Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Troop Call-Up?
Aired September 25, 2003 - 08:35 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. military planners are considering whether they'll have to call up thousands more reserves and National Guard troops to serve in Iraq. And also this morning, the spy scandal coming out of Guantanamo Bay seems to be growing.
Barbara Starr following both stories live at the Pentagon this morning.
Good morning -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
Well on the reservist story, first, indeed. The Pentagon is confirming that by next month, October, which of course is just a few days away, they are going to have to make a decision about whether to activate up to 10,000 additional Army reservist troops.
Here's the problem, they had hoped by now, of course, to get a third multinational division into Iraq. One already commanded by the British, one by the Polish. They had hoped for a third one, perhaps commanded by the Indians, the Pakistanis, the South Koreans, Turkey. None of those countries appearing now anxious to send troops. So if they cannot get a third multinational division, and it looks like they may not, they are going to have to decide by next month whether to fill that gap now with U.S. Army reservists, perhaps as many as 10,000 -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Barbara, we also want to talk about the latest coming out of Guantanamo Bay. We know two more people are being looked at. What's the latest on that?
STARR: Indeed, Carol, we can now confirm that a member of the U.S. Air Force, and additionally a member of the U.S. Navy, a U.S. Navy sailor, are under investigation. Described to us this morning as under surveillance for possible suspicious activities related to their work with detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Now, it's very important to understand these people have not been detained. They have not been arrested. But this is apparently part of the widening security probe at Guantanamo Bay. The question is whether all of these cases are tied together, or whether they are independent suspicious activities, if you will. Some of them, we understand, do center around the use of e-mails inappropriately, possibly classified information. And as we have certainly reported over the last few days, of course, one Army chaplain under arrest, but not charged and a U.S. airman arrested and charged, facing more than 30 counts. So this probe continues to go on -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon this morning.
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 September 25, 2003 - 08:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. military planners are considering whether they'll have to call up thousands more reserves and National Guard troops to serve in Iraq. And also this morning, the spy scandal coming out of Guantanamo Bay seems to be growing.
Barbara Starr following both stories live at the Pentagon this morning.
Good morning -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
Well on the reservist story, first, indeed. The Pentagon is confirming that by next month, October, which of course is just a few days away, they are going to have to make a decision about whether to activate up to 10,000 additional Army reservist troops.
Here's the problem, they had hoped by now, of course, to get a third multinational division into Iraq. One already commanded by the British, one by the Polish. They had hoped for a third one, perhaps commanded by the Indians, the Pakistanis, the South Koreans, Turkey. None of those countries appearing now anxious to send troops. So if they cannot get a third multinational division, and it looks like they may not, they are going to have to decide by next month whether to fill that gap now with U.S. Army reservists, perhaps as many as 10,000 -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Barbara, we also want to talk about the latest coming out of Guantanamo Bay. We know two more people are being looked at. What's the latest on that?
STARR: Indeed, Carol, we can now confirm that a member of the U.S. Air Force, and additionally a member of the U.S. Navy, a U.S. Navy sailor, are under investigation. Described to us this morning as under surveillance for possible suspicious activities related to their work with detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Now, it's very important to understand these people have not been detained. They have not been arrested. But this is apparently part of the widening security probe at Guantanamo Bay. The question is whether all of these cases are tied together, or whether they are independent suspicious activities, if you will. Some of them, we understand, do center around the use of e-mails inappropriately, possibly classified information. And as we have certainly reported over the last few days, of course, one Army chaplain under arrest, but not charged and a U.S. airman arrested and charged, facing more than 30 counts. So this probe continues to go on -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
