TESTIMONY
OF
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
DONALD RUMSFELD
5 FEBRUARY 2003
BEFORE THE
HOUSE
ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 7, 2004
Mr.
Chairman, members of the Committee -- Thank
you for the opportunity to testify today.
In
recent days, there has been a good deal of
discussion about who bears responsibility
for the terrible activities that took place
at Abu Ghraib. These events occurred on my
watch. As Secretary of Defense, I am
accountable for them. I take full
responsibility. It is my obligation to
evaluate what happened, to make sure those
who have committed wrongdoing are brought to
justice, and to make changes as needed to
see that it doesn't happen again.
I feel
terrible about what happened to these Iraqi
detainees. They are human beings. They
were in U.S. custody. Our country had an
obligation to treat them right. We didn't
do that. That was wrong.
To those
Iraqis who were mistreated by members of
U.S. armed forces, I offer my deepest
apology. It was un-American. And it was
inconsistent with the values of our
nation.
Further,
I deeply regret the damage that has been
done:
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First, to the reputation of
the honorable men and women of our armed
forces who are courageously, skillfully
and responsibly defending our freedom
across the globe. They are truly
wonderful human beings, and their families
and loved ones can be enormously proud of
them.
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Second, to the President,
the Congress and the American people. I
wish we had been able to convey to them
the gravity of this was before we saw it
in the media;
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Third, to the Iraqi people,
whose trust in our coalition has been
shaken; and finally
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To the reputation of our
country.
The
photographic depictions of U.S. military
personnel that the public has seen have
unquestionably offended and outraged
everyone in the Department of Defense.
If you
could have seen the anguished expressions on
the faces of those of us in the Department
upon seeing the photos, you would know how
we feel today.
We take
this seriously. It should not have
happened. Any wrongdoers need to be
punished, procedures evaluated, and problems
corrected.
It's
important for the American people and the
world to know that while these terrible acts
were perpetrated by a small number of the
U.S. military, they were also brought to
light by the honorable and responsible
actions of other military personnel. There
are many who did their duty professionally
and we should mention that as well:
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First the soldier,
Specialist Joseph Darby, who alerted the
appropriate authorities that abuses of
detainees were occurring. My thanks and
appreciation to him for his courage and
his values.
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Second, those in the
military chain of command who acted
promptly upon learning of those activities
by initiating a series of investigations
-- criminal and administrative -- to
ensure that the abuses were stopped, that
the responsible chain of command was
relieved and replaced, and that the
Uniform Code of Military Justice was
followed;
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Third, units singled out
for praise in General Taguba's Report for
the care they provided detainees in their
custody and their intolerance of abuses by
others.
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And finally, the CENTCOM
chain of command for taking action and
publicly announcing to the world that
investigations of abuse were underway.
The
American people and members of the committee
deserve an accounting of what has happened
and what's being done to fix it.
Gathered
today are the senior military officials with
responsibility in the care and treatment of
detainees.
The
responsibility for training falls to the
U.S. Army. The responsibility for the
actions and conduct of forces in Iraq falls
to the combatant commander. And the
ultimate responsibility for the department
rests with me.
Each of
us has had a strong interest in getting the
facts out to the American people.
We want
you to know the facts. I want you to have
all the documentation and the data you
require. If some material is classified, we
will ensure members get an opportunity to
see it privately.
Having
said that, all the facts that may be of
interest are not yet in hand. In addition
to the Taguba Report, there are other
investigations underway. We will make the
results of these investigations available to
you. But because all the facts are not in
hand, there will be corrections and
clarifications to the record as more
information is learned. If we have
something to add later, we'll do so. If we
find something that we've said that needs to
be corrected, we'll correct it.
From the
other witnesses here, you will be told the
sequence of events and investigations that
have taken place since these activities
first came to light.
What I
want to do is to inform you of the measures
underway to remedy some of the damage done
and to improve our performance in the
future.
Before I
do that, let me make one further note: As
members of this Committee are aware, each of
us at this table is either in the chain of
command or has senior responsibilities in
the Department. This means that anything
we say publicly could have an impact on
legal proceedings against those accused of
wrongdoing in this matter. Our
responsibility at this hearing, and in our
public comments, is to conduct ourselves
consistent with that well known fact. So
please understand that if some of our
responses are measured, it is to ensure that
pending cases are not jeopardized by seeming
to exert "command influence" and that the
rights of any accused are protected.
Now let
me tell you the measures we are taking to
deal with this issue.
When
this incident came to light and was reported
within the Chain of Command, we took several
immediate actions. These will be discussed
in detail by others here today, but let me
highlight them.
These
two investigations have resulted thus far in
criminal or administrative actions against
at least 12 individuals, including the
relief of the prison chain of command and
criminal referrals of several soldiers
directly involved in abuse.
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The Army also
launched an Inspector General Review of
detainee operations throughout Afghanistan
and Iraq. That review continues.
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The Army has initiated an
investigation of Reserve training with
respect to military intelligence and
police functions.
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General Sanchez also asked
for an Army Intelligence review of the
circumstances discussed in General
Taguba's report and that is ongoing.
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And, I also asked the Navy
Inspector General to review procedures at
Guantanamo and the Charleston Naval Brig.
As
these investigations mature, we will
endeavor to keep you informed. But there is
more to be done.
First,
to ensure we have a handle on the scope of
this catastrophe, I will be announcing today
the appointment of several senior former
officials who are being asked to examine the
pace, breadth, and thoroughness of the
existing investigations, and to determine
whether additional investigations need to be
initiated. They are being asked to report
their findings within 45 days of taking up
their duties. I am confident these
distinguished individuals will provide a
full and fair assessment of what has been
done thus far - and recommend whether
further steps may be necessary.
I will
encourage them to meet with members of
Congress to keep them apprised of their
progress. I look forward to their
suggestions and recommendations.
Second,
we need to review our habits and
procedures. One of the things we've tried
to do since September 11th is to
get the Department to adjust its habits and
procedures at a time of war, and in the
information age. For the past three years,
we have looked for areas where adjustments
were needed, and regrettably, we have now
found another one.
Let me
be clear. I failed to identify the
catastrophic damage that the allegations of
abuse could do to our operations in the
theater, to the safety of our troops in the
field, the cause to which we are committed.
When these allegations first surfaced, I
failed to recognize how important it was to
elevate a matter of such gravity to the
highest levels, including leaders in
Congress. Nor did we anticipate that a
classified investigation report that had not
yet been delivered to the senior levels of
the Department would be given to the
media. That was my failing.
In the
future, we will take whatever steps are
necessary to elevate to the appropriate
levels charges of this magnitude.
Third, I
am seeking a way to provide appropriate
compensation to those detainees who suffered
grievous and brutal abuse and cruelty at the
hands of a few members of the U.S.
military. It is the right thing to do. I'm
told we have the ability to do so. And so
we will - one way or another.
One of
the great strengths of our nation is its
ability to recognize failures, deal with
them, and to strive to make things better.
Indeed, the openness with which these
problems are being dealt is one of the
strengths of our free society. Democracies
are imperfect, because they are made up of
human beings who are, by our nature,
imperfect. Of course, we wish that every
person in our government and our Armed
Forces would conduct themselves in
accordance with the highest standards of
ethics. But the reality is some do not.
One
mistake we have made during our initial
investigation into these charges, for
example, was failing to sufficiently call to
your attention the information made public
in the CENTCOM press release regarding the
investigations they had initiated back in
January. We also failed to sufficiently
call your attention and brief you on the
preliminary findings of the criminal
investigation announced on March 20 by
General Kimmitt. I am advised the Army has
had periodic meetings to inform
Congressional staffs.
There
are indications that the information
provided was penetrating at some level,
however. On January 20th, for
example, CNN reported that a CID
investigation was being conducted into
allegations of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib,
and mentioned the possible existence of
photographs taken of detainees.
Nonetheless, I know that we did not fully
brief you on this subject along the way and
we should have done so.
I wish
we would have known more sooner and been
able to tell you more sooner. But we
didn't. For that, I apologize.
We need
to discuss a better way to keep you informed
about matters of such gravity in the future.
The fact
that abuses take place - in the military, in
law enforcement, and in our society - is not
surprising. But the standard by which our
country and our government should be judged
is not by whether abuses take place, but
rather how our nation deals with them. We
are dealing with them forthrightly. These
incidents are being investigated and any
found to have committed crimes or misconduct
will receive the appropriate justice. Most
of the time, at least, the system works.
None of
this is meant to diminish the gravity of the
recent situation at Abu Ghraib. To the
contrary, that is precisely why these abuses
are so damaging -- because they can be used
by the enemies of our country to undermine
our mission and spread the false impression
that such conduct is the rule and not the
exception - when, in fact, the opposite is
true.
Which is
why it is so important that we investigate
them publicly and openly, and hold people
accountable in similar fashion. And that is
exactly what we are doing.
QUESTIONS:
When we
first were told about these activities and
saw those photographs, I and everyone at
this table was as shocked and stunned as you
were.
In the
period since, a number of questions have
been raised -- here in the Congress, in the
media, and by the public. Let me respond to
some of them.
Some have asked: Why weren't those charged
with guarding prisoners properly trained?
If one
looks at the behavior depicted in those
photos, it is fair to ask: what kind of
training could one possibly provide that
would stop people from doing that? Either
you learn that in life, or you don't. And
if someone doesn't know that doing what is
shown in those photos is wrong, cruel,
brutal, indecent, and against American
values, I am at a loss as to what kind of
training could be provided to teach them.
The fact
is, the vast majority of the people in the
United States Armed Forces are decent,
honorable individuals who know right from
wrong, and conduct themselves in a manner
that is in keeping with the spirit and
values of our country. And there is only a
very small minority who do not.
Some
have asked: Hasn't a climate allowing for
abuses to occur been created because of a
decision to "disregard" the Geneva
Convention?
No.
Indeed, the U.S. Government recognized that
the Geneva Conventions apply in Iraq, and
the armed forces are obliged to follow
them. DoD personnel are trained in the law
of war, including the Geneva Conventions.
Doctrine requires that they follow those
rules and report, investigate, and take
corrective action to remedy violations.
We did
conclude that our war against al-Qaeda is
not governed precisely by the Conventions,
but nevertheless announced that detained
individuals would be treated consistent with
the principles of the Geneva Conventions.
Some
have asked: Can we repair the damage done
to our credibility in the region?
I hope
so and I believe so. We have to trust that
in the course of events the truth will
eventually come out. And the truth is that
the United States is a liberator, not a
conqueror. Our people are devoted to
freedom and democracy, not enslavement or
oppression.
Every day, these men and
women risk their lives to protect the Iraqi
people and help them build a more hopeful
future. They have liberated 25 million
people; dismantled two terrorist regimes;
and battled an enemy that shows no
compassion or respect for innocent human
life.
These
men and women, and the families who love and
support them, deserve better than to have
their sacrifices on behalf of our country
sullied by the despicable actions of a few.
To that vast majority of our soldiers
abroad, I extend my support and my
appreciation for their truly outstanding
service.
One
final thought:
Today
we'll have a full discussion of this
terrible incident and I welcome that. But
first, let's take a step back for a moment.
Within
the constraints imposed on those of us in
the chain of command, I want to say a few
additional words.
First,
beyond abuse of prisoners, we have seen
photos that depict incidents of physical
violence towards prisoners - acts that may
be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel,
and inhuman.
Second,
the individuals who took the photos took
many more.
The
ramifications of these two facts are far
reaching.
Congress
and the American people and the rest of the
world need to know this.
In
addition, the photos give these incidents a
vividness - indeed a horror - in the eyes of
the world.
Mr.
Chairman, that is why this hearing today is
important. And why the actions we take in
the days and weeks ahead are so important.
Because
however terrible the setback, this is also
an occasion to demonstrate to the world the
difference between those who believe in
democracy and human rights and those who
believe in rule by the terrorist code.
We value
human life; we believe in their right to
individual freedom and the rule of law.
For
those beliefs we send the men and women in
the armed forces abroad - to protect that
right for our own people and to give
millions of others who aren't Americans the
hope of a future of freedom.
Part of
that mission -- part of what we believe in -
is making sure that when wrongdoing or
scandal occur that they are not covered up,
but exposed, investigated, publicly
disclosed - and the guilty brought to
justice.
Mr.
Chairman, I know you join me today in saying
to the world: Judge us by our actions.
Watch how Americans, watch how a democracy
deals with wrongdoing and scandal and the
pain of acknowledging and correcting our own
mistakes and weaknesses.
And then
after they have seen America in action --
then ask those who preach resentment and
hatred of America if our behavior doesn't
give the lie to the falsehood and slander
they speak about our people and way of
life. Ask them if the resolve of Americans
in crisis and difficulty -- and, yes, the
heartache of acknowledging the evil in our
midst -- doesn't have meaning far beyond
their code of hatred.
Above
all, ask them if the willingness of
Americans to acknowledge their own failures
before humanity doesn't light the world as
surely as the great ideas and beliefs that
first made this nation a beacon of hope and
liberty to all who strive to be free.
We know
what the terrorists will do. We know they
will try to exploit all that is bad to
obscure all that is good. That is the
nature of evil. And that is the nature
of those who think they can kill innocent
men, women and children to gratify their own
cruel will to power.
We say
to the enemies of humanity and freedom:
Do your
worst.
Because
we will strive to do our best.
I thank
you Mr. Chairman. My colleagues each have
a brief statement. |