subcontract hits like the entire Guardian Council of Iran--killed by a pig stuffed with C4. Eventually, the Angel of Death should be so pervasive that entire extended terrorist families should be wiped out--culling the herd, as it were. Levels of "prejudice" should also be re-established, so that especially egregious villains meet particularly gruesome ends. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-07-28 13:31 |
| #5 In the ol' days, when crime blogs were my thing, I quickly learned that what you "never heard again" was the most valid thing you heard. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-07-28 13:27 |
| #4 eight pressure points at which terrorist groups could be vulnerable: ideological support, weapons, funds, communications and movement, safe havens, foot soldiers, access to targets, and leadership. Works for Me! Yes, and Turban de Durbin, and Filobuster Bagogas Kennedy are ranting about secret prisons... Rummy continues to store Jihadis there with a good supply of interrogation tools from Victoria's Secret, and Farmer John... |
| Posted by: BigEd 2005-07-28 13:19 |
| #3 Putting SOCOM as the "lead dog" on this is what needed to be done - and let me tell you that things are a LOT better with operational people in charge of important things. And mmurray, you will never hear about the ones that didnt make it to Gitmo. Sometimes people have to remember that waving the cape around focuses the bull's and the audience's attention on everything except the sword of the matador. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2005-07-28 13:12 |
| #2 I learned from my time in the military, to really understand what is going on is not to listen to what is being said, but what is NOT being said. I knew we were doing well in the WOT when the higher ups stopped talking about rooting out the terrorist cells around the world and the mid-level Al-Queeros suddenly were not heard from or just plain disappeared. Good job Spooks! |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-07-28 13:07 |
| #1 Want to see something that shows the contrast between Clinton and Bush? Clinton's Presidential Decision Directive 39, signed in 1995, for example, gives the State Department the lead role in counterterrorism efforts abroad, but after 9/11, President Bush gave the CIA the lead for disrupting terrorist networks overseas. Yes, you read it right - the lead agency and government official for counterterrorism overseas was State and Madeline Halfbright. With FOggy Bottom ans the striped pants gang in charge, is there any wonder 9/11 happened? There is why the Clinton administration was such a failure in terms of safety of the republic. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2005-07-28 12:59 |