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CNN Live At Daybreak
Target: Terrorism - Airport Security
Aired October 01, 2001 - 07:46 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, CNN ANCHOR: Kyra Phillips is standing there telling us a little bit about the role of the National Guard this morning in homeland security -- good morning, Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, you guys. I've got you covered, Miles. Good to see you both.
Well, the National Guard is the oldest component of the armed forces of the United States and one of the nation's longest enduring institutions. However, the mission they are being tasked to do right now is quite new and different.
President Bush asked the governors of all 50 states to mobilize the National Guard for airport security until tighter measures can be put in place. You'll see it happening in Salt Lake City if you're flying today. Members of the National Guard are standing by in the airport, making routine checks. And in Denver, Colorado it's much of the same. Even before you get inside the city's airport, your car and trunk will be checked by the Guard. And on the inside, armed guards hold their various posts, adding to the heightened security.
As for a bit of history on the National Guard, it traces back to the earliest English colonies in North America. Responsible for their own defense, the colonists drew on English military tradition and organized their able-bodied male citizens into militias and the colonial militias protected their fellow citizens from Indian attack, foreign invaders and later helped to win the Revolutionary War.
Well, today's National Guard continues its historic dual mission, providing to the states units trained and equipped to protect life and property while providing to the nation units trained, equipped and ready to defend the U.S. and its interests all over the globe.
Major General Donald Shepperd is the former head of the Air National Guard. Before retirement, he was responsible for more than 110,000 personnel and 1,400 aircraft across the U.S. And he joins us now to talk about the use of the National Guard at airports and elsewhere.
Good to see you again, General.
MAJ. GEN. DONALD SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, this is the first time this has ever happened in the airports, the National Guard coming in, is that right?
SHEPPERD: Well, your history lesson was right on the money. The Guard is both a state and federal force. They're being called up in their state role. They are a community based defense force as well as a federal force for war fighting. So this is the first time they've been called up in airports, but they're called up regularly in all types of disasters to assist local and state authorities.
PHILLIPS: Sure. As a matter of fact, I was reading this -- General, let me run this by you. A National Guard bureau historian talked about using Guard troops for airport security is similar to how Guard troops were pressed into duty during the 1970 New York City postal strike. I guess Army Guard soldiers, Air Guard members sorted mail and helped provide security and then troops delivered mail in the city's financial district.
What type of similarity do you see going on here?
SHEPPERD: Well, the similarity is the laws that are involved. There's a law called Posse Comitatus. Not to give a long history lesson because it's a little complicated, Posse Comitatus says the local sheriff can call up citizens over the age of 15 to assist in law enforcement, to assist in maintaining law and order, etc.
However, the army and the air force cannot be used in their federal role for law enforcement. So these people are called up under their state status to do the things that are necessary to maintain law and order on a regular basis. They can be called by the governor and are being called by the governor now to do so.
PHILLIPS: So what exactly can they do to prevent a problem? What are they trained to do and what actually can they do to protect the citizens?
SHEPPERD: Yes, this is a mixed force. About 5,000 people are being called up and they're estimating it's going to last for about, for probably six months. They undergo one to four days of training based upon how to use the equipment to check baggage, conflict resolution, this type of thing. Some of the people are, indeed, policemen in their civilian capacities. Others are regular infantry people. So they can be used in any way as long as they are properly trained to assist the local authorities there.
PHILLIPS: Now, in the past members have been, members of the Guard have been used for drug trafficking issues in airports, right? Is that the last role they've really taken on?
SHEPPERD: They do the drug role. They've done significant participation in the drug war and they do that in addition to training for their federal war time role. So they do both roles. It's a very flexible force.
PHILLIPS: All right, and you were also in charge of the Air National Guard. Quickly, could aircraft integrate with the troops that have been deployed into the airports in any way? SHEPPERD: They could. We're flying combat air patrol and combat alert over cities in the United States. On the other hand, I don't see airplanes being integrated into this effort. This is security, gaining the, giving the citizens the impression that we are on a heightened state of security. Those who have also traveled internationally have seen this in many other countries for years. Now we're seeing it in the United States.
PHILLIPS: Well, you definitely do feel it when you go to the airports.
Major General Donald Shepperd, thanks again, sir, once again for being with us.
All right, we're going to take it back to New York where Miles is standing by -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Kyra Phillips in Atlanta.
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