Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Event/Special
Pentagon Briefing
Aired December 22, 2004 - 14:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN: Live now to the Pentagon. The secretary of defense.
(ONGOING LIVE EVENT)
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The only alternative to success would be to turn back to darkness, to those who kill and terrorize innocent men, women and children. And that must not happen. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been killed and with the wounded and with their families and with all those military and civilian personnel who have volunteered to place themselves at risk in our country's behalf.
We honor them today, just as generations will come to honor their courage and commitment, and we pray for the successful outcome of their important work.
They have the deep appreciation of our country.
The approach of the new year is an appropriate time to consider where we've come and what we face in the future. Coalition forces continue to pursue terrorists across the world.
Thus far, more than three-quarters of al Qaeda's key members and associates have been captured or killed since the war on extremism began.
Twenty-five million Afghans have been liberated. And there have been free and fair elections, marked by the inauguration of an Afghan president who is now helping to lead the fight against extremists who plotted the September 11th attacks against our country and against this institution here.
In Iraq, the men and women in uniform have routed the insurgents in Falluja and elsewhere. The coalition, with the recent help of NATO, is training and equipping some 120,000 Iraqi security personnel in an effort to place more and more responsibility for Iraq on the Iraqi people, where it belongs. Ultimately, only the Iraqis can provide security for the Iraqi people. It's their country.
Here at the Pentagon, we're continuing to make progress in transforming for the post-Cold War period, making major and indeed historic changes in the global posture, implementing a modern personnel system that will help to move military people out of positions that can be filled by civilians and reshaping the military services into a more joint, a more capable and deployable fighting force and a great deal more. As long as an important region of the world is condemned to tyranny and violence with one half of their population barred from full participation, with little hope for a better future, terrorist also have a deep pool from which to draw recruits and to attack free people across the globe.
Our forces are deployed for the critical task of fighting them there so we don't have to fight them elsewhere. And our troops are making a difference, let there be no doubt.
That's why what our forces are doing in Afghanistan and in Iraq and in other areas of the global war against terror is so crucial and indeed so historic.
When people are liberated, and when they have a chance to choose a life of freedom and to have governments that they guide and direct, they are far less likely to support terror and they are still less likely to be attracted by the lies of the extremists or be intimidated by the extremists.
We must do what it takes in Iraq. We cannot allow those who chop off people's heads to take control of a country from which they could plot and organize and indoctrinate people against everything that they don't espouse.
The coming year will offer the Iraqis to choose a future of hope, and here are some positive signs. Thus far, it looks as though candidates from over 230 political entities have filed to run for the Iraqi national assembly including Shia and Sunni and Kurds and other ethnic groups and women. Seven thousand candidates will be competing in the various assembly elections.
There is violence in Iraq to be sure. It is a dangerous and an unsettled situation. But notwithstanding that, hundreds of refugees are returning to Iraq every week. It's estimated that over 140,000 refugees have returned already. Why would they do this? What do they know?
Clearly, these refugees returning home see better days ahead. They are voting with their feet. They are voting and risking their lives, and they see Iraq as a country with a future.
And there is a too little noted recent example of how the future can look.
Before he took office, the newly elected Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, took a moment to speak to the American people. And he spoke from the heart. And he said to all of us: "Whatever we have achieved in Afghanistan is from the help that the United States of America gave us."
He went on to say that without that help, Afghanistan would be, in the hands of terrorists, destroyed, poverty stricken and without its children going to school or getting an education.
"We are very grateful, to put it in the simple words we know," he said "to the people of the United States of America, for brining us that day."
I have never been prouder to be an American.
The holiday season is an especially hard time to be away from friends and family. And wherever they are stationed around the world, I want every one of the men and women in uniform who are depending our nation to know that they are in our thoughts and prayers.
In a moment, I will be responding to questions, Dick and I will, about the problems and controversies in the global struggle against extremism. But I want the American people to understand how much our nation is contributing to a better world, how important that work is and that the work of the armed forces of the United States is making a difference. And I should add, how much it is appreciated by me and by all of us.
I am truly saddened by the thought that anyone could have the impression that I, or others here, are doing anything other than working urgently to see that the lives of the fighting men and women are protected and are cared for in every way humanly possible.
And I hope and pray that every family member of those who have died so bravely knows how deeply I feel their loss.
When I meet with the wounded, with their families, or with the families of those who have been lost, their grief is something I feel to my core.
And I should add -- and the American people need to know that the strength of our military and of their families is amazing. It is truly extraordinary to see it and to feel it. It never fails to give me strength, to give me encouragement, and to give me inspiration for the tasks ahead.
I, and I know others, stay awake at night for concern for those at risk, with hope for their lives, for their success. And I want those who matter most, the men and women in uniform and their families, to know that. And I want them to know that we consider them, the soldiers, the sailors, the airmen, the Marines, to be America's true treasure. And I thank them and I thank their families.
General Myers?
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and good afternoon.
I wish to also extend my sincere condolences to the families of our forces who have lost their lives throughout this conflict and this war against extremism. Of course most recently we regret the loss of life in yesterday's attack in Mosul.
And here's what we know about the attack. Shortly after noon yesterday, anti-Iraqi, anti-coalition forces attacked the dining facility located within the forward operating base Marez in Mosul, killing 22 people, including 13 U.S. military, five U.S. civilian contractors, three Iraqi security force members, and one non-U.S. person.
An additional 69 people were injured in the attack including 44 U.S. military, seven U.S. contractors, five Department of Defense civilians, two Iraqi civilians, 10 contractors of other nationalities, and one of unknown nationality and occupation. Twenty-five of the 69 who were wounded were returned to duty.
Many of the wounded, as was seen on TV, are being transported now to Landstuhl Army Medical Center in Germany.
Investigators are about to conclude their look into the exact cause of the blast.
At this point, it looks like it was an improvised explosive device worn by an attacker.
This will be put in a statement that will come out of MNFI, in a couple of hours, from Baghdad.
I assure you that everything possible is being done to get to the bottom of what happened and to take the appropriate steps so we can prevent potential future attacks of this nature.
I'd like to take a few minutes to talk about a few other topics of interest, as well.
I recently returned from our annual USO holiday trip to the Middle East, Europe and the Horn of Africa.
Like the secretary, I cannot begin to put into words what a terrific job our men in uniform are doing. Whether they are in Iraq, Kuwait Afghanistan, Djibouti and for that matter, many other points around the globe.
I am extremely proud of our men and women in the armed forces, proud to visit with them and listen to them and their stories and concerns, and also to witness their enthusiasm and dedication and particularly their focus on the mission. They are terrific, each one.
I went to several locations in Iraq and saw firsthand the many successes that are often understated. Every time I visit our deployed troops, I come away more inspired, as the secretary does. And it goes along with meeting the families of those that are severely wounded that we see from time to time, more inspired by their determination and their morale.
I know the celebrities that participated in this event with me feel the same way about our men and women in uniform.
And I want to thank them for taking on the challenge and the weariness of such a long trip, and appreciate all they did to bring a little cheer and a little bit of America to our troops.
In Falluja, we are continuing the process of delivering food and water and those necessary essentials to improve the conditions to allow residents to return home. Engineers and Iraqis are working to restore power to substations and repair water mains.
Obviously, security is still a concern. In fact, yesterday, U.S. forces uncovered several more weapons caches. These efforts to secure Falluja are deliberate and they do take time, but we are making progress. In fact, tomorrow residents will begin the return to Falluja to reclaim and rebuild their city.
A process leading to elections in Iraq is also on track. As the secretary said, the elections will be planned, conducted and secured by Iraqis.
We are absolutely committed to the January 30th election date. Seventeen of the 18 provinces can support elections now at more than 5,500 designated polling centers. The number of polling centers in the one remaining province, Al Anbar, is not yet known.
But this process is not without challenges. Security for the elections is a top priority with an emphasis on Falluja, Ramadi and Mosul. Iraqi security forces will take the lead for election security, coalition forces will provide support where requested.
Efforts to defeat the insurgents and the anti-Iraqi, anti- coalition forces who are targeting innocent citizens and coalition forces remain a top priority. Intimidation, kidnappings and executions, especially those focused in Mosul, North Babil, Ramadi and Al Qaim are particularly troubling and these areas will be a focus of particularly increased security emphasis.
Offensive operations focused on deterring and eliminating extremists whose purpose is to undermine and derail the interim Iraqi government's control and legitimacy.
You can be assured that commanders on the ground are working aggressively to further expand force protection measures for deployed forces. Units designated for duty in Iraq receive extensive training stateside prior to deployment, as well as follow-on training in Kuwait and Iraq.
This training includes convoy operations, improvised explosive device detection and reactive drills, and counter-improvised explosive device training.
Coalition forces also incorporate lessons learned from enemy attacks and update their tactics daily as they need to.
Additionally, we continue to use technological advances such as unmanned aerial vehicles and remote sensors to enhance our force protection measures.
The bottom line is commanders on the ground are continuing to exert all efforts to maximize force protection for our coalition and U.S. service members and aggressively pursue ways to defeat the enemy.
And with that we'll take your questions.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, General Myers, what specific physical evidence was found that the explosion yesterday at the dining hall at Forward Operating Base Marez was caused by a suicide bomber? How did that conclusion get reached?
RUMSFELD: Well, the conclusion hasn't been announced yet, but they have been sifting through the site, and General Myers stated what their conclusion was at least an hour ago.
MYERS: That's correct. But we still have an hour ago or so to go before they release it.
If it was a rocket, you'd find remnants of the rocket. If it were an improvised explosive device you would find remnants of the improvised explosive device.
So I assume in their release they'll let you know what they found and what they didn't find.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, what does the incident at Mosul say about U.S. security on those bases? How could something like that happen. And what could be done to prevent it in the future?
RUMSFELD: Well, I'll have Dick respond, as well.
But as we know, someone who is attacking can attack at any place, at any time, using any technique. And it is an enormous challenge to provide force protection, something that our forces worry about, work on, constantly.
They have to be right 100 percent of the time. An attacker only has to be right occasionally. And we've seen that in all kinds of circumstances around the world over the decades.
And I think that we have seen attacks like this, previously, in the country. Remember the attack on the U.N. team that was there, when Mr. De Mello was killed.
There have been other instances of it. It is a tragedy. The loss of life is just heartbreaking.
Dick, do you want to add anything?
MYERS: You bet. This attack, of course, is the responsibility of insurgents, the same insurgents who attacked on 9/11, the same type of insurgents whose attacked in Beirut, the same type insurgents who -- or type of insurgents to attacked the Cole and Khobar Towers. And the list goes on.
So the way you prevent this is you win the war against the extremists. And I have talked about that at length myself. And I'm not saying that's a war in the sense that the military can do this. But that's how we do this.
We make this kind of extremism, this kind of action which shows no moral boundaries, because while this was an attack against coalition forces, U.S. forces and contractors in Mosul, we have seen attacks on children in Baghdad and Iraqi citizens. So the way we prevent this is we win. And that's what we're going to do.
QUESTION: But isn't this someone who made his way onto the base, someone who was a trusted individual, an employee or something. Somehow he had to get -- the base is not being secured. Somehow he had to get on the base with an explosive, with bombs.
MYERS: Well, we'll find that out when the investigation is complete, exactly how that happened.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, how does yesterday's attack in Mosul and the need to up-armor $4 billion worth of equipment, how does that square with your notion that you are routing insurgents not only in Falluja but elsewhere in Iraq? It seems they are getting stronger and more sophisticated and there's no end in sight here. How does this square with your original statement?
RUMSFELD: I don't have any idea what original statement you're talking about.
QUESTION: We're routing the insurgency in Falluja and elsewhere. You just said that a little while ago.
RUMSFELD: They did have a successful event in Falluja, effort. And they have had successful efforts elsewhere in the country.
We know that in terms of the totality of the country, some 18 provinces, that somewhere between 12 and 14 of them have relatively low levels of violence: the north, the south. And we know that four provinces have relatively high levels of violence. And the task is to have the violence reduced in those remaining four provinces.
I should add that those provinces have higher population, one of those being Baghdad.
So it's an uneven situation. We have had unevenness since the beginning. The tasks of our armed forces and the tasks of the coalition forces vary from portion of the country to other portions of the country.
MYERS: I would just say that, you know, we have stood up here, the two of us, and talked about how the insurgency is going to get worse as we approach elections, because as we get to January 30th and beyond, and by the way I'm not saying there's not going to be a lot of challenges after January 30th. That will not be a panacea either. But it will be a very important step in the legitimizing the Iraqi government, delegitimizing the insurgents. But we said it was going to be much more of a challenge as we get closer and closer to that date.
The last several days, that's exactly what we have seen. We've seen some horrific attacks, not just against coalition forces, but against Iraqi citizens.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) can come up with a spectacular attack though? RUMSFELD: We have said all along that we expected the level of violence to increase as you got toward the election. That is not new.
We have also said that Falluja was a successful effort. It was. It seems to me that's crystal clear. It's unambiguous. And it was an important effort.
I would also say, as Dick suggested in his comment, that I think looking for a peaceful Iraq after the elections would be a mistake. I think our expectations level ought to be realistic about that. These folks have a lot to lose.
The extremists and the terrorists and the people who are determined to try to take back that country are determined not to lose. And it is going to be a -- they are going to do everything they can to see that that opportunity they have succeeds, and we've got to do everything to see that they fail.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, on the same issue, do you and General Myers think it is unwise or was unwise to put 400-plus service men and civilians and others in a huge tent the size of a football field on a base in a combat zone, a base that had been hit by mortars and RPGs?
QUESTION: And if you do think it's unwise, are either one of you or both going to sound off to Generals Casey and Ham or take them to the woodshed?
MYERS: These are the calls that the combatant commanders make, and any judgment that General Ham is up there not worried about force protection is ludicrous.
This is a man -- I can't remember when General Ham first went in up there -- but has been working the security up there in that region for the Iraqi people for many, many months at great personal sacrifice to himself and his forces. He has led them well.
We have had a suicide bomber apparently strap something to his body, apparently him, and go into a dining hall. We know how difficult this is to prevent people bent on suicide and stopping them. We understand how difficult that is.
But I think -- this was the insurgents that did this. So it's not General Ham that attacked his dining hall.
I think he has a very good plan for force protection. I know what some of the long-range plans are up there.
This is an insurgency. And I think if you step back a minute and you think about insurgencies versus conventional warfare, conventional warfare at some point you're going to get to an unconditional surrender. And in many cases you have very neat front lines.
We have no front lines. The front line can be the dining hall, it can be the road outside the base, it can be the police station or the governor's office or the mayor's office down in Mosul.
That's their territory. They operate all over that. They can wear, and they do wear clothes like every other Iraqi.
It's a much different thing, and the mindset has to be much different.
MYERS: What it tells us is -- and we know this from our history with insurgencies -- it's going to be very tough.
And as this insurgency has changed in its nature and its character, and it's become more intense, our resolve just has to be all that tougher.
And I know the Iraqi resolve is hard and tough. And I know that our resolve is hard and tough.
QUESTION: It seems to me....
QUESTION: May I do a follow-up?
RUMSFELD: Just a minute, no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No follow-ups.
RUMSFELD: Let me respond to the first one before you follow up.
If you think about it, it's a normal reaction to see something like that and say, "Why wasn't it stopped," or a beheading.
And say, "Why didn't somebody stop the beheading?"
And of course, the other way to look at it is, to think of the people who did the beheading. Those are the people we're up against.
Someone can say, "Well, people are coming across the border with Jihadists from Syria. And why aren't they stopped?" You know, the question is: Why doesn't Syria stop the Jihadists from coming across the border?
It is something that one has to put into context. And I say that in respect for the military commanders on the ground, who have multiple tasks, are challenged constantly.
I mean, think about the murders that take place in every major city in the world. One could say, "well, why aren't they stopped," or the fires that take place and things that happen. And they are terrible things. And the loss of life is heartbreaking and it's a normal human instinct.
But the other way to think about it, or an additional way to think about it is, think about turning that country over and letting them win, those people who are doing those things. It would be a terrible loss for civilized society.
QUESTION: Would you not agree, both of you, however, that putting 400 people in a huge tent is a tempting target for the insurgents or anybody else? MYERS: There are lots of congregations like that of various formations where it's -- for individuals bent on suicide with VBIED, a vehicle borne improvised explosive device, or one strapped to their body -- we have seen in other countries. And so, I mean, it's not a viable strategy to ask everybody separate.
So I think commanders are very much aware of that, and try to prevent that. It absolutely happens.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, you said that you were truly saddened by some of the things your critics have said, particularly this perceived insensitivity the troops and their needs in the field.
RUMSFELD: I said slightly differently, and I said just what I felt.
QUESTION: OK. And this is the most personal response to critics we've heard from you here. Know you've been in a lot of political battles over four decades of service, how does this one over the past two weeks rate? And do you think it has affected your ability to do your job?
RUMSFELD: Well, you know, it is -- you get up in the morning and you think about what our troops are doing. And I must say, if they can do what they're doing, I can do what I'm doing.
QUESTION: I have a short question and a longer one.
The first one is: Is the non-U.S. person identified as killed, is that believed to be the body of the bomber?
And my second question gets into some armchair generaling (ph). The 101st Airborne Division, with 17,000 troops, was replaced by Task Force Olympia that has about 9,000. One of the tenets that I was exposed to when I was over there is this idea of persistent presence, and that's the way to beat this insurgency, by having enough troops in enough places frequently enough that the insurgency can't gain a foothold in places it hasn't been. Mosul was one of those places that was doing really well before.
So do you see -- is there a relationship between the reduction in the footprint of the U.S. forces in Mosul and the subsequent reliance on an increase in Iraqi forces, because they're also considered part of Task Force Olympia?
MYERS: On the unidentified person, I think that's to be determined. I don't want to speculate on that because we don't know.
On persistent presence, if you are going to have security in any society, you need persistent presence of police and other agencies.
Certainly persistent presence of coalition forces, U.S. forces, is not, I don't think, what was implied by that statement. It might have been at the time, but as time goes on then you look at the forces that are in that country to provide for their own persistence and their own presence. And I know General Casey has just visited in Mosul. He has done that a couple of times since we advanced our strategy in that part of the country. Those kind of questions have been asked internally, of course.
So it's not our armchair generalship, it's real generalship has been doing that to try to answer that question, to see if we're postured properly. And the answer, is to, date that we are.
RUMSFELD: I think Dick touched on something that's enormously important.
Presence, of course, has the advantage that your question suggested and Dick mentioned. It also creates targets. And that's just the reality.
If I were to elevate a concept, it is that the task for the coalition, for the United States particularly, and ultimately for the Iraqi people, is to have the Iraqi people take over responsibility for their own security.
Therefore, if I were to ask you what is our principal job there, our principal job is to work with the Iraqis so that they develop the persistent presence of Iraqi security forces in that country so that there is a penalty for the kind of behavior one sees with a suicide bomber or a random rocket or mortar.
And in the last analysis, that is our task. Our task is not to get in there with a persistent presence of Americans over a sustained period of time, because that has the counterproductive aspect of it of creating additional targets and creating a sense of occupation.
Our goal is to enable and create an environment that's hospitable for the Iraqis to step forward and do the things they need to do.
One of the things that we haven't talked about here much, and I think it's an important part of the equation, is intimidation. And they are effective, the enemy is effective.
The enemy's got a brain. The enemy alters its tactics. As things happen on the ground, they see what we do to respond to it. They then change their tactic.
Intimidation is the kind of thing that can prevent people from providing intelligence.
It can prevent people from running for office. It can inhibit people from being responsible and stepping forward to vote, for example. We saw some election workers that were killed.
And it is the balance between how successful the intimidators, the extremists, are as opposed to how successful the Iraqi interim government is and the people who are signing up for these 200-plus ballots and these thousands of people who will be running. And it's that tension that is taking place in that country. And it's complicated. I wish it were simple. I wish it were easy to explain in a bumper sticker type sentence. But it isn't. It's a very tough, complicated business.
QUESTION: General Myers, can you explain to us the vetting process that contract workers inside these facilities, non-Americans, go through? Is this a military responsibility to hire these or is this left up to the contractors such as KBR?
MYERS: We can get you a fact sheet on that. We'll get you a sheet on exactly how that's done.
RUMSFELD: We'll take one last question, right here.
QUESTION: Do you expect to declare any, sort of, operational status for your missile defense system in 2004? If not, when do you plan on doing that?
And also, does recent results from the recent missile defense test cause you any concern about the deterrent effect of such a system?
RUMSFELD: The last portion of your question first: One always would wish that every element of a test environment would be perfect, and they never are. That's true in any research and development or high technology effort in any field, in any country, anywhere in the world.
I'm told that with respect to the event test, that they plan -- the normal sequencing would be to have a series of interceptors prepared and ready to fire. And in the event the first assigned interceptor missile -- computer signals that something wasn't right, it automatically chops over to the second one, and the second would fire.
This test did not have it in sequence. It was just to test a single one. And as a result, it didn't fire. And they will then go into that and figure it out.
And I must say, having been in the research and development business over the years, pharmaceuticals and electronics and various other things, the interesting thing -- people think those as failures. Most people think of them as learning experiences. That is, it is that process of trying things and learning from it that enables one to step ahead and advance science and technology.
So the answer to your question is no. It's expected that there will be things like that, that will occur.
The first part of the question is a little harder. It would be nice and neat if every system was either in development or operational. In this case, that's not going to happen.
What we have here is a developmental system that is well-along. And there are interceptors in the ground. And at some point soon, it will have a modest capability. But it will still be in a test phase. It will still be in a developmental phase. It will still be, as happens with other systems over time, being perfected and improved.
They have developed the command and control procedures. The rules of engagement are being developed. The testing of safety and various procedures have been exercised.
And I can't answer your question as to when or if we would have an announcement, but I would guess, that the announcement would be very much like what I just said: That we are proceeding, that we have interceptors in the ground, and that each month and each quarter and each year additional pieces of it will evolve and be added.
QUESTION: Can I ask a follow-up, sir? The administration had made very clear that it wanted to have an early operational facility, or a switch from a test scenario to an operational scenario, as needed in 2004. Are you backing off of that?
And also, does the issue with the test that you mentioned, that's not having a backup rocket there like you normally would operationally, indicate that maybe you need to test as you would operate, as opposed to just having, sort of, isolated testing scenarios?
RUMSFELD: Eventually you would test as you would operate. And I don't know that they didn't have an additional interceptor prepared, available.
But that's not what they were testing. They were not testing the ability to move from one interceptor to another to another in the event there's a computer signal that says that this interceptor isn't prepared. That wasn't what they were testing.
And the other portion of your question -- correct me if I'm -- you are more knowledgeable about this than I am, but we had hoped that we would have some sort of a characterization that in 2004 we had a preliminary capability, an initial capability. I don't mean an initial operating capability, I mean a very modest capability.
I don't know that's not true today.
I'm not announcing it.
But if you, for example, said that there was some reason to -- that there was some threat that was evolving and it would be desirable to go out of a test mode and see the extent to which you could be in an operational mode, my impression is it wouldn't take long to get there.
MYERS: That's correct.
RUMSFELD: But we don't see that threat, therefore we're not pressured. Our task in the immediate period is to get it right and to keep working on it.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, what do you say to families who after yesterday's explosion want to see more and better protection for the forces over there? Do you think there's anything more that can and should be done?
And with the additional forces that are gathering in Iraq in anticipation of the January 30th elections, could some of them be diverted perhaps more to force protection in light of what just happened?
MYERS: I would only say that force protection's inherent in every mission. And so it's not that you have certain people doing force protection, it's kind of job one. To protect the forces, you do your mission.
And that's why we put the types of forces -- extended the types of forces we did and put the additional forces in there was precisely for that reason, so they could fulfill some of those responsibilities that you spoke of.
And in terms of the rest of it, as the secretary said I think in his opening statement, we are working very hard to ensure what the commandeers want they get as quickly as we can produce it, field it, get it there, make it there, or whatever.
So I think families need to be assured that we will give them the best that we can humanly produce for them to protect their loved ones.
RUMSFELD: There is a real sense of urgency in the field, by the commanders, and in this department, by the services, to do exactly what Dick said.
QUESTION: One last question, Mr. Secretary...
RUMSFELD: I think we're probably through.
QUESTION: In the holiday spirit...
QUESTION: Merry Christmas to you and your family.
RUMSFELD: Merry Christmas to all of you. Thank you. Have a good new year.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: We've been listening to a news conference at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld joined by General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, answering many questions about yesterday's bombing, yesterday's attack in Mosul, killing 19, including 13 U.S. service members and others.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 22, 2004 - 14:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN: Live now to the Pentagon. The secretary of defense.
(ONGOING LIVE EVENT)
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The only alternative to success would be to turn back to darkness, to those who kill and terrorize innocent men, women and children. And that must not happen. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been killed and with the wounded and with their families and with all those military and civilian personnel who have volunteered to place themselves at risk in our country's behalf.
We honor them today, just as generations will come to honor their courage and commitment, and we pray for the successful outcome of their important work.
They have the deep appreciation of our country.
The approach of the new year is an appropriate time to consider where we've come and what we face in the future. Coalition forces continue to pursue terrorists across the world.
Thus far, more than three-quarters of al Qaeda's key members and associates have been captured or killed since the war on extremism began.
Twenty-five million Afghans have been liberated. And there have been free and fair elections, marked by the inauguration of an Afghan president who is now helping to lead the fight against extremists who plotted the September 11th attacks against our country and against this institution here.
In Iraq, the men and women in uniform have routed the insurgents in Falluja and elsewhere. The coalition, with the recent help of NATO, is training and equipping some 120,000 Iraqi security personnel in an effort to place more and more responsibility for Iraq on the Iraqi people, where it belongs. Ultimately, only the Iraqis can provide security for the Iraqi people. It's their country.
Here at the Pentagon, we're continuing to make progress in transforming for the post-Cold War period, making major and indeed historic changes in the global posture, implementing a modern personnel system that will help to move military people out of positions that can be filled by civilians and reshaping the military services into a more joint, a more capable and deployable fighting force and a great deal more. As long as an important region of the world is condemned to tyranny and violence with one half of their population barred from full participation, with little hope for a better future, terrorist also have a deep pool from which to draw recruits and to attack free people across the globe.
Our forces are deployed for the critical task of fighting them there so we don't have to fight them elsewhere. And our troops are making a difference, let there be no doubt.
That's why what our forces are doing in Afghanistan and in Iraq and in other areas of the global war against terror is so crucial and indeed so historic.
When people are liberated, and when they have a chance to choose a life of freedom and to have governments that they guide and direct, they are far less likely to support terror and they are still less likely to be attracted by the lies of the extremists or be intimidated by the extremists.
We must do what it takes in Iraq. We cannot allow those who chop off people's heads to take control of a country from which they could plot and organize and indoctrinate people against everything that they don't espouse.
The coming year will offer the Iraqis to choose a future of hope, and here are some positive signs. Thus far, it looks as though candidates from over 230 political entities have filed to run for the Iraqi national assembly including Shia and Sunni and Kurds and other ethnic groups and women. Seven thousand candidates will be competing in the various assembly elections.
There is violence in Iraq to be sure. It is a dangerous and an unsettled situation. But notwithstanding that, hundreds of refugees are returning to Iraq every week. It's estimated that over 140,000 refugees have returned already. Why would they do this? What do they know?
Clearly, these refugees returning home see better days ahead. They are voting with their feet. They are voting and risking their lives, and they see Iraq as a country with a future.
And there is a too little noted recent example of how the future can look.
Before he took office, the newly elected Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, took a moment to speak to the American people. And he spoke from the heart. And he said to all of us: "Whatever we have achieved in Afghanistan is from the help that the United States of America gave us."
He went on to say that without that help, Afghanistan would be, in the hands of terrorists, destroyed, poverty stricken and without its children going to school or getting an education.
"We are very grateful, to put it in the simple words we know," he said "to the people of the United States of America, for brining us that day."
I have never been prouder to be an American.
The holiday season is an especially hard time to be away from friends and family. And wherever they are stationed around the world, I want every one of the men and women in uniform who are depending our nation to know that they are in our thoughts and prayers.
In a moment, I will be responding to questions, Dick and I will, about the problems and controversies in the global struggle against extremism. But I want the American people to understand how much our nation is contributing to a better world, how important that work is and that the work of the armed forces of the United States is making a difference. And I should add, how much it is appreciated by me and by all of us.
I am truly saddened by the thought that anyone could have the impression that I, or others here, are doing anything other than working urgently to see that the lives of the fighting men and women are protected and are cared for in every way humanly possible.
And I hope and pray that every family member of those who have died so bravely knows how deeply I feel their loss.
When I meet with the wounded, with their families, or with the families of those who have been lost, their grief is something I feel to my core.
And I should add -- and the American people need to know that the strength of our military and of their families is amazing. It is truly extraordinary to see it and to feel it. It never fails to give me strength, to give me encouragement, and to give me inspiration for the tasks ahead.
I, and I know others, stay awake at night for concern for those at risk, with hope for their lives, for their success. And I want those who matter most, the men and women in uniform and their families, to know that. And I want them to know that we consider them, the soldiers, the sailors, the airmen, the Marines, to be America's true treasure. And I thank them and I thank their families.
General Myers?
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and good afternoon.
I wish to also extend my sincere condolences to the families of our forces who have lost their lives throughout this conflict and this war against extremism. Of course most recently we regret the loss of life in yesterday's attack in Mosul.
And here's what we know about the attack. Shortly after noon yesterday, anti-Iraqi, anti-coalition forces attacked the dining facility located within the forward operating base Marez in Mosul, killing 22 people, including 13 U.S. military, five U.S. civilian contractors, three Iraqi security force members, and one non-U.S. person.
An additional 69 people were injured in the attack including 44 U.S. military, seven U.S. contractors, five Department of Defense civilians, two Iraqi civilians, 10 contractors of other nationalities, and one of unknown nationality and occupation. Twenty-five of the 69 who were wounded were returned to duty.
Many of the wounded, as was seen on TV, are being transported now to Landstuhl Army Medical Center in Germany.
Investigators are about to conclude their look into the exact cause of the blast.
At this point, it looks like it was an improvised explosive device worn by an attacker.
This will be put in a statement that will come out of MNFI, in a couple of hours, from Baghdad.
I assure you that everything possible is being done to get to the bottom of what happened and to take the appropriate steps so we can prevent potential future attacks of this nature.
I'd like to take a few minutes to talk about a few other topics of interest, as well.
I recently returned from our annual USO holiday trip to the Middle East, Europe and the Horn of Africa.
Like the secretary, I cannot begin to put into words what a terrific job our men in uniform are doing. Whether they are in Iraq, Kuwait Afghanistan, Djibouti and for that matter, many other points around the globe.
I am extremely proud of our men and women in the armed forces, proud to visit with them and listen to them and their stories and concerns, and also to witness their enthusiasm and dedication and particularly their focus on the mission. They are terrific, each one.
I went to several locations in Iraq and saw firsthand the many successes that are often understated. Every time I visit our deployed troops, I come away more inspired, as the secretary does. And it goes along with meeting the families of those that are severely wounded that we see from time to time, more inspired by their determination and their morale.
I know the celebrities that participated in this event with me feel the same way about our men and women in uniform.
And I want to thank them for taking on the challenge and the weariness of such a long trip, and appreciate all they did to bring a little cheer and a little bit of America to our troops.
In Falluja, we are continuing the process of delivering food and water and those necessary essentials to improve the conditions to allow residents to return home. Engineers and Iraqis are working to restore power to substations and repair water mains.
Obviously, security is still a concern. In fact, yesterday, U.S. forces uncovered several more weapons caches. These efforts to secure Falluja are deliberate and they do take time, but we are making progress. In fact, tomorrow residents will begin the return to Falluja to reclaim and rebuild their city.
A process leading to elections in Iraq is also on track. As the secretary said, the elections will be planned, conducted and secured by Iraqis.
We are absolutely committed to the January 30th election date. Seventeen of the 18 provinces can support elections now at more than 5,500 designated polling centers. The number of polling centers in the one remaining province, Al Anbar, is not yet known.
But this process is not without challenges. Security for the elections is a top priority with an emphasis on Falluja, Ramadi and Mosul. Iraqi security forces will take the lead for election security, coalition forces will provide support where requested.
Efforts to defeat the insurgents and the anti-Iraqi, anti- coalition forces who are targeting innocent citizens and coalition forces remain a top priority. Intimidation, kidnappings and executions, especially those focused in Mosul, North Babil, Ramadi and Al Qaim are particularly troubling and these areas will be a focus of particularly increased security emphasis.
Offensive operations focused on deterring and eliminating extremists whose purpose is to undermine and derail the interim Iraqi government's control and legitimacy.
You can be assured that commanders on the ground are working aggressively to further expand force protection measures for deployed forces. Units designated for duty in Iraq receive extensive training stateside prior to deployment, as well as follow-on training in Kuwait and Iraq.
This training includes convoy operations, improvised explosive device detection and reactive drills, and counter-improvised explosive device training.
Coalition forces also incorporate lessons learned from enemy attacks and update their tactics daily as they need to.
Additionally, we continue to use technological advances such as unmanned aerial vehicles and remote sensors to enhance our force protection measures.
The bottom line is commanders on the ground are continuing to exert all efforts to maximize force protection for our coalition and U.S. service members and aggressively pursue ways to defeat the enemy.
And with that we'll take your questions.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, General Myers, what specific physical evidence was found that the explosion yesterday at the dining hall at Forward Operating Base Marez was caused by a suicide bomber? How did that conclusion get reached?
RUMSFELD: Well, the conclusion hasn't been announced yet, but they have been sifting through the site, and General Myers stated what their conclusion was at least an hour ago.
MYERS: That's correct. But we still have an hour ago or so to go before they release it.
If it was a rocket, you'd find remnants of the rocket. If it were an improvised explosive device you would find remnants of the improvised explosive device.
So I assume in their release they'll let you know what they found and what they didn't find.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, what does the incident at Mosul say about U.S. security on those bases? How could something like that happen. And what could be done to prevent it in the future?
RUMSFELD: Well, I'll have Dick respond, as well.
But as we know, someone who is attacking can attack at any place, at any time, using any technique. And it is an enormous challenge to provide force protection, something that our forces worry about, work on, constantly.
They have to be right 100 percent of the time. An attacker only has to be right occasionally. And we've seen that in all kinds of circumstances around the world over the decades.
And I think that we have seen attacks like this, previously, in the country. Remember the attack on the U.N. team that was there, when Mr. De Mello was killed.
There have been other instances of it. It is a tragedy. The loss of life is just heartbreaking.
Dick, do you want to add anything?
MYERS: You bet. This attack, of course, is the responsibility of insurgents, the same insurgents who attacked on 9/11, the same type of insurgents whose attacked in Beirut, the same type insurgents who -- or type of insurgents to attacked the Cole and Khobar Towers. And the list goes on.
So the way you prevent this is you win the war against the extremists. And I have talked about that at length myself. And I'm not saying that's a war in the sense that the military can do this. But that's how we do this.
We make this kind of extremism, this kind of action which shows no moral boundaries, because while this was an attack against coalition forces, U.S. forces and contractors in Mosul, we have seen attacks on children in Baghdad and Iraqi citizens. So the way we prevent this is we win. And that's what we're going to do.
QUESTION: But isn't this someone who made his way onto the base, someone who was a trusted individual, an employee or something. Somehow he had to get -- the base is not being secured. Somehow he had to get on the base with an explosive, with bombs.
MYERS: Well, we'll find that out when the investigation is complete, exactly how that happened.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, how does yesterday's attack in Mosul and the need to up-armor $4 billion worth of equipment, how does that square with your notion that you are routing insurgents not only in Falluja but elsewhere in Iraq? It seems they are getting stronger and more sophisticated and there's no end in sight here. How does this square with your original statement?
RUMSFELD: I don't have any idea what original statement you're talking about.
QUESTION: We're routing the insurgency in Falluja and elsewhere. You just said that a little while ago.
RUMSFELD: They did have a successful event in Falluja, effort. And they have had successful efforts elsewhere in the country.
We know that in terms of the totality of the country, some 18 provinces, that somewhere between 12 and 14 of them have relatively low levels of violence: the north, the south. And we know that four provinces have relatively high levels of violence. And the task is to have the violence reduced in those remaining four provinces.
I should add that those provinces have higher population, one of those being Baghdad.
So it's an uneven situation. We have had unevenness since the beginning. The tasks of our armed forces and the tasks of the coalition forces vary from portion of the country to other portions of the country.
MYERS: I would just say that, you know, we have stood up here, the two of us, and talked about how the insurgency is going to get worse as we approach elections, because as we get to January 30th and beyond, and by the way I'm not saying there's not going to be a lot of challenges after January 30th. That will not be a panacea either. But it will be a very important step in the legitimizing the Iraqi government, delegitimizing the insurgents. But we said it was going to be much more of a challenge as we get closer and closer to that date.
The last several days, that's exactly what we have seen. We've seen some horrific attacks, not just against coalition forces, but against Iraqi citizens.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) can come up with a spectacular attack though? RUMSFELD: We have said all along that we expected the level of violence to increase as you got toward the election. That is not new.
We have also said that Falluja was a successful effort. It was. It seems to me that's crystal clear. It's unambiguous. And it was an important effort.
I would also say, as Dick suggested in his comment, that I think looking for a peaceful Iraq after the elections would be a mistake. I think our expectations level ought to be realistic about that. These folks have a lot to lose.
The extremists and the terrorists and the people who are determined to try to take back that country are determined not to lose. And it is going to be a -- they are going to do everything they can to see that that opportunity they have succeeds, and we've got to do everything to see that they fail.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, on the same issue, do you and General Myers think it is unwise or was unwise to put 400-plus service men and civilians and others in a huge tent the size of a football field on a base in a combat zone, a base that had been hit by mortars and RPGs?
QUESTION: And if you do think it's unwise, are either one of you or both going to sound off to Generals Casey and Ham or take them to the woodshed?
MYERS: These are the calls that the combatant commanders make, and any judgment that General Ham is up there not worried about force protection is ludicrous.
This is a man -- I can't remember when General Ham first went in up there -- but has been working the security up there in that region for the Iraqi people for many, many months at great personal sacrifice to himself and his forces. He has led them well.
We have had a suicide bomber apparently strap something to his body, apparently him, and go into a dining hall. We know how difficult this is to prevent people bent on suicide and stopping them. We understand how difficult that is.
But I think -- this was the insurgents that did this. So it's not General Ham that attacked his dining hall.
I think he has a very good plan for force protection. I know what some of the long-range plans are up there.
This is an insurgency. And I think if you step back a minute and you think about insurgencies versus conventional warfare, conventional warfare at some point you're going to get to an unconditional surrender. And in many cases you have very neat front lines.
We have no front lines. The front line can be the dining hall, it can be the road outside the base, it can be the police station or the governor's office or the mayor's office down in Mosul.
That's their territory. They operate all over that. They can wear, and they do wear clothes like every other Iraqi.
It's a much different thing, and the mindset has to be much different.
MYERS: What it tells us is -- and we know this from our history with insurgencies -- it's going to be very tough.
And as this insurgency has changed in its nature and its character, and it's become more intense, our resolve just has to be all that tougher.
And I know the Iraqi resolve is hard and tough. And I know that our resolve is hard and tough.
QUESTION: It seems to me....
QUESTION: May I do a follow-up?
RUMSFELD: Just a minute, no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No follow-ups.
RUMSFELD: Let me respond to the first one before you follow up.
If you think about it, it's a normal reaction to see something like that and say, "Why wasn't it stopped," or a beheading.
And say, "Why didn't somebody stop the beheading?"
And of course, the other way to look at it is, to think of the people who did the beheading. Those are the people we're up against.
Someone can say, "Well, people are coming across the border with Jihadists from Syria. And why aren't they stopped?" You know, the question is: Why doesn't Syria stop the Jihadists from coming across the border?
It is something that one has to put into context. And I say that in respect for the military commanders on the ground, who have multiple tasks, are challenged constantly.
I mean, think about the murders that take place in every major city in the world. One could say, "well, why aren't they stopped," or the fires that take place and things that happen. And they are terrible things. And the loss of life is heartbreaking and it's a normal human instinct.
But the other way to think about it, or an additional way to think about it is, think about turning that country over and letting them win, those people who are doing those things. It would be a terrible loss for civilized society.
QUESTION: Would you not agree, both of you, however, that putting 400 people in a huge tent is a tempting target for the insurgents or anybody else? MYERS: There are lots of congregations like that of various formations where it's -- for individuals bent on suicide with VBIED, a vehicle borne improvised explosive device, or one strapped to their body -- we have seen in other countries. And so, I mean, it's not a viable strategy to ask everybody separate.
So I think commanders are very much aware of that, and try to prevent that. It absolutely happens.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, you said that you were truly saddened by some of the things your critics have said, particularly this perceived insensitivity the troops and their needs in the field.
RUMSFELD: I said slightly differently, and I said just what I felt.
QUESTION: OK. And this is the most personal response to critics we've heard from you here. Know you've been in a lot of political battles over four decades of service, how does this one over the past two weeks rate? And do you think it has affected your ability to do your job?
RUMSFELD: Well, you know, it is -- you get up in the morning and you think about what our troops are doing. And I must say, if they can do what they're doing, I can do what I'm doing.
QUESTION: I have a short question and a longer one.
The first one is: Is the non-U.S. person identified as killed, is that believed to be the body of the bomber?
And my second question gets into some armchair generaling (ph). The 101st Airborne Division, with 17,000 troops, was replaced by Task Force Olympia that has about 9,000. One of the tenets that I was exposed to when I was over there is this idea of persistent presence, and that's the way to beat this insurgency, by having enough troops in enough places frequently enough that the insurgency can't gain a foothold in places it hasn't been. Mosul was one of those places that was doing really well before.
So do you see -- is there a relationship between the reduction in the footprint of the U.S. forces in Mosul and the subsequent reliance on an increase in Iraqi forces, because they're also considered part of Task Force Olympia?
MYERS: On the unidentified person, I think that's to be determined. I don't want to speculate on that because we don't know.
On persistent presence, if you are going to have security in any society, you need persistent presence of police and other agencies.
Certainly persistent presence of coalition forces, U.S. forces, is not, I don't think, what was implied by that statement. It might have been at the time, but as time goes on then you look at the forces that are in that country to provide for their own persistence and their own presence. And I know General Casey has just visited in Mosul. He has done that a couple of times since we advanced our strategy in that part of the country. Those kind of questions have been asked internally, of course.
So it's not our armchair generalship, it's real generalship has been doing that to try to answer that question, to see if we're postured properly. And the answer, is to, date that we are.
RUMSFELD: I think Dick touched on something that's enormously important.
Presence, of course, has the advantage that your question suggested and Dick mentioned. It also creates targets. And that's just the reality.
If I were to elevate a concept, it is that the task for the coalition, for the United States particularly, and ultimately for the Iraqi people, is to have the Iraqi people take over responsibility for their own security.
Therefore, if I were to ask you what is our principal job there, our principal job is to work with the Iraqis so that they develop the persistent presence of Iraqi security forces in that country so that there is a penalty for the kind of behavior one sees with a suicide bomber or a random rocket or mortar.
And in the last analysis, that is our task. Our task is not to get in there with a persistent presence of Americans over a sustained period of time, because that has the counterproductive aspect of it of creating additional targets and creating a sense of occupation.
Our goal is to enable and create an environment that's hospitable for the Iraqis to step forward and do the things they need to do.
One of the things that we haven't talked about here much, and I think it's an important part of the equation, is intimidation. And they are effective, the enemy is effective.
The enemy's got a brain. The enemy alters its tactics. As things happen on the ground, they see what we do to respond to it. They then change their tactic.
Intimidation is the kind of thing that can prevent people from providing intelligence.
It can prevent people from running for office. It can inhibit people from being responsible and stepping forward to vote, for example. We saw some election workers that were killed.
And it is the balance between how successful the intimidators, the extremists, are as opposed to how successful the Iraqi interim government is and the people who are signing up for these 200-plus ballots and these thousands of people who will be running. And it's that tension that is taking place in that country. And it's complicated. I wish it were simple. I wish it were easy to explain in a bumper sticker type sentence. But it isn't. It's a very tough, complicated business.
QUESTION: General Myers, can you explain to us the vetting process that contract workers inside these facilities, non-Americans, go through? Is this a military responsibility to hire these or is this left up to the contractors such as KBR?
MYERS: We can get you a fact sheet on that. We'll get you a sheet on exactly how that's done.
RUMSFELD: We'll take one last question, right here.
QUESTION: Do you expect to declare any, sort of, operational status for your missile defense system in 2004? If not, when do you plan on doing that?
And also, does recent results from the recent missile defense test cause you any concern about the deterrent effect of such a system?
RUMSFELD: The last portion of your question first: One always would wish that every element of a test environment would be perfect, and they never are. That's true in any research and development or high technology effort in any field, in any country, anywhere in the world.
I'm told that with respect to the event test, that they plan -- the normal sequencing would be to have a series of interceptors prepared and ready to fire. And in the event the first assigned interceptor missile -- computer signals that something wasn't right, it automatically chops over to the second one, and the second would fire.
This test did not have it in sequence. It was just to test a single one. And as a result, it didn't fire. And they will then go into that and figure it out.
And I must say, having been in the research and development business over the years, pharmaceuticals and electronics and various other things, the interesting thing -- people think those as failures. Most people think of them as learning experiences. That is, it is that process of trying things and learning from it that enables one to step ahead and advance science and technology.
So the answer to your question is no. It's expected that there will be things like that, that will occur.
The first part of the question is a little harder. It would be nice and neat if every system was either in development or operational. In this case, that's not going to happen.
What we have here is a developmental system that is well-along. And there are interceptors in the ground. And at some point soon, it will have a modest capability. But it will still be in a test phase. It will still be in a developmental phase. It will still be, as happens with other systems over time, being perfected and improved.
They have developed the command and control procedures. The rules of engagement are being developed. The testing of safety and various procedures have been exercised.
And I can't answer your question as to when or if we would have an announcement, but I would guess, that the announcement would be very much like what I just said: That we are proceeding, that we have interceptors in the ground, and that each month and each quarter and each year additional pieces of it will evolve and be added.
QUESTION: Can I ask a follow-up, sir? The administration had made very clear that it wanted to have an early operational facility, or a switch from a test scenario to an operational scenario, as needed in 2004. Are you backing off of that?
And also, does the issue with the test that you mentioned, that's not having a backup rocket there like you normally would operationally, indicate that maybe you need to test as you would operate, as opposed to just having, sort of, isolated testing scenarios?
RUMSFELD: Eventually you would test as you would operate. And I don't know that they didn't have an additional interceptor prepared, available.
But that's not what they were testing. They were not testing the ability to move from one interceptor to another to another in the event there's a computer signal that says that this interceptor isn't prepared. That wasn't what they were testing.
And the other portion of your question -- correct me if I'm -- you are more knowledgeable about this than I am, but we had hoped that we would have some sort of a characterization that in 2004 we had a preliminary capability, an initial capability. I don't mean an initial operating capability, I mean a very modest capability.
I don't know that's not true today.
I'm not announcing it.
But if you, for example, said that there was some reason to -- that there was some threat that was evolving and it would be desirable to go out of a test mode and see the extent to which you could be in an operational mode, my impression is it wouldn't take long to get there.
MYERS: That's correct.
RUMSFELD: But we don't see that threat, therefore we're not pressured. Our task in the immediate period is to get it right and to keep working on it.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, what do you say to families who after yesterday's explosion want to see more and better protection for the forces over there? Do you think there's anything more that can and should be done?
And with the additional forces that are gathering in Iraq in anticipation of the January 30th elections, could some of them be diverted perhaps more to force protection in light of what just happened?
MYERS: I would only say that force protection's inherent in every mission. And so it's not that you have certain people doing force protection, it's kind of job one. To protect the forces, you do your mission.
And that's why we put the types of forces -- extended the types of forces we did and put the additional forces in there was precisely for that reason, so they could fulfill some of those responsibilities that you spoke of.
And in terms of the rest of it, as the secretary said I think in his opening statement, we are working very hard to ensure what the commandeers want they get as quickly as we can produce it, field it, get it there, make it there, or whatever.
So I think families need to be assured that we will give them the best that we can humanly produce for them to protect their loved ones.
RUMSFELD: There is a real sense of urgency in the field, by the commanders, and in this department, by the services, to do exactly what Dick said.
QUESTION: One last question, Mr. Secretary...
RUMSFELD: I think we're probably through.
QUESTION: In the holiday spirit...
QUESTION: Merry Christmas to you and your family.
RUMSFELD: Merry Christmas to all of you. Thank you. Have a good new year.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: We've been listening to a news conference at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld joined by General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, answering many questions about yesterday's bombing, yesterday's attack in Mosul, killing 19, including 13 U.S. service members and others.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
