You are on page 1of 5

Interviews of Secretary William Cohen and

Chairman Hugh Shelton

Secretary Cohen was sworn in as the nation's 20th Secretary of Defense


on January 24, 1997.
Elected to the Senate in 1978

Chairman Shelton served as the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff from


October 1, 1997 to October 2001.
Served as Commander in Chief of the United States Special Operations
Command (CINCSOCOM) from March 1996 to September 1997.

Topics of Inquiry

Overall: Was the military too reluctant to develop aggressive military


options to go after UBL and A-Q in Afghanistan?

Did you (Shelton) present options to the NSC that were essentially no
options at all?

What role did the CINCCENTCOM play in decisions made about military
options in Afghanistan?

Was the military too focused on force protection vis-a-vis counterterrorism?

Did any military planning on options take place during the Bush
Administration prior to 9-11?

Generally, what was your position in the major debates about the use of the
U.S. military in Afghanistan?

I: Khobar Towers (this was prior to their tenure)

A. Military options considered.

B. The issue offeree protection.

C. Responsibility? When did you learn of who was responsible?


Washington Speakers Bureau Page 1 of2

WashingtonSpeakersBureau
I Exclusively Represented by WSB

The Honorable William Cohen


Former Secretary of Defense,
Distinguished U.S. Statesman

Travels from: Washington, D.C.


Fee Code: Contact WSB

• Speech Topics Countering Terrorism: A Voice Of Experience


As Secretary of Defense in President Clinton's administration, William S. Cohen led Defense
Department efforts to counter terrorism. During Cohen's tenure, the United States was
targeted by Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda network in the bombing of U.S. Embassies in
Tanzania and Kenya, and the attempt to destroy the U.S.S, Cole. Cohen was a key player on
the national security team that worked to respond to these attacks and which prevented many
other terrorist actions from being carried out. In his presentation, Secretary Cohen discusses
the most critical challenges this country faces in battling terrorism on many fronts, using all
means available to us: military, diplomatic, economic, intelligence. He also addresses the need
for the United States to ensure the best possible domestic defenses and responses to biological
and chemical terrorist threats. While addressing the latest breaking news about the War on
Terrorism, Cohen gives audiences a context for understanding why and how this country is a
target for certain terrorist networks. He examines what we have done, are doing, and must do
to meet the requirements these challenges pose. His perspective, gained from years of direct
experience in working these difficult issues, gives audiences depth and breadth of insight far
beyond what they would obtain from traditional media.

The Perils and Promise of the New World


Having guided U.S. security policy and U.S. forces during an historic period in global affairs,
Secretary Cohen offers a prospective and revealing examination - indispensable to political and
business leaders alike of the opportunities and the dangers confronting the United States in the
early 21st Century. How can the United States harness this unique moment in history to
expand freedom and prosperity? How should the U.S. manage its critical relationships with
Russia and China? How can government and business prepare against growing threats such as
cyber-terrorism and traditional terrorism against American forces and citizens abroad?

The Future of European Peace and Security


Following his success in working with America's European allies to enlarge and reorient the
NATO Alliance and restore peace and stability to the Balkans, Secretary Cohen interprets and
analyzes current developments in European affairs. Can the NATO Alliance founded in the 21st
Century preserve and foster peace in the 21st? Will Russia pursue a path of cooperation or
confrontation? What are the political, economic and military implications for a Europe that is
more active in security policy?

The Prospects for Asian Security and Prosperity


Drawing on more than two decades of extensive travels across Asia and his close relationships
with the region's leading political and business figures, Secretary Cohen offers a
comprehensive and insightful discussion of the premier obstacles to - and opportunities for -
regional security and prosperity. What does the future hold for America's political, economic
and military influence in Asia? How will China's emergence impact security cooperation and
financial investment?

http://www.washspkrs.com/speakers/for_print.cfin?SpeakerId=3190 12/14/2003
Dormer Secretary of Defense William Cohen Says Good Public Servants Critical Page 1 of2

Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen Says Good Public


Servants Critical

news Moria
By Aine Cryts
op-eds
public service
KS6 in the neas September 19, 2002 — Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen
KS6 an the Hill stressed the acute need for good public
servants following 9/11, in a speech
Wednesday night at the Kennedy School's
ARCO Forum. Good public servants, he
said, are necessary to reconcile the nation's
conflicting needs as the only superpower in
a rapidly changing world.

Comparing today's world to "a small ball


spinning on the pin of science," Cohen said
that ball is spinning faster and faster, which
means "problems come roaring at us with an incredible velocity." That is
why, he said, it is more important than ever "that we have elected and
non-elected officials to resolve those issues faster and faster."

"Government has a healthy appetite because people demand more and


more," said Cohen, a fellow at the Institute of Politics in 1972. People
are demanding more from social services to safety nets and national
security, according to Cohen. The challenge is to satisfy those appetites,
while exercising fiscal responsibility, he said.

Noting the United States' unique position as the world's only


superpower, Cohen challenged the audience to think about the benefits -
and burdens - of that role, in light of instability in Iraq, Afghanistan and
the Middle East. One of the benefits, suggested Cohen, is having our
troops invited into countries like Afghanistan where they are "shaping
the world in ways that we hope will be advantageous to us."

But the burdens include the increasing military budget, conceded Cohen.
He said such expenditures are putting pressure on other parts of the
budget and contributing to the growing deficit. He predicted that the
nation will continue to wrestle with the benefits and burdens of being a
superpower.

"As long as there is instability, as long as there are grievances and as


long as you have that turmoil out in there in the world - [and people]

http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/news/news/2002/cohen_091902.htm 12/14/2003
: Cohen's Terrifying Trade-Off Page 1 of3

%v5blrd ial

September 2, 1998 December 14, 2003

Terrorism: Cohen's Terrifying Trade-Off Economic Straight


Advanced Search Thinking
Help by Ivan Eland
by Walter E.Williams
Ivan Eland is the director of defense policy studies at the Cato
Institute. [Archives]
* Books
* Policy Studies
In a little-noticed appearance before the Los Angeles World
* Cato Policy Report * Report: Bioterror
Affairs Council in late June, Secretary of Defense William
* Cato Journal Cohen did some thinking out loud about trading off civil liberties Preparedness Still
in the fight against terrorists armed with biological weapons. His Lacking
* Regulation
Magazine thoughts are unsettling, to say the least. He suggested that the
American public would be inclined to accept more intrusive * Congress Pushes
* Cato Handbook for Larger Military
for Congress domestic spying and diminished civil liberties in order to allow
government to gain more intelligence on potential terrorist » Push Out the Door
» Cato Supreme activities. If this is a prelude to a policy shift by the
Court Review for Iraqi Governor
administration, it's crucial that everyone understand how
» Congressional seriously it would undermine the American way of life in the [Archives]
Testimony name of providing dubious protection from external threats.
Legal Briefs
Cato Audio Increased domestic snooping would be both misguided and
harmful. Increased domestic spying is unlikely to afford much
Cato's Letters added protection against terrorists armed with weapons of mass
To Be Governed... destruction, or WMD (nuclear, biological and chemical
Events Archive weapons). The Defense Science Board admitted that preventing
biological attacks is more challenging (because of the difficulty
of gaining intelligence about the production, transportation and
delivery of such agents) than is mitigating the effects after the
Click here to learn attack has occurred (which is also difficult). Terrorist groups are
more about supporting hard to penetrate — even by the best intelligence agents and
the Cato Institute. undercover law enforcement officials -- because they are small
and often comprised of committed zealots. At the same time, law
enforcement agencies and other organizations have the tendency
• Pocket to stretch and abuse any increased powers of investigation. For
™ Constitution example, the FBI spied on and harassed Martin Luther King and
the civil rights movement. The Army conducted surveillance on
111 Email Updates Americans at home during the Vietnam War. The law
enforcement community might use the threat of terrorist attacks
«j*$ Cato Audio with WMD as an excuse to expand its power of investigation far
beyond appropriate levels.
*gf Cato Store
In his remarks, Secretary Cohen implied that civil liberties
eg Cato on Your should be undermined sooner rather than later. He suggested that
9 PDA
waiting to curtail civil liberties until after experiencing the
liD Cato University emotional effects of a catastrophic terrorist attack might be
unwise. He seemed to assume that reducing liberties now will
ft El Cato preclude a greater constriction of them after an attack. Although
the threat of an attack is real, it may or may not occur. A
preemptive surrender of civil liberties is, therefore, most ill-

http://www.cato.org/dailys/9-2-98.html 12/14/2003
Secretary of Defense Cohen on Terrorism - Gary North's Y2K Links and Forums Page 1 of5

Stalled Career?
No promotions? Only token raises? If so, then you're permanently stuck unless you make
your work too irresistible for your boss to skip over you again. I show exactly how to re-
position yourself in my free report, An Irresistible Career Strategy to Get a Major
Promotion Within 18 Months, Even If You're Over 50. Click on the link, and then click
Send. Wait 45 seconds and click Send/Recv to download my report from your mail box at
your Internet Service Provider. Click here: Promotion.

What follows is a page from my Y2K site. I keep these documents on-line as a public service to
researchers, journalists, and historians. There is no other site on the Web where people can access as
many original source documents relating to Y2K. Warning: most of the links are dead. This site
contains extensive extracts.

Gary North's Y2K Links and Forums


Summary and Comments

Category: Military
Date: 1999-07-2708:04:34
Subject: Secretary of Defense Cohen on Terrorism

Link: http://www.usia.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/prod...
Comment: On July 26, The United States Information Service released this
statement by William Cohen. It had appeared in the Washington
Post.

He makes it clear: the wars are coming home.

I ask: Why this emphasis now? The problem has been a threat
for two decades. The technology, such as home-brew anthrax, is
ancient. What is it about today's circumstances that makes this
sort of article timely?

My view: terrorism becomes safer to perpretators in the midst of


a home-made crisis. That crisis is y2k.

He writes: "We are preparing for the possibility of a chemical or


biological attack on American soil because we must. There is
not a moment to lose." I agree. When Arthur Robinson and I
proposed national civil defense shelters in 1986 (Fighting
Chance: Ten Feet to Survival), our (Robinson's) design included
air filtering systems for just this kind of attack. Nothing was
done, of course.

ht1p://www.garynorth.com/y2k/detail_.cfm/5561 12/14/2003

You might also like