thedrifter
01-23-09, 07:50 AM
MILITARY: Gates: Moving Guantanamo detainees doesn't threaten safety
By MARK WALKER - Staff Writer
Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday rejected a contention by North County's congressional delegation that moving Guantanamo Bay terror suspects to military bases such as Camp Pendleton or Miramar Marine Corps Air Station poses a safety threat.
"The challenge that faces us and that I've acknowledged before is figuring out how do we close Guantanamo and at the same time safeguard the security of the American people," Gates said during a Pentagon news conference. "I believe that there are answers to those questions."
Shortly before Gates addressed the issue, the region's three Republican members of the House of Representatives introduced a bill to block transfers of Guantanamo inmates to Pendleton, just north of Oceanside, or Miramar, in northeast San Diego.
Sponsored by U.S. Rep. Duncan D. Hunter and co-sponsored by Reps. Brian Bilbray, R-Solana Beach, and Darrell Issa, R-Vista, the legislation specifies that no federal funds may be used to accomplish a transfer to Miramar or Pendleton, or to "build, modify or enhance" any facility on those bases in order to house "enemy combatants."
The lawmakers argue the bases are too busy training troops for war. Moving Guantanamo detainees would detract from the Marine Corps' primary mission and threaten the safety of the surrounding community, they contend.
Camp Pendleton is on the short list of relocation sites, according to Hunter and others. So is the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
President Barack Obama signed an order Thursday that begins the process of closing Guantanamo within a year. He also ordered CIA prisons overseas shuttered and banned severe interrogation techniques.
Hunter, R-El Cajon, said he believes it is irresponsible to close the Navy prison at Guantanamo, on the coast of Cuba, where terror suspects have been held since shortly after the attacks of 9/11. The prison has proved a lightning rod for criticism of the U.S., with human rights groups and others contending that detainees have not been afforded basic legal protections.
"The terrorists held at Guantanamo present a serious threat to the security of the American people," said Hunter, 32, a member of the House Armed Services Committee who represents the 52nd Congressional District. "If the plan to close the prison moves forward, then we must have a serious discussion about where to put these terrorists and the judicial complications that will surely arise from their transfer."
Gates said the Defense Department has "developed some options" in terms of how many of the 245 detainees at the U.S. Naval base prison in Cuba can be returned to their home countries or other countries.
The secretary also said he was well aware of opposition from lawmakers representing areas that have been mentioned as possible relocation sites for inmates who remain in custody after Guantanamo is shut down.
"We have identified a number of possible prisons here in the United States. I've heard from members of Congress where all those prisons are located," Gates said. "Their enthusiasm is limited."
Defense Department spokeswoman Cynthia Smith refused to identify the working list of possible relocation sites. She also would not comment on a recent New York Times story quoting an unnamed Pentagon official as saying a survey team has already visited Camp Pendleton.
"We are examining a number of options and what it would take to implement the decision to close Guantanamo and transfer inmates," Smith said, declining to elaborate.
Base officials refuse to comment on the matter.
Camp Pendleton's brig can house up to 347 inmates. Miramar is built to hold up to 400.
Most inmates in the 36-year-old facility at Pendleton are housed in 30-man bays. An additional 63 isolation cells are used for those with disciplinary, medical or mental problems.
Most of the brig's inmates are there for relatively minor offenses such as drug use, larceny or unauthorized absence.
Inmates held under maximum security restrictions are housed in solitary confinement in 8-by-9 cells with a 10-foot ceiling, a bed, mattress, toilet, sink, desk and storage locker. The door is 4 feet wide and made of steel mesh that allows for fresh air and sunlight.
The 208,000-square-foot Naval Consolidated Brig at Miramar was built in 1989 at a cost of nearly $17 million.
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.
Ellie
By MARK WALKER - Staff Writer
Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday rejected a contention by North County's congressional delegation that moving Guantanamo Bay terror suspects to military bases such as Camp Pendleton or Miramar Marine Corps Air Station poses a safety threat.
"The challenge that faces us and that I've acknowledged before is figuring out how do we close Guantanamo and at the same time safeguard the security of the American people," Gates said during a Pentagon news conference. "I believe that there are answers to those questions."
Shortly before Gates addressed the issue, the region's three Republican members of the House of Representatives introduced a bill to block transfers of Guantanamo inmates to Pendleton, just north of Oceanside, or Miramar, in northeast San Diego.
Sponsored by U.S. Rep. Duncan D. Hunter and co-sponsored by Reps. Brian Bilbray, R-Solana Beach, and Darrell Issa, R-Vista, the legislation specifies that no federal funds may be used to accomplish a transfer to Miramar or Pendleton, or to "build, modify or enhance" any facility on those bases in order to house "enemy combatants."
The lawmakers argue the bases are too busy training troops for war. Moving Guantanamo detainees would detract from the Marine Corps' primary mission and threaten the safety of the surrounding community, they contend.
Camp Pendleton is on the short list of relocation sites, according to Hunter and others. So is the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
President Barack Obama signed an order Thursday that begins the process of closing Guantanamo within a year. He also ordered CIA prisons overseas shuttered and banned severe interrogation techniques.
Hunter, R-El Cajon, said he believes it is irresponsible to close the Navy prison at Guantanamo, on the coast of Cuba, where terror suspects have been held since shortly after the attacks of 9/11. The prison has proved a lightning rod for criticism of the U.S., with human rights groups and others contending that detainees have not been afforded basic legal protections.
"The terrorists held at Guantanamo present a serious threat to the security of the American people," said Hunter, 32, a member of the House Armed Services Committee who represents the 52nd Congressional District. "If the plan to close the prison moves forward, then we must have a serious discussion about where to put these terrorists and the judicial complications that will surely arise from their transfer."
Gates said the Defense Department has "developed some options" in terms of how many of the 245 detainees at the U.S. Naval base prison in Cuba can be returned to their home countries or other countries.
The secretary also said he was well aware of opposition from lawmakers representing areas that have been mentioned as possible relocation sites for inmates who remain in custody after Guantanamo is shut down.
"We have identified a number of possible prisons here in the United States. I've heard from members of Congress where all those prisons are located," Gates said. "Their enthusiasm is limited."
Defense Department spokeswoman Cynthia Smith refused to identify the working list of possible relocation sites. She also would not comment on a recent New York Times story quoting an unnamed Pentagon official as saying a survey team has already visited Camp Pendleton.
"We are examining a number of options and what it would take to implement the decision to close Guantanamo and transfer inmates," Smith said, declining to elaborate.
Base officials refuse to comment on the matter.
Camp Pendleton's brig can house up to 347 inmates. Miramar is built to hold up to 400.
Most inmates in the 36-year-old facility at Pendleton are housed in 30-man bays. An additional 63 isolation cells are used for those with disciplinary, medical or mental problems.
Most of the brig's inmates are there for relatively minor offenses such as drug use, larceny or unauthorized absence.
Inmates held under maximum security restrictions are housed in solitary confinement in 8-by-9 cells with a 10-foot ceiling, a bed, mattress, toilet, sink, desk and storage locker. The door is 4 feet wide and made of steel mesh that allows for fresh air and sunlight.
The 208,000-square-foot Naval Consolidated Brig at Miramar was built in 1989 at a cost of nearly $17 million.
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.
Ellie