Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Interview With Former Defense Secretary William Cohen
Aired August 25, 2003 - 07:03 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get back to Iraq right now, where two more American soldiers were killed on again Sunday. Security problems continue to plague that rebuilding effort.
Some U.S. senators are calling now for more American troops to help stabilize the country. Is that, though, the right answer? The Bush administration so far, the Pentagon, and in Iraq, Paul Bremer does not think that is the answer.
Former Defense Secretary William Cohen is our guest this morning in D.C.
Welcome back, Mr. Secretary. Good morning to you.
WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: Good to be here, Bill.
HEMMER: It seems like everyone had a number over the weekend. What's your number, if you're going to increase troop strength there?
COHEN: Well, I don't think the question so much is the number, but the composition of the forces there. It's very clear that we need more military police, more civil affairs officers, more peacekeepers as such who are devoted to protecting the infrastructure of the country itself. And so, the numbers I think are not as critical as the composition itself.
But it's clear that our troops need relief. Now, whether it's more U.S. forces coming in or, in my judgment, preferably foreign forces coming in under the aegis of either NATO, which would be my preference, or even the United Nations.
It seems to me that we have to -- quote -- "internationalize" it much more than it is today with far more foreign countries -- allies who will be supporting us.
So, the number itself is up to the commander in the field who knows best how to allocate those resources. But I think it's quite clear we need more of the right kind of forces in there now.
HEMMER: Yes, part of your answer sounds a lot like what General Richard Myers had to say yesterday. Listen to his thoughts on a stronger international force.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: We would like to have a third multinational division, and that's not a secret. We've been working that for some time now. We have two multinational divisions in there right now -- one led by the U.K., one led by Poland. We need a third one in there, and that would be of assistance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: So, if you get a third one in there, does that take more U.S. troops, more U.S. forces, however you define and describe them as you said in your first answer? Does that take that issue off the table?
COHEN: I don't think it takes it off the table. I think that if we can get another division in, it will be helpful. But again, the composition of that division, who are they? Are they military police? Are they the kinds of individuals? Are they Arab-speaking forces as such? We need more linguists. So, we need the right kind of composition.
But overall, if you think about the size of the country to say that 170,000 will be sufficient, I think it calls that into question. But again, you have to give some deference to the commander in the field saying this is what it's going to take in my professional judgment. Then, run that by the chairman and the joint chiefs of staff, as well as the secretary of defense, and put some confidence in their assessment.
If we need more, I would prefer to have them now and not wait two or three months from now and then go to Congress and say we need more. I think if you need more, say it now and say it up front, and get them in as quickly as possible.
HEMMER: It appears, though, if you listen to leading Pentagon officials and if you listen to Paul Bremer talking in Baghdad almost on a daily basis right now, what he is saying is that better intelligence is the key here, not more manpower on the ground in Iraq. How do you come down on that issue?
COHEN: Well, I think it's clear we do need better intelligence, and better intelligence will be the key to stopping these acts of terror being directed against our troops. But getting that intelligence is going to take time.
I also reject the notion -- I've heard this offered before -- that, well, if we just have more troops, that means there will be more targets. Well, the logic of that is if you have fewer troops, there will be fewer targets.
And so, I think the real issue is: How do we protect the infrastructure, how do you protect the Iraqi people against the criminal gangs, how do we stop them from blowing up oil wells, power stations and water supplies? All of that really is going to involve more manpower rather than less.
And finally, Bill, I'd make one point. I think the president has to go before a joint session of Congress and lay it out to the American people the stakes that are involved here; that we cannot afford to fail in this mission. And that means it's a long-term commitment, it's expensive, to get the American people solidly behind, get the Congress behind, and also send a message to the Iraqi people that we are there to succeed. And that sends a third message, of course, to the extremists who are seeking to push us out and force us to leave Iraq, and that would lead to chaos in the Middle East.
HEMMER: I don't have much time for this last one, but I do want to touch on it. There is talk right now of recruiting former members of the security apparatus, former Baath Party members loyal to Saddam Hussein. There is an intelligence issue there, too, that it goes to the possibility of double agents being recruited, much like we saw possibly with the U.N. bombing of last week. Do you think this is a good idea going forward?
COHEN: I think we have to be very, very careful in turning to any of the former regime members for our intelligence sources. They'd have to be scrutinized, they'd have to be polygraphed severely, they'd have to really be intensely reviewed before I would want to trust any intelligence I received from them or allow them into the intelligence circuit as such for fear that they might be double agents.
HEMMER: And it is a tough one. William Cohen, thanks again. We'll talk soon.
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 August 25, 2003 - 07:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get back to Iraq right now, where two more American soldiers were killed on again Sunday. Security problems continue to plague that rebuilding effort.
Some U.S. senators are calling now for more American troops to help stabilize the country. Is that, though, the right answer? The Bush administration so far, the Pentagon, and in Iraq, Paul Bremer does not think that is the answer.
Former Defense Secretary William Cohen is our guest this morning in D.C.
Welcome back, Mr. Secretary. Good morning to you.
WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: Good to be here, Bill.
HEMMER: It seems like everyone had a number over the weekend. What's your number, if you're going to increase troop strength there?
COHEN: Well, I don't think the question so much is the number, but the composition of the forces there. It's very clear that we need more military police, more civil affairs officers, more peacekeepers as such who are devoted to protecting the infrastructure of the country itself. And so, the numbers I think are not as critical as the composition itself.
But it's clear that our troops need relief. Now, whether it's more U.S. forces coming in or, in my judgment, preferably foreign forces coming in under the aegis of either NATO, which would be my preference, or even the United Nations.
It seems to me that we have to -- quote -- "internationalize" it much more than it is today with far more foreign countries -- allies who will be supporting us.
So, the number itself is up to the commander in the field who knows best how to allocate those resources. But I think it's quite clear we need more of the right kind of forces in there now.
HEMMER: Yes, part of your answer sounds a lot like what General Richard Myers had to say yesterday. Listen to his thoughts on a stronger international force.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: We would like to have a third multinational division, and that's not a secret. We've been working that for some time now. We have two multinational divisions in there right now -- one led by the U.K., one led by Poland. We need a third one in there, and that would be of assistance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: So, if you get a third one in there, does that take more U.S. troops, more U.S. forces, however you define and describe them as you said in your first answer? Does that take that issue off the table?
COHEN: I don't think it takes it off the table. I think that if we can get another division in, it will be helpful. But again, the composition of that division, who are they? Are they military police? Are they the kinds of individuals? Are they Arab-speaking forces as such? We need more linguists. So, we need the right kind of composition.
But overall, if you think about the size of the country to say that 170,000 will be sufficient, I think it calls that into question. But again, you have to give some deference to the commander in the field saying this is what it's going to take in my professional judgment. Then, run that by the chairman and the joint chiefs of staff, as well as the secretary of defense, and put some confidence in their assessment.
If we need more, I would prefer to have them now and not wait two or three months from now and then go to Congress and say we need more. I think if you need more, say it now and say it up front, and get them in as quickly as possible.
HEMMER: It appears, though, if you listen to leading Pentagon officials and if you listen to Paul Bremer talking in Baghdad almost on a daily basis right now, what he is saying is that better intelligence is the key here, not more manpower on the ground in Iraq. How do you come down on that issue?
COHEN: Well, I think it's clear we do need better intelligence, and better intelligence will be the key to stopping these acts of terror being directed against our troops. But getting that intelligence is going to take time.
I also reject the notion -- I've heard this offered before -- that, well, if we just have more troops, that means there will be more targets. Well, the logic of that is if you have fewer troops, there will be fewer targets.
And so, I think the real issue is: How do we protect the infrastructure, how do you protect the Iraqi people against the criminal gangs, how do we stop them from blowing up oil wells, power stations and water supplies? All of that really is going to involve more manpower rather than less.
And finally, Bill, I'd make one point. I think the president has to go before a joint session of Congress and lay it out to the American people the stakes that are involved here; that we cannot afford to fail in this mission. And that means it's a long-term commitment, it's expensive, to get the American people solidly behind, get the Congress behind, and also send a message to the Iraqi people that we are there to succeed. And that sends a third message, of course, to the extremists who are seeking to push us out and force us to leave Iraq, and that would lead to chaos in the Middle East.
HEMMER: I don't have much time for this last one, but I do want to touch on it. There is talk right now of recruiting former members of the security apparatus, former Baath Party members loyal to Saddam Hussein. There is an intelligence issue there, too, that it goes to the possibility of double agents being recruited, much like we saw possibly with the U.N. bombing of last week. Do you think this is a good idea going forward?
COHEN: I think we have to be very, very careful in turning to any of the former regime members for our intelligence sources. They'd have to be scrutinized, they'd have to be polygraphed severely, they'd have to really be intensely reviewed before I would want to trust any intelligence I received from them or allow them into the intelligence circuit as such for fear that they might be double agents.
HEMMER: And it is a tough one. William Cohen, thanks again. We'll talk soon.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
