Franks Lists Threats Facing Central Command

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2001 - While the Persian Gulf is the
crucial area for U.S. Central Command, the command has much
more on its plate, said Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks.

Franks, testifying before the House Armed Services
Committee, said the command stands ready to protect
American vital interests throughout the Central Command
area of responsibility.

"The volatility of our region requires that USCENTCOM
remain adaptable and agile," Franks said. "Without a large
footprint in the region, we must be truly 'deployable.'
Responsive command, control, and communications during
peace, crisis, and conflict will remain key to our ability
to accomplish the mission.

The key to the Central Command area is to maintain
uninterrupted access to energy resources. The Persian Gulf
region contains roughly 68 percent of the world's known oil
and natural gas reserves - "more than 40 percent of which
pass through the Strait of Hormuz," Franks said.

"And so, one of our responsibilities - in fact, one of our
objectives - is to maintain access to these energy
resources at the same time that we maintain access to
markets in the region," he remarked.

Iraq, of course, is the main disturber of the peace in the
region. CENTCOM maintains the no-fly zone over the southern
third of that country. In addition, the command conducts
maritime intercept operations in the northern Arabian Gulf.
These operations seek to stop Saddam Hussein from smuggling
oil and using the revenue gained to reconstitute his
weapons of mass destruction or to improve his conventional
capabilities.

But there is more to CENTCOM than containing Hussein,
Franks continued. The command's area of responsibility
encompasses 25 nations in an area about twice the size of
the continental United States.

"It includes the northern Red Sea area, the countries of
Egypt and Jordan. It includes the Horn of Africa and East
Africa; the Arabian Peninsula, certainly; and South Asia
from Pakistan up into Central Asia as far as Kazakhstan,"
Franks said.

Iran is another concern, he said. Franks called Iran an
"enigma" during his testimony. He said Iranian President
Mohammed Khatami has indicated a willingness to improve
ties with the West and loosen the fundamentalist
restrictions on the Iranian people, but his hands are tied.

"(Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-) Khamenei and the
ruling conservatives have clearly demonstrated that they
will not accept change, nor will they share the principal
elements of state power with an increasingly restless
population," Franks said. In spite of the internal discord,
Iran continues to improve its conventional and
unconventional military capabilities, he said.

"Tehran's ability to interdict the Strait of Hormuz with
air, surface and sub-surface naval units, as well as mines
and missiles remains a concern," Franks told the lawmakers.
"Additionally, Iran's asymmetrical capabilities are
becoming more robust."

He said these capabilities include high-speed attack patrol
ships, anti-ship missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and
hardened facilities for surface-to-surface missiles and
command and control. But the main concerns, he noted, are
Iran's weapons of mass destruction program and large
medium-range ballistic missile program.

"Although President Khatami is attempting to change Iran's
image, sustained hostility of conservative hard-liners is
evident as we see continued support of terrorism aimed at
derailing efforts for peace between Israel and the
Palestinians," he said.

The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian violence is of continuing
concern in the region, Franks said. In the Persian Gulf,
violence has increased internal pressures on moderate Arab
governments that must balance responses to public opinion
with the value placed on their relationships with the West,
he said.

"If the (Arabian) Peninsula states begin to distance
themselves from the United States, their inability to face
the dual threats of Iran and Iraq will leave them
vulnerable to intimidation by these aggressive powers,"
Franks said.

The October attack on the destroyer USS Cole highlights the
threat of terrorism in the region. Franks said the threat
remains high and is becoming more sophisticated. "Despite
our counterterrorism successes over the past year,
including the disruption of terrorist cells in Jordan and
Kuwait, extremist groups continue to recruit, train and
conduct operations," he said.

One trend is unprecedented cooperation between known and
obscure groups. "This cooperation includes moving people
and materials, providing safe havens and money and training
new recruits," he said. "The trend is especially disturbing
as known organizations gain plausible deniability for
operations, while the obscure groups achieve an increased
capability from training and financial support."

He said terrorist organizations continue to seek larger
explosive devices, more lethal tactics and chemical,
biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons. He said this
trend points to a more significant problem in the future.

"In addition to the use of unconventional weapons, the
potential for terrorists to regard unconventional targets
(civilians and civilian infrastructure) as practical
options for attack seems likely," Franks said. "As
terrorist networks improve their ability to operate within
the global communications environment, we see increased
capability to support recruitment, conduct fund-raising,
and direct sub-elements worldwide. The complex terrorist
threat we face today is less predictable and potentially
much more dangerous than we have seen in the past."

Related Sites of Interest:

General Franks prepared statement before the
House Armed Services Committee, March 28, 2001

Central Command