Pentagon's homeland defense chief predicts long war on terror

[Mike Ballard <swillsqueal@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

March 3, 2004

By Chris Strohm
cstrohm@xxxxxxxxxxx

The war on terrorism will last as long and take as
many resources as the Cold War did, the commander of
the North American Aerospace Command and Northern
Command recently said.

Air Force Gen. Ralph Eberhart, who was in charge of
the nation's air defenses when the World Trade Center
and Pentagon were attacked, said the U.S. government
should prepare the public for a long haul in the
global war on terrorism and use resources that were
developed to fight abroad for homeland defense.

"Those who think that this war on terrorism is
short-lived, just like the Gulf Wars, just like Kosovo
and just like Bosnia, I think they're mistaken,"
Eberhart said Feb. 25 during a conference sponsored by
the American Forces Communications and Electronics
Association. "It's more like the Cold War than any war
we've experienced in our lifetime. It's going to take
the same commitment across this great nation to win
the global war on terrorism. It's probably going to
take the same time frame. And it's going to take the
same dedication of resources, intellectual capital and
fiscal [capital]."

"Unless we do that and make time work for us, as it
did during the Cold War ... time will work for the
terrorists, and I guarantee you that's what they're
counting on," Eberhart added.

Eberhart worries that U.S. resolve will wane as the
memory of Sept. 11 fades, leaving the nation
vulnerable to more terrorist attacks.

Using a sports analogy, he said resources that were
developed for "the away game" during the Cold War and
conflicts in the 1990s should be used for "the home
game" in the realms of homeland defense and homeland
security. For example, he said satellites, unmanned
aerial vehicles, various sensors and, in some cases,
urban warfare tactics should be used.

"How do we use the things we already have in a
different way with different rules and a different
environment than we envisioned using them?" he asked.
"We want to fight the away game...but we must ensure
that we're prepared to fight the home game."

He said the country specifically needs better
information sharing between the military and law
enforcement agencies, more human intelligence
capabilities and the ability to do wide area
surveillance over the United States, preferably from
space.

James Carafano, senior research fellow for defense and
homeland security at the Heritage Foundation, agreed
that the war on terrorism will be like the Cold War.

"We truly believe this is going to be a long,
protracted conflict, much in the same way that the
Cold War was a long protracted conflict ... because
you have an enemy that's dispersed and diffused and
will be difficult to root out," he said.

According to Carafano, the main lessons from the Cold
War that should be used during the war on terrorism
are that the country needs an offensive and defensive
strategy for security, continued economic growth, and
a commitment to the protection of privacy and civil
rights.

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0304/030304c2.htm

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...the safest course is to do nothing
against one's conscience.
With this secret, we can enjoy
life and have no fear from death.
    Voltaire

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