WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2003 – Successful completion of the mission in Iraq will severely undermine the goals and strategies of terrorists, President Bush's national security adviser said today.

Foreign fighters are coming to Iraq because "Iraq, if it is prosperous and stable, in a different kind of Middle East, is going to be the death knell for terrorism." Condoleezza Rice said in an interview with Katie Couric on NBC's "Today" program. Rice said that although the number of foreign fighters coming to Iraq is unknown, "they clearly understand that a victory for the peace in Iraq, like the military victory we've had there, will mean that their goals and their strategies will be severely undermined."

Referring to President George W. Bush's Sept. 7 address to the nation, Rice said, "I think the American people got a very good explanation from the president about why our resoluteness, our will, our willingness to use our power, is going to defeat terrorism. And that's the only way to do it." She echoed the president's reminder that the difficulty of the mission has come as no surprise. "The administration always knew that it was going to be difficult to bring Iraq to peace, prosperity and stability after almost 30 years of brutal Baathist rule," she said. Saddam Hussein's regime,
she added, impoverished the country by using its resources to obtain weapons of mass destruction "and to build castles to Saddam Hussein." If anything was underestimated, Rice said, it was how much damage Hussein had done to his own people, to their mentality and to the country's infrastructure. "For instance, the country had probably only 50 percent of the electrical generating power that it actually needed," she said. With about $20 billion of the $87 billion the president will ask Congress to provide for the coming year's efforts in Iraq, Rice said, Iraqi resources will need to be
mobilized and the international community will need to pitch in. "But we believe that this is the right amount of money for reconstruction over the next year, and that with this money we can do things like accelerate the building of the Iraqi army, accelerate the building of Iraqi police forces (and) civil defense forces to protect infrastructure," she said. "This is a well-thought-out program by (Coalition Provisional Authority head) Jerry Bremer and his people."

Rice said a resolution the United States has submitted to the U.N. Security Council to further involve other nations in the effort is not the first of its kind. Two previous resolutions – 1483 and 1500 – deepened the involvement of the international community, she said, and the proposed resolution submitted to Security Council members would further that process. "Let's remember that it was the U.N. headquarters that was attacked by these terrorists," she said, referring

to the Aug. 19 truck bomb that destroyed the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, killing special representative Sergio Vieira de Mello and roughly 20 others. "The terrorists understand that their goal is to destroy civilization, to destroy freedom. And if we have a stable and prosperous Iraq, and therefore a more stable and prosperous Middle East, there's no doubt that the entire world is going to benefit from that."  Establishing a unified multinational command led by the United States is another important aspect of the proposed U.N. resolution, Rice said. "It's very important to have unified command, and the United States has by far the bulk of the forces there," she said. "But I think if you read the comments of (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan and of others, understanding that in a military sense, unified command under the command
of the largest contributor is all that makes sense. And that largest contributor is the United States."

The national security adviser said U.S. force levels in Iraq are correct and at the level military commanders say they need. "We should also note," she added, "that some of these deployments are probably temporary – that American troop strength, for instance, has been coming down in the Balkans over the last couple of years."

Rice said the president was talking about moving forward when he addressed the nation the previous night.

"Saddam Hussein is no longer in power, and Saddam Hussein was the problem with weapons of mass destruction," she said. "It was he who had a thorough appetite for weapons of mass destruction. It was he who had used weapons of mass
destruction. It was he who was using the wealth and patronage of the country to develop weapons of mass destruction. "We have every reason to believe that a stable, prosperous and democratizing Iraq will not be a problem in this regard," she continued. "Removing Saddam Hussein removes the threat of weapons of mass destruction."

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Rumsfeld, Sanchez Say Press Ignores Good News From Iraq 9/7/2003

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sept. 5, 2003 – American officials here took on the press for not reporting the "good news" coming out of Iraq. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld visited the headquarters of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division in Tikrit and the headquarters of the 101st Airborne Division in Mosul Sept. 5. Following the visit, he held a press conference. He said that as he came back, he was told a member of the traveling press said it was a good trip, but there really wasn't any news in it. That obviously annoyed the secretary. "There was news up there," Rumsfeld said during the press conference held in one of Saddam Hussein's palaces. "There was good news. Important good news." He said constructive things are happening throughout

Iraq. "The Iraqi people are being substantively benefited and advantaged by being rid of that vicious dictator," he said.

He pointed to the surroundings and said that anyone who doubts whether the Iraqi people are better off should just examine the palaces and the enormous sums of money Saddam spent on the military. Officials estimate that Saddam spent
up to 35 percent of the country's gross domestic product on the military, the intelligence service and other means of staying in power. "It's a tragic, heartbreaking thing to see how the Iraqi people suffered over these past decades," he said. Rumsfeld said coalition forces have built or rebuilt schools, ensured hospitals are working and helped universities function. In addition, coalition forces are helping to dig wells, refurbish the irrigation system and rebuild roads. Specialists are helping to maintain and rebuild the oil, electric and water infrastructure. Rumsfeld said the scope

and speed of such operations are impressive. "If one looks back at Germany or Japan or Bosnia or Kosovo and measures the progress that has taken place in this country in four or five months, it dwarfs any other experience that I'm aware of," Rumsfeld said.

He said he is not wearing rose-colored glasses in looking at the situation. He stressed that the road ahead will be hard and have many bumps, but that it is worth traveling. Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 7, also took exception to media coverage of the situation in Iraq. "It is very disturbing to me to sit here every day and watch the news back home that focuses on the bad things that are occurring in Iraq," he said.

The general says it makes it seem as if the sacrifices of coalition troops is not being appreciated. He said there is progress in every area of the country. "We ought to make sure that America knows that their sons' and daughters' sacrifices are for a good cause," he said. "We have eliminated a dictator here. We are making a difference every single day."

Sanchez also addressed charges that the security situation in the country mandates that he needs more U.S. troops. He said soldiers are experiencing about 14 to 16 attacks per day from individuals or very small groups. "I have about 160,000 service

members here," he said. "I don't need any more forces here. When you look across this country … there is no practical threat. There is no tactical threat, there is no strategic threat or operational threat that exists to the coalition or to America.

"One battalion's worth of coalition power can accomplish the task of defeating any threat that may surface in the coming months, " he continued. "We can do this. We are doing this. We are making a difference. And we need to capture the great news that is

out there and make sure that America knows what their sons and daughters … are doing in Iraq."

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Subject: DoD Launches Quantum Leap-1   8/28/2003

From: "DoD News" <dlnews_sender@DTIC.MIL>
Date: Thu, August 28, 2003 5:28 am
To: DODNEWS-L@DTIC.MIL

No. 627-03
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug 28, 2003
(703)697-5131(media)
(703)428-0711(public/industry)

DoD Launches Quantum Leap-1

    John Stenbit, assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration and chief information officer of the Department of Defense, announced today the successful completion of Quantum Leap I. The exercise demonstrated a concept of net-centric operations called "horizontal fusion " -- the ability to integrate data from several sources for rapid and effective decision-making. The live demonstration of net-centric capabilities was carried out at a variety of military locations, including the Defense Information Systems Agency, Falls Church, Va.; the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Charleston, S.C.; and the McKenna Military Operations in Urban Terrain Site at Fort Benning, Ga. Horizontal fusion portfolio initiatives -- a joint suite of military communication and intelligence capabilities in development by the armed services -- will use multiple Web-enabled portlets, on-line foreign language translation and leading edge computing services to provide a dynamic look at tactical operations for real-time collaboration, situational awareness and sense-making. Stenbit pointed out that net-centric warfare adds flexibility in providing battlefield intelligence from pushing information from the intelligence analyst or commander to smart pull of information by the user according to

user-determined preferences. "This transformation is critical if, in the future, the department will have the intelligence-sharing needed to fight emerging

threats of asymmetric warfare and terrorism."

The horizontal fusion portfolio was launched Jan. 20, 2003, in response to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's vision of transforming the department. The horizontal fusion portfolio is slated to continue through 2008, expanding and accelerating DoD's net-centric capabilities. Speaking of these emerging capabilities, Mr. Rumsfeld said, "Possibly the single-most transforming thing in our force will not be a weapon

system, but a set of interconnections and a substantially enhanced capability because of that awareness." This year's horizontal fusion portfolio is made up

of 13 initiatives designed to provide improved intelligence and operations support for joint task forces and tactical units engaged in hostile action. Marian Cherry, the horizontal fusion portfolio manager, noted that, "The decision to include a specific program or initiative in the horizontal fusion portfolio is strategic. Each of these combat solutions must contribute to greater synergy, situational awareness and net-centricity for DoD." John Osterholz, director for architecture and interoperability, said, "The horizontal fusion portfolio of new C3I capabilities will make our forces less vulnerable and more lethal.

The assumption is that we no longer have hours or days to coordinate between the sensors, the shooters, the communicators and the logisticians. Today, they need visibility of their challenges, and they need it now. The way to deliver that vision is to make them each a node on the network -- and find ways for them to quickly make sense of what's going on around them."

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U.S. Attorney General: Patriot Act Important to War Against Terrorism

By K.L. Vantran
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2003 – The bombing of the United Nations building in Iraq confirms the worldwide terrorist threat is real, said U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. "Our enemies continue to pursue ways to murder the innocent
and the peaceful," he said in an address to the American  Enterprise Institute here Aug. 19. "They seek to kill us abroad and at home. But we will not be deterred from our responsibility to preserve American life and liberty, nor our duty to build a safer and more secure world." Tools provided in the Patriot Act, passed by Congress in
October 2001, help the Justice Department fulfill its responsibility to protect the American people, added Ashcroft.

The act began to "tear down walls that cut off communication between intelligence and law enforcement officials," he said. "It gave agencies like the FBI and CIA the ability to integrate their capabilities." The attorney general cited an example. Several persons have been indicted in Portland, Oregon, for allegedly conspiring to travel to Afghanistan

after the Sept. 11 attacks to fight against American forces, he said. The investigation began when a local sheriff in another state shared information with the Portland Joint Terrorism Task Force that one of his deputies had gotten from a traffic stop. Recently one of the defendants, Maher Hawash, pled guilty to illegally providing support to the Taliban and agreed to cooperate with the government. He faces a prison term of seven to 10 years. A congressional report on the 9-11 attacks found that U.S. law enforcement relied on "outdated and insufficient technology," according to Ashcroft.

The Patriot Act gave law enforcement improved tools. Before the act, investigators had to get a different wiretap order every time a subject changed cell phones. Now investigators can get a single order that applies to all phones a suspect uses. The report also determined there was not enough cooperation among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The act expanded the capabilities of Joint Terrorism Task Forces. "The Lakhani investigation would not have been possible had American, Russian and other foreign intelligence and law enforcement agencies not been able to coordinate and communicate the intelligence they had gained," stressed the attorney general. Ashcroft was referring to alleged arms dealer Hemant Lakhani, who was charged with attempting to sell shoulder-fired missiles to terrorists for use against American targets. After a long undercover investigation in several countries, Ashcroft said, Lakhani traveled to Newark, N.J.,last week and was arrested with two alleged

financial facilitators, as he allegedly prepared to finalize the sale of the first missile.
"The painful lessons of Sept. 11 remain touchstonesreminding us of government's responsibility to its people," said Ashcroft. "Those lessons have directed us down a path that preserves life and preserves liberty."Ashcroft encouraged attendees to visit

a new Web site to read about the
Patriot Act. [http://www.lifeandliberty.gov]

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Cheney Vows: Terrorism Will be Overcome 7/24/2003

By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 24, 2003 – For decades, terrorists have waged war against the United States. Now, America is waging war against terrorists, Vice President Richard Cheney said today.

"We will not wait in false comfort while terrorists plot against innocent Americans," Cheney said in an address at the American Enterprise Institute here. "We will not permit outlaw states and terror groups to join forces in a deadly alliance that could threaten the lives of millions of Americans. We will act and act decisively before gathering threats can inflict catastrophic harm on the American people."

U.S. and coalition forces have seen their share of victories against terror's shadowy ranks, he said, "sometimes in pitched battle, sometimes in the stealth of special operations, sometimes in sudden, decisive strikes -- like the one witnessed two days ago by the late Uday and Qusay Hussein."

For the past 22 months, U.S. officials have used a new strategy to combat global terrorism. The vice president said new thinking was required in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed more Americans than were lost at Pearl Harbor.

"This was the merest glimpse of the violence terrorists are willing to inflict on this
country," he said. Terrorists aim "to kill as many Americans as possible with the most destructive weapons they can obtain," including weapons of mass destruction that could inflict catastrophic harm.

"This enemy holds no territory, defends no population, is unconstrained by rules of warfare, and respects no law of morality," Cheney stressed. "Such an enemy cannot be deterred, contained, appeased or negotiated with; it can only be destroyed, and that's
the business at hand."

From the start, he said, U.S. defense officials recognized the war on terror would be a long-term challenge and require a long-term commitment. It would test the nation's resolve and demand many sacrifices from men and women in uniform.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States and allies took the battle to the terrorists hiding in Afghanistan. "The Afghan people have reclaimed their country from a depraved regime," Cheney said. "And the violent rule of the Taliban has been ended forever."

Many of those involved in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are now in custody or confirmed dead. Al Qaeda's leadership, Cheney said, has sustained heavy losses.

In Iraq, he said, the United States and its allies "rid the Iraqi people of a murderous dictator and rid the world of a menace to our future peace and security."

Yet, he added, "the loose and decentralized networks of terrorism are still finding recruits, still plotting attacks. A hateful ideology, which defiles a great religion, has taken root in many parts of the world. Terrorists have conducted attacks since Sept. 11th in Bali (Indonesia), Mombassa (Kenya), Casablanca (Morocco) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). The terrorists intend to strike America again," Cheney warned.

No one should doubt the intentions of our nation, the vice president said. "One by one, in every corner of the world, we will hunt the terrorists down and destroy them. We will not rest until we have overcome the threat of terror. We will not relent until we have assured the freedom and security of the American people."

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Air Guardsmen Detail Iraqi Freedom Close-air Support

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

 WASHINGTON, July 16, 2003 – Three days into Operation Iraqi Freedom, Air Force Lt. Col. Dave Kennedy got a new mission: Go to Tallil air base in Iraq and ready it for A-10 Thunderbolt II missions.Kennedy, the commander of the Michigan Air National Guard's 110th Operations Group, knew the mission could be an enormous asset in the war against the regime of Saddam Hussein.

If the A-10s could use the base near Nasiriyah, the coalition could provide more close-air support for forcesattacking the regime near Baghdad. The idea was A-10s would fly out of Al Jaber air base in Kuwait, land at Tallil and refuel so aircraft could spend more time over the target. And the close-air support specialists were in demand. Kennedy said during a Pentagon interview that the first week of the war, close-air support requests went in to the Combined Air Operations Center "open-ended" – meaning no specific aircraft type was requested. After the first week, he said, 80 to 90 percent of the requests for close-air support were A-10 specific.

But Tallil, the former Iraqi air force field, was a wreck. The Iraqis had built berms across the runways to stop U.S. airmen from using the facility. The buildings all were missing windows; there was no tank farm to refuel aircraft. In short, there was nothing that U.S. airmen could salvage to use in operations. When Kennedy arrived there was still fighting at the field's gate. Fuel, ammunition, maintenance facilities, security personnel, medical facilities -- they all had to be brought to the field and installed. Air Force Maj. Keir Knapp, another A-10 pilot with the 110th, helped Kennedy put the facility together. He gathered all the equipment the unit would need to operate from the "bare-bone" base. This included maps, computers, intelligence capabilities and communications. Land convoys and C-130 airlifters got equipment and materials to the base. Army, Marine and British engineers helped the airmen build revetments for aircraft and for refueling points. Airmen pitched in to clean the buildings and to set up an operations center. It worked. Four days after Kennedy arrived, the first A-10 refueled at Tallil. Three days after that, the first A-10s began operating permanently out of the base. The 110th continued to fly missions out of both Al Jaber and Tallil. They produced an enviable combat record. In four weeks, the Michigan Air Guardsmen took out 1,100 targets with 12 A-10s. They took out tanks, armored personnel carriers, buildings, aircraft, bunkers, weapons storage
bunkers and revetted positions, and vehicles. Bur this air support was never more critical than in taking Baghdad. On April 9, Air Force Maj. Scott Cuel was called for an emergency close-air support mission in support of Marines in the center of Baghdad. The Marines had gone on a raid and had run into a huge pocket of resistance, Cuel said.

The Marines and anti-coalition forces were intermixed. There were other aircraft in the close-air support queue,
but they carried larger bombs that would probably have killed as many Americans as Iraqis. Wounded Marines could
not be medevaced out of the area due to the proximity of the regime forces and the volume of antiaircraft fire, Cuel
said. "We got down and did what the A-10 does best," Cuel said. He got low and visually separated the good guys and the bad
guys. "I flew an extra pass to make sure I was dropping in the right area and the ground guys were happy, and then we
started to employ ordnance," he said. "We put about 600 rounds into them." The Marine forward air controllers said that the attack
broke the back of Iraqi resistance in the area.

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Thunderbolt Over Baghdad, 'Pilot-Dude' Down in the Countryside

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2003 – Air Force Maj. Jim Ewald had just finished a close-air support mission over Baghdad when his A-10
Thunderbolt II was hit by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile April 8. It physically moved the plane "like the hand of God," Ewald said during
 a Pentagon interview July16. Ewald is a pilot with the 110th Fighter Wing out of Battle Creek, Mich. The surface-to-air missile came up
 from the southwest, and Ewald said he never saw it. But he had no doubt a missile had hit him. "I could see a reddish glow on my cockpit
 instruments from the fire behind me," he said. His second thought was that he had not been wounded. It was then that the airplane
 departed from controlled flight. "That's just the way we say I was trying to fly the airplane one way, but the airplane was off doing its
 own thing," the Michigan Air Guardsman said. Ewald was soon able to regain control. "I was very fortunate to be flying this mission
 in an A-10, because had I not, I would have bailed out right there," he said. "My next thought was 'I don't want to bail out right over
 Baghdad or I'm going to be in it deep.'"
 
He and his wingman headed out of Baghdad and sought American lines. "It was physically hard (to fly the plane), Ewald said.
"I was manipulating everything with all the muscles in my body. I had flight control problems, I had engine problems, I had fuel-flow
problems, I had hydraulic problems … not to mention that I had an airplane that was disintegrating. I looked back once and I could
see little parts falling off the engine and I thought, 'I really don't know what that is, but I think I need it.'" As he continued south, he
lost one of the engines completely and he ejected. "The ejection seat was packed by one of my new best friends out of Boise, Idaho,
and it worked perfectly," Ewald said. After he hit the ground, he mistook the 30 mm rounds cooking off in the airplane for incoming
Iraqi fire. He ran to hide in a dried canal behind some reeds. He heard engine noise, and hoped that the vehicle was American. "I knew
the 3rd Infantry Division had been in the area, but I didn't know if it was still there," Ewald said. There was Fedayeen Saddam
paramilitary still running around, he said, and he couldn't see very well. "I heard one yell in English, but I thought maybe this guy
went to language school," Ewald said. "Then I heard another voice yell in English, 'Hey, pilot dude. Come out. We're Americans.'"
There was no mistaking the accent, he said. "He sounded like your typical 19-year-old American," the pilot-dude said. "I thought that's
something you don't learn in language school." The soldiers were from the Army's 54th Engineer Battalion, and they had seen Ewald eject.
They arrived some 10 to 15 minutes after he hit the ground, he said. Ewald went back to the 110th and was back into the cockpit in 48 hours.

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Bush, Blair Cite Progress Against Terror

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2003 - The United States and Britain are opposing the ideology of terrorism with a belief in freedom and liberty, President Bush said during a White House press conference today with his British counterpart. The press conference came after British Prime Minister Tony Blair addressed a joint session of Congress.

"The United States and Great Britain have conducted a steady offensive against terrorist networks and terror regimes," Bush said. "We are dismantling the al Qaeda network leader by leader, and we're hunting down the terrorist killers one by one. In Afghanistan, we removed a cruel and oppressive regime that had turned that country into a training camp for al Qaeda, and now we are helping
the Afghan people to restore their nation and regain self-government.

"In Iraq, the United States, Britain and other nations confronted a violent regime that armed to threaten the peace, that cultivated ties to terror and defied the clear demands of the United Nations Security Council," he continued. "Saddam Hussein produced and possessed chemical and biological weapons and was trying to reconstitute his nuclear weapons program. He used chemical weapons in acts of murder against his own people."

Bush said Hussein's regime "was a grave and growing threat." Given the regime's history of violence against its own people and aggression against its neighbors, "it would have been reckless to place our trust in his sanity or his restraint," he said. "As long as I hold this office, I will never risk the lives of American citizens by assuming the good will of dangerous enemies."

The president said the United States and Great Britain acted together to eliminate the threat Hussein posed to the region. "We ended the threat from Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction," he said. "We rid the Middle East of an aggressive, destabilizing regime. We liberated nearly 25
million people from decades of oppression. And we are now helping the Iraqi people to build a free nation."

Speaking about regime holdouts continuing attacks on coalition forces, Bush said the coalition is being tested and the opponents are looking for signs of weakness. "They will find none," he said. "Instead, our forces in Iraq are finding these killers and bringing them to justice. And we will finish the task of helping Iraqis make the challenging transition to democracy."

Blair praised Bush's handling of international matters since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks . He said the president has done his duty "with tremendous conviction, determination and courage."

The events of Sept. 11 showed the world in a new light, Blair said. Terrorism and the nexus of terrorists and rogue nations pose an incredibly dangerous situation. "When you lead countries, as we both do, and you see the potential for this threat of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction to come together, I really don't believe that any responsible leader could ignore the evidence that we
see and the threat that we face," Blair said. "And that's why we've taken the action that we have, first in Afghanistan and now in Iraq."

The prime minister said that the most recent estimates of the number of people Hussein had put to death is around 300,000. "So, let us be clear," he said. "We have been dealing with a situation in which the threat was very clear and the person, Saddam Hussein, wielding that threat (was) someone of total brutality and ruthlessness, who had no compunction about killing his own people or those of
another nation."

Blair stood by British intelligence that Iraq was trying to get uranium from the African nation of Niger. He said he believes the intelligence is genuine. "In case people should think that the whole idea of a link between Iraq and Niger was some invention, in the 1980s we know for sure that Iraq purchased around about 270 tons of uranium from Niger," he said. That uranium is stored in the Tawaitha
area outside Baghdad, DoD officials have said.

Bush said he has no doubt that the coalition will find proof of Hussein's WMD programs. "I say that because he possessed chemical weapons and biological weapons," Bush said. "I strongly believe he was trying to reconstitute his nuclear weapons program. And I will remind the skeptics that in 1991 it became clear that Saddam Hussein was much closer to developing a nuclear weapon than anybody ever imagined. He was a threat. I take responsibility for dealing with that threat."

After the press conference, Blair and Bush adjourned to continue meeting. The prime minister will be in the United States for a week.

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Blair Says Freedom, Liberty Best Weapons Against Terrorism

Bush: Harsh Treatment for Attackers, U.S. Not Leaving Till Iraq Is Free 7/2/2003

By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2003 – Anyone who attacks U.S. troops "will be found and brought to justice," President Bush said at the White House July 2. "Bring 'em on," the president urged. The U.S.-led coalition force in Iraq is "plenty tough" enough to ensure the situation is secure. There are some who feel that attacking American forces may cause U.S. officials to "decide to leave prematurely," Bush said. "They don't understand what they're talking about if that's the case," he stressed. About 230,000 Americans are serving inside or near Iraq, according to defense officials. About 12,000 coalition forces from Great Britain, Poland and the Ukraine are serving in Iraq, Bush noted, and U.S. officials would always welcome help from other countries.

The president promised harsh treatment for anyone who brings harm to coalition forces or the Iraqi people. "Those who blow up the electricity lines really aren't hurting America," he said. "They're hurting the Iraq(i) citizens." Bush noted that military operations only began in Iraq a short time ago, and it's only a matter of time before Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction are found."Saddam had a weapons program," Bush said. "Remember, he used them. He used chemical weapons on his own people."

Coalition officials are learning more and more about the threat Saddam posed to the world and his own people, he said. "We have uncovered some unbelievable scenes," the president said. Although he has not seen them himself, he said, people have described what it's like to see mass graves opened.

"(Saddam) was a threat to America," Bush said. "He was a threat to freedom-loving countries. He was a threat to the Middle East. But what we're finding out is the nature of this man when it came to how he … (treated) the Iraqi people, as well. And it's unbelievable what he did."

The United States will stay the course in Iraq, Bush said, despite those that would like to "run us out of there" and "create the conditions where we get nervous and decide to leave."

"We're not going to get nervous," the president affirmed. "We're not leaving until we accomplish the task" of establishing a free country run by the Iraqi people. "That in turn will help peace in the Middle East," he said. "That will in turn bring stability in a part of the world that needs stability."

The people of Iraqi want to be free, Bush concluded, adding that he considers it a great honor to "lead our nation to free people from the clutches of what history will show is an incredibly barbaric regime."

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Illinois Charity Director Linked to Al Qaeda

By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2002 -- Attorney General John Ashcroft vowed today to find the sources of "terrorist blood money" and shut them down.

Appearing at a press conference in Chicago, the attorney general announced that a grand jury had indicted Enaam Arnaout, director of Benevolence International Foundation, an Illinois-based charity, for channeling money to terrorists. The grand jury charged Arnaout with conspiracy to fraudulently obtain charitable donations to provide financial assistance to organizations engaged in violence and terrorism.

"There is no moral distinction between those who carry out terrorist attacks and those who knowingly finance terrorist attacks," Ashcroft said. "We will ensure that both the terrorists and their financiers meet the same swift, certain justice of the United States of America."

Documents found in the Benevolence International Foundation's Bosnia offices in March, he said, "show the American people and show the world, for the first time, tangible proof of the founding of the world's most dangerous terrorist network and the oath of allegiance its members pledge.

"It is chilling that the origins of al Qaeda were discovered in a charity claiming to do good," the attorney general said.

Benevolence International Foundation is a tax-exempt, purportedly charitable organization with offices in Illinois, Pakistan, Bosnia and other locations, Ashcroft said. The indictment charges that Arnaout operated the charity for more than a decade to support terrorism using contributions from Muslim Americans and others.

Ashcroft said the most disturbing allegation in the case, to him, is that Arnaout deceived Muslims, who are obliged by their religion to donate to legitimate charities.

"It is sinister to prey on good hearts to fund the works of evil," he said.

The grand jury charged Arnaout with one count of engaging in a racketeering enterprise; one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists; two counts of money laundering; two counts of mail fraud; and one count of wire fraud. If convicted on all the charges, Arnaout could face a maximum 90 years' imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Arnaout is also charged with co-mingling real charitable donations with contributions given to support armed violence, Ashcroft said.

"In order to deceive donors and to guarantee the success of his operation," he said, "Arnaout is charged with concealing at all times from the government, the general public and a considerable number of donors his relationship with al Qaeda; its leader, Osama bin Laden; and other terrorist organizations."

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U.S. Troops in Another Incident in Kuwait

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2002 -- For the second day in a row, there was an incident in Kuwait involving U.S. military personnel, DoD officials said Oct. 9.

Navy Lt. Dan Hetlage said U.S. service members were driving a Humvee on Kuwait Route 80 north of Camp Doha. One of the two men in a local vehicle brandished a weapon at the Americans as they passed the Humvee.

Judging the action to be a threat, one of the Americans fired. The civilian vehicle stopped and the Humvee continued on. No one was hurt in the incident, Hetlage said.

Camp Doha is the largest concentration of American ground forces in the emirate. Marines of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division are stationed at the base.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the attack on Marines Oct. 8 was an act of terrorism. Lance Cpl. Antonio J. Sledd, 20, of Hillsborough, Fla., died in the attack. Lance Cpl. George R. Simpson, 21, of Dayton, Ohio, was wounded in the firefight. Both men were participating in Exercise Eager Mace.

Kuwaiti officials have said the men who launched the attack were al Qaeda agents. Both were killed.

"We view this attack on U.S. military forces engaged in training exercises in Kuwait as a terrorist act," Boucher said during a State Department press conference Oct. 9. "We condemn it in the strongest possible terms."

Boucher said the United States is coordinating closely with the Kuwaiti government to investigate the attack and "any possible connections to international terrorist groups."

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Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today gave to world a peek at how he thinks.
 By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service
 
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2002 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today gave to world a peek at how he thinks.
 At a Pentagon press briefing this afternoon, Rumsfeld described guidelines he wrote upon taking office to help him decide when to
recommend President Bush commit American military forces.  Defense officials also released written copies of the guidelines after
the briefing. Is proposed action truly necessary?  "Certainly, if lives are going to be put at risk, whether they're U.S.
lives or the lives of other foreign nationals, there must be a darn good reason," Rumsfeld said during the briefing. He also suggested all
elements of national power be employed before, during and after any possible use of force. Is the proposed action achievable?
 "It has to be something that the United States is truly capable of doing," the secretary said. "We need to understand that we have
limitations. There are some things that this country and other countries simply can't do." Officials must decide at the outset what
constitutes success, so they know when they have succeeded, he said. Is it worth it?
 
"If the engagement is worth doing, then we need to recognize that, ultimately, lives could be put at risk," Rumsfeld explained. "Leaders
need to be willing to invest the political capital necessary to marshal support necessary to sustain the effort for whatever period of time
conceivably could be required."  If there is to be action, act early and don't restrict options.  "It's important to make a judgment as to when diplomacy
 has failed and act forcefully during the pre-crisis period to try to alter behavior and prevent a conflict," Rumsfeld said. He also said it's vital to not
"dumb down" an operation by promising at the outset not to do certain things. In previous conflicts, leaders have made such pledges as not to
commit ground troops or not to bomb below 15,000 feet. "Those promises, those declarations, it seems to me, have the net
effect of simplifying the task for an enemy, and it makes the task for the coalition much more difficult," Rumsfeld said.
 
 Honesty at all levels. Rumsfeld said American leaders must be "brutally honest" with themselves and the American people to avoid making a 
mission seem easier than it will be. "Preserving U.S. credibility requires that we promise less or at least no more than we believe we can deliver," he said.
"And remember that it's a great deal easier to get into something than it is to get out of it." The secretary stressed these issues are guidelines he considers, 
but not rules that could inhibit U.S. actions. "There may be times when national security requires that the U.S. act
without clear answers to some of these questions," he said. "These questions that I've posed to myself I think of as guidelines, not a
perfect checklist and certainly not hard and fast rules."

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CIA, DIA Chiefs Detail Dire Threats
 
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service
 
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2003 -- North Korea has missiles capable of reaching the West Coast of the United States.
Osama Bin Laden's terrorist network has sophisticated biological weapons capabilities. Iraq has tested unmanned aerial
vehicles that could carry chemical and biological weapons to Iraq's neighbors and could be transported to the United States.
 
Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Adm. Lowell Jacoby outlined 
the complexity and the severity of these threats before the Senate Armed Services Committee Feb. 12.Tenet noted that on
Feb. 7 President Bush raised the homeland security threat condition to "orange," designating a high likelihood of attack. The
CIA chief said raising the threat level buys U.S. officials more time to operate against those plotting to harm Americans.
 
"Heightened vigilance generates additional information and leads," he said, U.S. officials currently have information that points
to plots aimed at targets in the United States and on the Arabian Peninsula, according to Tenet.
 
"It points to plots timed to occur as early as the end of the Hajj, which occurs late this week," he said. "And it points to plots
that could include the use of a radiological dispersion device as well as poisons and chemicals." Al Qaeda has
 established a presence in Iran and Iraq, and the terrorists continue to find refuge in Pakistan and Afghanistan. "The network
is extensive and adaptable," Tenet said. "It will take years of determined effort to unravel this and other terrorist networks and
stamp them out." He said Al Qaeda is also developing new means of attack, including the use of surface-to-air missiles; poisons;
and air, surface and underwater methods to attack maritime targets. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has a sophisticated biological 
weapons capability, Tenet asserted, and he has made efforts to obtain nuclear and radiological materials.
 
Despite significant successes in combating terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001,attacks, Jacoby said terrorism remains the immediate
threat to U.S. interests at home and abroad.
 
"A number of terrorist groups, including the FARC in Colombia, various Palestinian organizations and Lebanese Hezbollah,
have the capability to do us harm," the admiral said. "But I am most concerned about the al Qaeda network."
 
Turning to Iraq, Tenet said the Iraqi regime is actively working to deceive U.N.inspectors and deny them access. "This effort is
directed by the highest levels of the Iraqi regime," he said. "Baghdad has given clear instructions to its operational forces
 to hide banned materials in their possession." Iraq's biological weapons program includes mobile research and production
facilities that are difficult, if not impossible, for U.N. inspectors to find, Tenet added.
 
Jacoby said Saddam Hussein appears determined to retain his weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, to reassert
his authority over all of Iraq, and to become the dominant regional power. "Saddam's penchant for brinksmanship and
 miscalculation increases the likelihood that he will continue to defy international will and refuse to relinquish his WMD and
related programs," Jacoby said.
 
On North Korea, Tenet noted that Pyongyang's recent behavior regarding its nuclear weapons program makes apparent the dangers
posed to the region and the world. This includes developing the capability to enrich uranium, ending the freeze on its
 plutonium-production facilities, and withdrawing from the Nonproliferation Treaty.
 
"Kim Jong Il's attempt this past year to parlay the North's nuclear weapons program into political leverage suggests he is trying
to negotiate a fundamentally different relationship with us, one that implicitly tolerates North Korea's nuclear weapons
 program," Tenet said.
 
Pyongyang's open pursuit of nuclear weapons, Jacoby said, "is the most serious challenge to U.S. interests in the Northeast Asia
area in a generation. … While the North's new hard-line approach is designed to draw concessions from the United 
States, Pyongyang's desire for nuclear weapons reflects a long-term strategic goal that will not be easily abandoned."
 

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 Virus of Terrorism 10/23/2002

By Linda D. Kozaryn

American Forces Press Service
 
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2002 -- Even though the virus of terrorism appears to be spreading, "it would be wrong to
paint too bleak a picture," NATO's secretary-general said Oct. 22.
 
Terrorists "are not invincible," Lord George Robertson said in an address at the Brookings Institution here. "They will
be defeated in any war where freedom-loving people are united against evil."
 
Providing security in a dangerous world is hard to do, he acknowledged. The "virus of insecurity and terrorism" has
spread from New York, Washington and Pennsylvania to attacks on U.S. Marines in Kuwait, a French oil tanker in
the Indian Ocean and to a nightclub in Bali, Indonesia.
 
"Geography is no barrier to terrorists," Robertson said."Race, color and creed are no protection against their attacks."
 
As CIA Director George Tenet urged, he noted, the terrorist threat must be taken very seriously because further
outrages are inevitable. "Even with the best intelligence, the best countermeasures, the best defenses, the lessons of
decades of terrorism in Europe is that you cannot hope to foil every attack," Robertson said.
 
Al Qaeda is evil, brutal and fanatical, he said. The terrorist network kills innocent people and can damage free
societies. "But it is a loose coalition of extremists, and it has not now nor ever been a threat comparable to fascism
or Stalinism.
 
"It can only hope to defeat us if we connive in our own destruction," he said. "We cannot allow a small,
unrepresentative network of criminal extremists to believe that by exploiting the openness of our free societies that
they somehow have got us licked."
 
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Saddam's Web of Lies Conceals Iraq WMD Program

 
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service 
WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2002 – Before making any judgments about Iraq, it is important for the American people to know 
that Saddam Hussein's regime lies to further its aims, Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke said Oct. 4. 
She said Pentagon officials would present a briefing in the next few days on the Iraqi dictator's denial and 
deception operations. She said the operations are very organized, comprehensive "and clearly intended to hide Iraq's weapons
of mass destruction." As the American people, the Congress and the United Nations confront issues on Iraq, Clarke
said they should remember that it has been Iraqi policy to lie to their own people, neighboring countries and the world.
"People should consider that fact very carefully as they weigh their decisions on how to deal with Iraq," she said. 
Clarke called the Iraqi denial and deceit campaign a sophisticated program directed by the highest level in the government. 
She said there is already evidence that Iraq is trying to conceal its weapons of mass destruction program in anticipation of the
return of U.N. arms inspectors. Joint Staff spokesman Navy Rear Adm. David Gove told reporters that operations continue
in Afghanistan. He said U.S. service members yesterday destroyed the largest cache of weapons yet found in the country.
American troops had found the 420 500-pound aerial bombs buried near Kandahar several weeks ago. 
In addition, another battalion of the Afghan national army graduated from the U.S.-French training facility near Kabul. 
Both Clarke and Gove expressed the department's sorrow over the death of Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Johnson, the Special
Forces soldier killed in the Philippines Oct. 2. A Green Beret captain was also wounded in that attack and is in intensive care 
at an American facility on Okinawa, Japan, Gove added. 
 
He noted an American team has arrived in the Philippines to assist local officials in investigating the incident. An Armed
Forces of the Philippines spokesmen said the Abu Sayyaf terror group was responsible for the attack. Clarke could not 
confirm this suspicion. Gove addressed the leaflet-drop operation Oct. 1 over Southern Iraq. A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft
dropped about 120,000 leaflets on Iraqi anti-aircraft sites. The leaflets warned the Iraqi gunners not to fire on coalition aircraft
patrolling the Southern No-fly Zone. If the Iraqis continue to fire, coalition aircraft will attack, the leaflets said. Gove said the leaflets
are a continuing operation done at the discretion of the Southern Watch commander and added there may be further drops. 
Gove said there were two such missions last year. He said there does not appear to be any difference between incidents against 
coalition aircraft before and after the drops. "The firing activity that we've seen over the last three years and so far this year is relatively
consistent," Gove said. "On average it is about the same." Clarke said the leaflet drops send a very clear message to the
Iraqi gunners "who for 10 years, have been firing on our pilots … trying to bring those planes down." 
"This is a very bad thing to do and there (are) going to be consequences," she said. 
 

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Saddam's 'Death Squads' Preventing More Iraqi Surrenders 3/27/2003

 
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
 
WASHINGTON, March 27, 2003 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has a
three-word answer to why more Iraqi troops aren't laying down their arms and
surrendering to coalition forces: Saddam's death squads.
The death squads are "enforcers," part of Fedayeen Saddam, a paramilitary
organization headed by Hussein's eldest son Uday, Rumsfeld told reporters today
on Capitol Hill.
The Fedayeen "go into the cities and shoot people and threaten people and
insist that they not surrender and not rise up," the secretary explained during
a break in his testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee. "And,
they're vicious," he added, estimating Fedayeen Saddam has 5,000 to 20,000
members.
The secretary related how the Fedayeen recently dealt with an unfortunate Iraqi
who opposed the regime. "They left somebody in the center of Baghdad not too
long ago with his tongue pulled out until he had bled to death -– cut his
tongue out," Rumsfeld said.
The Fedayeen aren't just in Baghdad, but are deployed across the country.
"And they're shooting –- executing -- people in Basra, Rumsfeld declared.
The secretary noted that such horrific behavior shouldn't surprise anyone who
has followed Hussein's 20-plus year career as Iraq's dictator. Hussein, after
all, has "used chemicals on his own people, as well as his neighbors," Rumsfeld
pointed out.
 More than 4,000 Iraqi troops are now in custody as prisoners of war, U.S.
officials have reported.
 

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 Bush: Massacre at Halabja Shows Evil of Hussein's Rule 3/15/2003

 
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
 
WASHINGTON, March 15, 2003 – President Bush today held up the March 16, 1988, chemical attack on the civilians of Halabja,
Iraq, as a prime example of the evil Saddam Hussein perpetrates.
 
Bush stressed the nature of the Iraqi dictator's regime in his weekly radio address. "The chemical attack on Halabja – just one
of 40 targeted at Iraq's own people – provided a glimpse of the crimes Saddam Hussein is willing to commit, and the kind of threat
he now presents to the entire world," the president said. "He is among history's cruelest dictators, and he is arming
himself with the world's most terrible weapons."
 
Bush is readying for a summit in the Azores with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. The men will
discuss a further U.N. Security Council resolution on Iraq authorizing military force.
 
"The United States, Great Britain and Spain continue to work with fellow members of the U.N. Security Council to confront this common
danger," Bush said.
 
"We have seen far too many instances in the past decade – from Bosnia, to Rwanda, to Kosovo – where the failure of the Security Council to act
decisively has led to tragedy," he continued. "And we must recognize that some threats are so grave – and their potential consequences so
terrible – that they must be removed, even if it requires military force."
 
But even as these diplomatic efforts continue, the people of the world must not lose sight of the basic nature of Saddam Hussein's regime,
Bush said.
 
The president and senior administrations officials routinely recount Hussein's actions: He has invaded Kuwait and Iran, and has used chemical
weapons against Iran and his own people. He has launched ballistic missiles at neighbors in the region, and continues to hide and actively
research weapons of mass destruction.
 
"We know from human rights groups that dissidents in Iraq are tortured,imprisoned and sometimes just disappear; their hands, feet and
tongues are cut off; their eyes are gouged out; and female relatives are raped in their presence," Bush said. "As the Nobel laureate and
Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, said this week, 'We have a moral obligation to intervene where evil is in control. Today, that place is Iraq.'"
 
Bush observed there is little hope that Hussein will change his stripes and begin cooperating fully with U.N. weapons inspectors. "If force
is required to disarm him, the American people can know that our armed forces have been given every tool and every resource to achieve
victory," he said.
 
The president noted that the coalition against Hussein will do all it can to spare innocent Iraqis from the consequences of the war. "Plans
are in place to provide Iraqis with massive amounts of food, as well as medicine and other essential supplies, in the event of hostilities,"
he said.
 
"Crucial days lie ahead for the free nations of the world," Bush said. "Governments are now showing whether their stated commitments to
liberty and security are words alone – or convictions they're prepared to act upon. And for the government of the United States and the
coalition we lead, there is no doubt: We will confront a growing danger, to protect ourselves, to remove a patron and protector of terror,
and to keep the peace of the world."
 
Massacre at Halabja Known as 'Bloody Friday' by Iraqi Kurds

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Massacre at Halabja Known as 'Bloody Friday' by Iraqi Kurds 3/15/2003

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2003 – "Bloody Friday." That's what Iraqi Kurds call

the attack on Halabja, Iraq, on March 16, 1988.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Saddam Hussein's largest use of chemical weapons on his own people. At least 5,000

Iraqi Kurds died from a lethal mixture of mustard gas and the nerve agents Sarin, Tabun and VX.Another 10,000 were reported

injured.

The victims were not Iranian soldiers, but the men, women and children of Halabja. Some reports indicated the Iraqis dropped

cyanide gas, but that has never been proven.

In 1988, Halabja, with a population of about 80,000, was a battlefield in the Iran-Iraq war that Saddam Hussein had started

in 1980. Just before March 16, local Kurds and Iranian Revolutionary Guards had passed through the city.

Local officials and the Iranians would not let people leave the city. They figured there was no military use to the city and

that Iraq would not bomb a population center.They were wrong.

Iraqi forces shelled the city, and aircraft dropped conventional bombs there. On March 16, the chemical weapons attacks began.

Eight Iraqi aircraft began dropping chemical bombs over the city, Kurdish officials said later. The chemical bombardment continued

all night with flights of seven or eight aircraft releasing weapons on the city and roads leading out of it. The attacks continued through

March 19.

"In the streets and alleys of Halabja, corpses piled up over one another,"according to information on the Kurdistan Democratic 

Party–Iraq Web page: "Tens of children, while playing in front of the their houses in the morning, were martyred instantly…. 

The innocent children did not even have time to run back home. Some children fell down at the threshold of the door

of their houses and never rose again."

Christine M. Gosden, a professor of Medical Genetics at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, reported on Halabja

 to the U.S. Senate in 1998. "I was shocked by the devastating effects of these weapons which have caused problems such as

 cancers, blindness and congenital malformations,"she said.

Gosden likened the secondary effects to those of an atomic bomb. Survivors of the attack reportedly continue to suffer and die

from its effects, she claimed.

Halabja was not the first instance of Iraqi chemical attacks. Hussein firstused chemical agents against Iranian soldiers in 1983.

CIA documents show the largest documented attack was a February 1986 strike against al-Faw, where mustard gas and tabun

may have affected up to 10,000 Iranians. Hussein continued to use the weapons against the Iranians, but then turned

the weapons against the Kurds, who wanted to depose him.

Before the attack on Halabja, Saddam Hussein launched chemical strikes on 20 small villages in 1987. But the scale of the 

attack on Halabja was unlike anything that happened before.

During the 1930s Spanish Civil War-era, people were horrified with the conventional bombardment of the Spanish city

of Guernica. On April 26, 1937, reportedly about 1,500 civilians, one-third of the city's population,

died from 100,000 pounds of bombs raining down on them. Mention of the word "Guernica" gave a mental picture of the depths

of cruelty man would stoop to. The Kurds maintain that "Halabja" should also trigger these feelings.

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By Gerry J. Gilmore

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2003 – The specter of terrorists allied with democracy-hating regimes – like Saddam

Hussein's Iraq – seeking weapons of mass destruction presents a danger America cannot afford to ignore, the U.S.

military's top officer said Feb. 26.

"It's this combination that makes Iraq such a threat to our nation," Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a group of business people in New York City.

Today, bloodthirsty terrorists and aggressive nations hostile to the American way of life "both desire

indiscriminate weapons of mass murder," Myers said, noting this makes for the most dangerous situation the United

States has faced in 50 years.

Myers noted that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell laid out the facts about Iraq's arsenal of chemical and

biological weapons, and described how Hussein has used them against his neighbors and Iraqis, too.

"The point is that the Iraqi regime has demonstrated a willingness to use weapons of mass murder against the

innocent," Myers said.

Terrorists and rogue regimes like Saddam's willing to murder so many innocents make today's war on terror a much

different conflict from the Cold War waged against the now-defunct Soviet Union, Myers remarked.

The Soviets, he pointed out, wanted to rule America; they didn't want to destroy its people.

Al Qaeda would like nothing more than to obtain a nuclear bomb, or containers of VX nerve agent, anthrax, or ricin

and "kill thousands of innocent civilians," Myers said.

Saddam has consorted with known terrorists sworn to destroy the United States, the general pointed out. "This includes

help in making explosives and poisons, such as ricin," Myers emphasized.

The United States and more than 40 other nations are ready to participate in a military operation to remove Saddam "if

the president so orders," the JCS chairman noted.

U.S. and coalition military forces "achieved a tremendous victory" against terrorists in Afghanistan, Myers said,

adding that 90 nations have united against terror and more than 100 key terrorist operatives have been apprehended

worldwide.

Yet, he said, the war against terrorism continues, and will do so "for a long, long time."

The United States and its allies will win that war, Myers declared, noting that the struggle will take patience and

persistence.

Terrorists can't be persuaded by diplomacy or contained like past foes, since they "will use these weapons of mass

murder, if they can get them," the general noted.

So rather than wait till terrorists such as Iraq act, "Is it acceptable to assume such risks when the next blow could

mean the deaths of thousands of men, women and children?" Myers asked.

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Fort Hood Soldiers Cheer Commander in Chief During Visit 01/03/2003

By Kathleen T. Rhem

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2003 – There was no mistaking that America's soldiers are firmly behind their commander in chief during a

presidential visit to the Army's Fort Hood, Texas, today. The troops there interrupted President Bush's short speech no less than

24 times with that unique Army seal of approval -- "Hooah!" Bush spoke to soldiers from the "great 1st Cavalry Division" and "the

mighty 4th Infantry Division" before lunching with them during a noontime visit.

The president noted 1,300 Fort Hood soldiers are deployed in various locations overseas and another 1,600 are preparing to go.

"In the months ahead, more soldiers from Fort Hood may be given other essential missions," Bush said. "But wherever you serve or

wherever you may be sent, you can know that America is grateful and your commanderin chief is confident in your abilities and 

proud of your service."

Bush reminded the soldiers why America is fighting a war against terrorism. "(The terrorists) don't value innocent life. They're nothing

but a bunch of cold-blooded killers, and that's the way we're going to treat them," he said to rounds of cheers. Bush noted that terrorists "reach across

oceans to target the innocent. They seek weapons of mass murder on a massive scale."

Terrorists, Bush pointed out, "will not be stopped by mercy or by conscience, but they will be stopped. "They will be stopped by the will and the might

of the United States of America," the commander in chief emphasized. At this point the soldiers' "hooahs" were deafening.

Bush outlined the military's successes in Afghanistan and spoke of the challenges ahead in dealing with other rogue regimes.

"In the case of North Korea, the world must continue to speak with one voice to turn that regime away from its nuclear weapons," he said.

Iraq is a "grave threat" to the United States and its allies, Bush noted. The president then ticked off a list of things that prove the

validity of this threat: Saddam Hussein has publicly declared his hatred for America; Iraq has a record for torturing its own people and

of aggression against its neighbors; Iraq has used weapons of mass destruction.

"That's why I say Iraq is a threat, a real threat," Bush pointed out. Still, the president said, he hopes Iraq changes course and complies

with U.N resolutions mandating that country's disarmament. But, if not, "America will act deliberately; America will act

decisively; and America will prevail because we've got the finest military in the world," the president emphasized.

"We are ready," Bush declared amid a crescendo of soldiers' cheering. "We're prepared, and should the United States be compelled

to act, our troops will be acting in the finest traditions of America."

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Homeland Security: Tom Ridge: 'We Can Be Afraid or We Can Be Ready' 2/19/2003

By Kathleen T. Rhem

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2003 -- Americans should stay informed of world events, but never surrender to fear,

 "because fearis the terrorists' most effective weapon," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said today. Ridge today launched

his department's "Ready Campaign," saying that even though officials can't predict an attack,

ordinary citizens can do things to better prepare in case there is one. The multiyear, multimedia information campaign

was designed "to build a more prepared nation, one family, one neighborhood, one community at a time," Ridge said in a

nationally televised address to the American Red Cross chapter in Cincinnati. "The threat of terrorism forces us to make a 

choice: We can be afraid, or we can be ready," Ridge said. "And today America's families declare we will not be afraid and we

will be ready." The secretary recommended three main steps for families to take: Make an emergency preparedness kit,

make a communication plan, and be informed.

Emergency preparedness kits should include such items as three days' worth of nonperishable food and water,

flashlights, a battery-powered radio, extra batteries, a first aid kit, and an adequate supply of required medications. 

Officials recommend families with infants and young children keep an extra supply of diapers, infant formula

and specialty foods on hand. Of his recommendation to stash some duct tape and plastic

sheeting to seal off living areas in case of a biological or chemical attack, Ridge explained, "Experts

tell us that a safe room inside your house or inside your apartment can help protect you from airborne contaminants

for several hours, and that could be enough time for that chemical agent to be blown away.

"We would not recommend these measures if they did not make a difference," he said. "All the same, we hope you never

have to use them." An emergency communication plan is equally vital. "Think about this: How often is every member of your

family in your house at the same time?" Ridge said. For most families, not often, he posited. He suggested families,

workplaces, schools and communities devise a plan and make sure all members know how to get in touch with each other.

Keeping informed of the situation and the best course of action to take will also help families stay safe. "An

emergency is not time to plan, it's a time to react," Ridge said. "So be informed. Different types of attack require

different responses." He suggested individuals visit the Homeland Security

Department's new Web site at

www.ready.gov [http://www.ready.gov/], or call

1-800-BEREADY for more information on how best to respond

to emergencies.

The secretary acknowledged a raised threat level can cause

more stress on families and on emergency workers, but it is

necessary to focus people on what steps to take.

"Whatever the threat level may be on any given day, every

family and every citizen will know that they have done

their job if they take the time to be prepared," Ridge

said.

Related Site of Interest:

Department of Homeland

Security [http://www.dhs.gov] Web site

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