Security cooperation in a post September 11, 2001 world

DISAM Journal, Wntr, 2003 by Richard L. Armitage

[The following ar remarks delivered to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency Conterence, Alexandria, Virginia, October 17, 2002.]

I am no particular stranger to security cooperation. In fact, as we were discussing out in the hail, I am starting to feel my age--I go back to the days of Howie Fish. I do not know how many of you remember General Fish. [inaudible] and Jim Ahmann, Phil Gast and Charlie Brown, [inaudible] and Glenn Rudd. People like Herb Morris [inaudible]. I must say, pulling those names out of the back of my mind today is an exercise in making people guess my age.

I suspect, sir, however, that the business has changed somewhat since I served as Assistant Secretary of Defense. If nothing else, your agency has gone through several name changes. But some things do not really change. International cooperation has long been the cornerstone to our security architecture and that has rarely been more apparent than in this post September 11, 2001 world.

The Department of State, of course, is in the business of international cooperation. That is our stock in trade. Today, we need the specialized skills and well-honed talents of our workforce not just in order to engage in statecraft, but also to play a more direct role in facing the immediate and urgent threats to our security. Because if we are to prevail in the war against terrorism and in disarming--or if necessary, destroying--the regime in Iraq, we will, as a nation, find it necessary to rely on collaboration with other nations. So there can be little question that the Department of State is playing a central role in safeguarding our immediate interests and there should be no question that the Department of State is up to playing such a part. That means our people must have the training and the tools they need to face these 21st century challenges, which is why Secretary Powell and I have made management reform a top priority. And that includes the area that concern all of you most directly, our administ ration of the defense trade.

As I suggested, we would not be gaining ground in the war against terrorism without effective multilateral collaboration. After all, this war had international implications from the outset. Consider that al Qaeda, the network of al Qaeda, had active cells hidden in the dark corners some sixty countries and that the citizens of more than ninety nations perished on September 11th. It is fitting, then, that we swiftly saw an international agenda for countering terrorism and this agenda was unprecedented in its scope and in its scale. In the days after the attacks on September 11, 2001, the Department of State was instrumental in coordinating this concerted response. At the highest levels of statecraft, this led to the most comprehensive anti-terrorism measure ever adopted by the United Nations, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373, as well as similar conventions and measures from a full range of regional organizations, from the Organization of American States to Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

But we also used our diplomatic muscle to pull together an extensive coalition to implement the letter and spirit of this resolution. Indeed, most nations in the world continue to contribute something to this war consistent with their capabilities. Many nations are receiving some kind of assistance, according to their needs.

More than 180 nations are part of the coalition to fight terrorism. Twenty-five nations are engaged in military operations and 132 have signed the International Convention To Suppress Terrorism Financing. One hundred thirty-six have contributed some other concrete assistance, running the gamut from humanitarian supplies to the use of airspace and base access rights.

This international cooperation has produced many victories. Some are well known, but most are more discreet and nearly daily. Of course, we also continue to face challenges, as we were reminded by the killing of a U.S. Marine in Kuwait and the horrific bombing in Bali over the weekend, which cost so many of our Australian friends their youth. So many families were devastated by that horrible attack. I think it is obvious that this is not going to be an easy fight. It will take time and determination to prevail but we should not allow the recent violence to detract from our overall and ongoing success in this war.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I realize it is somewhat reassuring to talk about armies clashing in decisive battles, where there are clear winners and losers, but what we are engaged in today is no less effective and far less lethal for our own forces. Beyond just routing the Taliban and al Qaeda out of Afghanistan, we are actually building the permanent capacity to counter terrorism all around the world. So this means not just freezing and seizing financial assets, but giving our partners in other nations the tools and skills to permanently destroy and disrupt the money trails that keep the terrorists in business. We have seen a string of high-profile arrests in dozens of nations. In recent weeks alone, we have seen the capture in Karachi by Pakistani officials of a key figure in the September 11, 2001 attacks the indictment in Germany of the guiding light of the Hamburg cell where Mohammad Atta finalized his plans, and the detention in Singapore of 21 more members of the Jemaah Islamiyah, who were planning att acks against American targets in southeast Asia. And who we suspect may have played a role in this recent attack in Bali. But we are also working with local law enforcement officials around the world to provide the training and the technical skills to make a long-term improvement in their ability to prevent such criminal activity in the first place.