THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 13, 1996 TAG: 9607130020
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 58 lines
With perfect hindsight, senators this week took shots at Secretary of Defense William Perry and top military commanders for security and intelligence failures that permitted the bombing in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, that killed U.S. servicemen.
Senators were ``shocked'' and ``dismayed.'' One suggested Perry's head should roll. For their part, the men on the griddle pointed fingers elsewhere. They blamed the intelligence services for not providing an adequate threat assessment. Secretary Perry delivered the diplomatic version of a rebuke to the Saudi government for noncooperation.
While all this posturing for the cameras may have been cathartic, it didn't really advance the ball. There were few answers about what had happened or how to prevent future episodes. Many of the quick fixes amount to closing the barn door after the horse has escaped. The perimeter will now be widened, for instance.
It's certainly abundantly clear that for apartments, office buildings and other heavily occupied facilities, a larger buffer zone is needed. There's little doubt that the Saudi government should have been addressed at a higher level and action demanded.
An American request to review information from an earlier bombing and to interview the perpetrators should also have been pursued with greater vigor at a higher level. But a veteran of negotiations with the Saudis notes that determining who in the feudal monarchy has the power to act, and securing agreement is often a protracted business. ``You have to drink a lot of little glasses of tea.''
It is shocking that the forces seem to have been prepared for the last war but weren't ready for the possibility of bigger, more sophisticated bombs even after Beirut, the World Trade Towers and Oklahoma City. It ought to be obvious by now that terror comes in a variety of shapes and sizes.
But it's questionable whether the senators who have been so critical have learned the lesson either. Are all the federal buildings they work in and oversee secure in the wake of Oklahoma City? Or, are there several, perhaps dozens in Hampton Roads alone, that remain easy targets?
In fact, our culture of openness makes us slow and unwilling learners when it comes to the need for restrictive security measures. And operating in a culture like that of Saudi Arabia is inherently difficult and risky. Finally, terrorism is becoming more widespread.
Secretary Perry said the bombing appears to represent a new level of danger sponsored by forces outside Saudi Arabia. And without apologizing for their failings, it ought to be recalled that he and his colleagues can often be made to appear foolish because there is much they can't say in public without aiding the enemy. We can only hope an internal investigation will shed light on the issue. The public performance by Congress produced mostly heat.
Perfect security is impossible, and Sen. Sam Nunn warned that all must be done to protect troops consistent with their mission. But we do have vital missions in dangerous places. Nunn reminded the nation that some risk would have to be accepted. Terrorism isn't going to go away, and the only way to fully protect our forces is to immobilize them, in which case we do the terrorists' work for them and checkmate ourselves. by CNB