THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 24, 1996 TAG: 9609240003
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 59 lines
Almost before the dust had settled from the terrorist truck-bomb blast that killed 19 American airmen at the Khobar Towers apartment complex in the Saudi desert, the Pentagon blamed ``a failure of intelligence'' for the attack's success. Then the word was the Saudis were to blame for not permitting U.S. forces to fortify the compound.
But the investigating team that scrutinized the explosion and security arrangements at the compound blamed senior U.S. commanders and Pentagon officials for not responding appropriately and in a timely manner to a prime threat identified by military intelligence: possible use by terrorists of a mammoth truck bomb to kill U.S. military personnel housed at Khobar Towers.
The investigators' scathing report specifically criticized Gen. Binford Peay, head of the U.S. Central Command, for a failure of leadership that left military personnel unduly exposed to terrorists. Nearly half of all U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia lived in the Khobar Towers complex.
Now Defense Secretary William J. Perry, testifying before the National Security Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, has held himself ultimately accountable for the failure to fend off the truck-bomb threat. While acknowledging that he faulted Peay for the inadequate security at Khobar Towers, Perry praised the general for doing a ``magnificent'' job over all protecting armed-services personnel in Saudi Arabia.
What are we to make of this? Congressmen quizzing Perry about Peay's future in the military received little enlightenment. And although Perry accepted responsibility for the lapse that left U.S. troops vulnerable, he neither offered his resignation nor did anyone demand it.
Yes, the United States is engaged in a war against terrorism in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the world, including terrorism at home. And, yes, casualties are inevitable in war. And, yes, too, lessons were learned from the horror and bloodshed at Khobar Towers: U.S. personnel are now being housed where they can be protected.
But many of those lesson are simple and should have been learned long ago. Requiring an adequate security perimeter to minimize damage from even the largest truck bombs ought to be standard operating procedure after Beirut and Oklahoma City.
The report also found that simply installing Mylar sheets over windows might have saved 12 of 19 lives lost when shattered glass went flying. In other words, heroic efforts weren't required, simply rudimentary security precautions.
Time was, at least in Great Britain, when high government officials customarily tendered resignations, which might or might not be accepted, following a debacle, and when senior commanders, however capable and diligent, were relieved of command if only to impress upon everyone that all hands are accountable for their actions or inactions.
Maybe Secretary Perry's acceptance of blame was accompanied by a quiet offer of resignation to Commander in Chief Bill Clinton. But probably not: The custom seems to have been jettisoned some time ago.
Whether or not anyone is disciplined or falls on his sword, the armed services have a responsibility to protect those who put on the uniform and go in harm's way. In more than one instance, Khobar Towers being only the latest, they have failed in that responsibility. by CNB