Western states out of Pacific Command
By Robert Burns
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is making the biggest changes in decades to its master plan for assigning war-fighting responsibilities at home and around the world, officials said yesterday.
Associated Press
Under the changes, the Hawai'i-based Pacific Command will lose operational control of forces based on the West Coast to a new Northern Command covering the Mainland and nearby waters, according to officials who discussed some details of the plan on condition of anonymity.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld emphasizes the defense of U.S. territory.
The Pacific Command's geographic area of responsibility will be expanded to include Antarctica, the officials said.
The redesign, expected to be announced today by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, is meant to reflect a stronger emphasis on defense of the United States in light of the Sept. 11 attacks.
"It will be a plan which will restructure and streamline a number of aspects of the military command, which we believe will better fit it for the challenges of the 21st century," Rumsfeld said Monday.
Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawai'i, said at an April 3 U.S. Senate hearing in Honolulu that removing the West Coast from the Pacific Command could leave the impression across Asia that the United States is losing interest in the critical region, where the threat of terrorism is high.
Adm. Dennis Blair, the Pacific Command chief who is stepping down at the end of the month, had opposed removal of West Coast Navy, Army and Marine units from the Hawai'i command, saying U.S. forces in California and Washington state should continue to "lean towards the Pacific."
The changes, which were discussed at a White House meeting of senior national security aides yesterday, are to take effect Oct. 1.
