Long-range plans key to winning anti-terror effort

  • Published
  • By Jim Garamone
  • American Forces Press Service
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AFPN) --  Defense, offense and long-range actions characterize U.S. operations in the war on terror, Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said here March 29. And while the first two are important, it is long-range actions that will ultimately help the U.S. win the war, he said.

Looking at defense, the U.S. cannot build walls high enough or armored enough to stop all terror attacks, General Myers said. It is also not something that U.S. citizens want to do, he said.

The U.S. military remains on the offensive -- the second leg of the strategy -- in Afghanistan, Iraq, Colombia, the Philippines and many other places worldwide. The U.S. is very successful at tracking down, killing and capturing extremists, General Myers said.

“The military can continue to kill terrorists forever, and we’ll get better at it,” he said. “But in the end, it’s not going to solve the problem.

“The problem is going to be solved by creating an environment where people aren’t interested in extremism, where they think they have a political opportunity, an economic opportunity and a better way forward for their families,” General Myers said. “That’s the secret.”

The U.S. and its allies have to create a world where “young people don’t want to join jihad,” he said.

This is much broader than the U.S. military alone, General Myers said. Calling the effort against terror a “war” does not capture the whole picture. Calling it a war leads people to believe that the military is the executive agent of choice. But in fact, he said, all aspects of national power must be used.

“Security is so much more than the military dimension,” General Myers said. “It’s so much more than people in uniform. It’s good government, it’s the rule of law, it’s an infrastructure that is developed enough to support economic growth, and it’s communications. All these have to occur simultaneously.”

The chairman said the U.S. armed forces were first required to work together through the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986.

“Now we work together very well,” he said. “The trick is going to be working as closely with the other agencies in the government, as well as allied governments (and) nongovernmental agencies.

“The U.S. military can’t win this war alone,” General Myers said. “It’s impossible.”