[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 13 (Monday, March 29, 2004)]
[Pages 444-447]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
Letter to Congressional Leaders Transmitting a Consolidated Report on
the Deployment of United States Combat-Equipped Armed Forces
March 20, 2004
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
In the interests of improving the efficiency of the reporting
process and to increase the utility of reports to the Congress,
consistent with the War Powers Resolution, I have decided to consolidate
supplemental reports I provide to the Congress regarding the deployment
of U.S. combat-equipped armed forces in a number of locations around the
world. This consolidated report is part of my efforts to keep the
Congress informed about such deployments and covers operations in
support of the global war on terrorism (including in Afghanistan),
Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Haiti. Operations in Iraq are a
critical part of the war on terror, and it is my intention to continue
to provide, consistent with the War Powers Resolution, information
regarding the deployment of U.S. forces in Iraq in the reports to the
Congress
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under Public Law 107-243 and Public Law 102-1, as amended.
The Global War on Terrorism
Since September 24, 2001, I have reported, consistent with Public
Law 107-40 and the War Powers Resolution, on the combat operations in
Afghanistan against al-Qaida terrorists and their Taliban supporters,
which began on October 7, 2001, and the deployment of various combat-
equipped and combat-support forces to a number of locations in the
Central, Pacific, and Southern Command areas of operation in support of
those operations and of other operations in our global war on terrorism.
United States efforts in the campaign in Afghanistan continue to
meet with success, but as I have stated in my previous reports, the U.S.
war on terror will be lengthy. United States Armed Forces, with the
assistance of numerous coalition partners, continue to conduct the U.S.
campaign to eliminate the primary source of support to the terrorists
who viciously attacked our Nation on September 11, 2001. These
operations have been successful in seriously degrading al-Qaida's
training capability and virtually eliminating the Taliban's ability to
brutalize the Afghan people and to harbor and support terrorists.
Pockets of al-Qaida and Taliban forces, however, remain a threat to U.S.
and Coalition forces and to the Afghan government and Afghan people.
United States, Coalition, and Afghan forces are actively pursuing and
engaging remnant Taliban and al-Qaida fighters.
The United States continues to detain several hundred al-Qaida and
Taliban fighters who are believed to pose a continuing threat to the
United States and its interests. The combat-equipped and combat-support
forces deployed to Naval Base, Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, in the U.S. Southern Command area of operations since January
2002, continue to conduct secure detention operations for the
approximately 610 enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay.
In furtherance of the U.S. worldwide efforts against terrorists who
pose a continuing and imminent threat to the United States, our friends
and allies, and our forces abroad, the United States continues to work
with friends and allies in areas around the globe. For example, combat-
equipped and combat-support forces deployed to Georgia to assist in
training and equipping the Georgian government's forces will be
completing their task in May 2004. United States combat-equipped and
combat-support forces are also located in Djibouti. The U.S. forces
headquarters element in Djibouti provides command and control support as
necessary for military operations against al-Qaida and other
international terrorists in the Horn of Africa region, including Yemen.
These forces also assist in enhancing counterterrorism capabilities in
Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, Eritrea, and Djibouti. The United States is
engaged in a continuous process of assessing options for working with
other nations to assist them in this respect.
Additionally, the United States continues to conduct maritime
interception operations on the high seas in the U.S. Central, European,
and Pacific Command areas of responsibility. These maritime operations
have recently expanded into the U.S. Southern and Northern Command areas
of responsibility to stop the movement, arming, or financing of
international terrorists.
It is not possible to know at this time either the duration of
combat operations or the scope and duration of the deployment of U.S.
Armed Forces necessary to counter the terrorist threat to the United
States. I will direct additional measures as necessary in the exercise
of the U.S. right to self-defense and to protect U.S. citizens and
interests. Such measures may include short-notice deployments of special
operations and other forces for sensitive operations in various
locations throughout the world.
NATO-Led Kosovo Force (KFOR)
As noted in previous reports regarding U.S. contributions in support
of peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo, most recently on November 14, 2003,
the U.N. Security Council authorized member states to establish KFOR in
U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244 of June 10, 1999. The mission of
KFOR is to provide an international security presence in order to deter
renewed hostilities; verify, and, if necessary, enforce the terms
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of the Military Technical Agreement between NATO and the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (which is now Serbia and Montenegro); enforce the
terms of the Undertaking on Demilitarization and Transformation of the
former Kosovo Liberation Army; provide day-to-day operational direction
to the Kosovo Protection Corps; and maintain a safe and secure
environment to facilitate the work of the U.N. Interim Administration
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
Currently, there are 18 NATO nations contributing to KFOR in
addition to the 18 non-NATO nations that provide forces. The U.S.
contribution to KFOR in Kosovo is about 1,900 U.S. military personnel,
or approximately 11 percent of KFOR's total strength of approximately
17,500 personnel. Additionally, U.S. military personnel occasionally
operate from Macedonia, Albania, and Greece in support of KFOR
operations. Eighteen non-NATO contributing countries also participate
with NATO forces in providing military personnel and other support
personnel to KFOR.
The U.S. forces have been assigned to a sector principally centered
around Gnjilane in the eastern region of Kosovo. For U.S. KFOR forces,
as for KFOR generally, maintaining a safe and secure environment remains
the primary military task. The KFOR operates under NATO command and
control and rules of engagement. The KFOR coordinates with and supports
UNMIK at most levels, provides a security presence in towns, villages,
and the countryside, and organizes checkpoints and patrols in key areas
to provide security, protect minorities, resolve disputes, and help
instill in the community a feeling of confidence. By the end of 2003,
UNMIK had transferred all non-reserved competencies under the
Constitutional Framework document to the Kosovar Provisional
Institutions of Self-Government (PISG). The PISG includes the President,
Prime Minister, and Kosovo Assembly, and has been in place since March
2002.
NATO continues formally to review KFOR's mission at 6-month
intervals. These reviews provide a basis for assessing current force
levels, future requirements, force structure, force reductions, and the
eventual withdrawal of KFOR. NATO has adopted the Joint Operations Area
plan to regionalize and rationalize its force structure in the Balkans.
The KFOR has transferred full responsibility for public safety and
policing to the UNMIK international and local police forces throughout
Kosovo except in the area of Mitrovica, where the responsibility is
shared due to security concerns. The UNMIK international police and
local police forces have also begun to assume responsibility for
guarding patrimonial sites and established border-crossing checkpoints.
NATO-Led Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR)
As noted in previous reports regarding U.S. contributions in support
of peacekeeping efforts in the former Yugoslavia, most recently on
January 22, 2004, the U.N. Security Council authorized member states to
continue SFOR for a period of 12 months in U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1491 of July 11, 2003. The mission of SFOR is to provide a
focused military presence in order to deter hostilities, stabilize and
consolidate the peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, contribute to a secure
environment, and perform key supporting tasks including support to the
international civil presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The U.S. force contribution to SFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina is
about 1,100 personnel. United States personnel comprise approximately 9
percent of the approximately 12,000 personnel assigned to SFOR. NATO has
agreed to reduce the size of the force to 7,000 personnel by June 2004.
United States participation is expected to be reduced proportionately.
Currently, 16 NATO nations and 11 others provide military personnel or
other support to SFOR. Most U.S. forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina are
assigned to Multinational Brigade, North, headquartered near the city of
Tuzla. The U.S. forces continue to support SFOR efforts to apprehend
persons indicted for war crimes and to conduct counterterrorism
operations.
Multinational Interim Force in Haiti
As I reported on February 25 and March 2, 2004, the United States
deployed combat-equipped and combat-support personnel to
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Haiti in order to secure key facilities, facilitate the continued
repatriation of Haitian migrants, help create conditions in the capital
for the anticipated arrival of the Multinational Interim Force
authorized by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1529, and for other
purposes consistent with Resolution 1529. Additional U.S. forces have
since been deployed to Haiti, bringing the total of U.S. combat-equipped
and combat-support forces in Haiti to approximately 1,800. It is
possible that additional U.S. forces will be deployed to Haiti in the
future; however, it is anticipated that U.S. forces will redeploy when
the Multinational Interim Force has transitioned to a follow-on United
Nations Stabilization Force.
I have directed the participation of U.S. Armed Forces in all of
these operations pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S.
foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive.
Officials of my Administration and I communicate regularly with the
leadership and other members of Congress with regard to these
deployments, and we will continue to do so.
Sincerely,
George W. Bush
Note: Identical letters were sent to J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the
House of Representatives, and Ted Stevens, President pro tempore of the
Senate. This letter was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on
March 22.