The Department of Defense announced today that the Secretary of the Navy, Gordon R. England, has been named the designated civilian official to oversee the annual administrative review of the continued detention of enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. As the designated civilian official, England will operate and oversee the review process to assess whether each detainee held by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo should be released, transferred or should continue to be detained.

During the review, each detainee will have an opportunity to appear in person before a board of three military officers and provide factual data to support his release. The detainee will be provided a military officer to assist him. In addition, the review board will accept written information from the family and national government of the detainee. Based on all of this information, as well as submissions by other U.S. government agencies, the board will make a recommendation to England, who will decide whether to release, transfer or continue to detain the individual.

England has assembled a joint civilian and military team that is developing a detailed, comprehensive process to expedite the review of detainee records and establish review boards in the near future. This process will provide an annual review of each enemy combatant and will assist DoD in fulfilling its commitment to help ensure no one is detained any longer than is warranted, and that no one is released who remains a threat to our nations security.

Englands biography can be found at: www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/people/secnav/england-bio-73.html .