Levin Statement on DoD Directive Regarding SERE Techniques

WASHINGTON – On October 9, 2008, the Department of Defense released a revised directive on interrogations that specifically prohibits the use of Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) techniques on individuals under the control of the Department of Defense or detained in a DoD facility. Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) today issued the following statement:

“I welcome this new directive and Secretary Gates’ recognition that tactics used to train our soldiers to resist abusive interrogations have no place in interrogations conducted by U.S. military personnel. Many of the techniques used in SERE school are based on tactics used during the Korean War by Chinese Communists who refused to follow the Geneva Conventions and cared only about eliciting false confessions for propaganda purposes. An extensive investigation conducted by my Senate Armed Services Committee and recent hearings held by the Committee have revealed that former senior DoD officials including General Counsel Jim Haynes sought out information on SERE techniques for use in interrogations. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld’s subsequent authorization of some of those same techniques for use in interrogations by U.S. military personnel contributed to the mistreatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay as well as in Afghanistan and Iraq. Those actions not only damaged our reputation around the globe but have discouraged our allies from cooperating with us in the struggle against terrorism, made us less safe, and put U.S. forces at greater risk. This new DoD directive represents a clear and welcome break from the regrettable decisions of Secretary Rumsfeld’s tenure.”