Retired general talks counterterrorism at Land Forces Symposium

Courtesy Photo | ATLANTA, Ga. (Feb. 27, 2006) -- Retired Army general Wayne A. Downing addresses distinguished guests and foreign dignitaries during the Land Forces Symposium counterterrorism brief given Feb. 27 in Atlanta. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jonathan Montgomery, Third U.S. Army Public Affairs Office.)  

ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES

03.15.2006

Courtesy Story

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Story and photos by Spc. Jonathan Montgomery

ATLANTA, Ga. (Feb. 27, 2006) " "We have about 2,000 years of professional military experience in this room," said retired Army general Wayne A. Downing. "How do we tap into that?"

Downing was addressing the Land Forces Symposium's distinguished guests and foreign dignitaries in a counterterrorism speech given Feb. 27 in Atlanta. Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, 35th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, and Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb, commander of Third U.S. Army/U.S. Army Forces Central Command/Coalition Forces Land Component Command, hosted the first LFS for chiefs of staff of the army land forces commanders in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Feb. 26 to Mar. 1.

Senior Army leaders of their respective countries met in Atlanta to collaborate on topics of shared interest concerning Army operations.

The conference provided a forum for a regional exchange of views meant to foster mutual security cooperation on the topic of "Cooperation in Combating Terrorism."

Long-term U.S. strategic aims, said Downing, are geared toward defeating violent extremism that poses a threat to American way of life.

"We cannot do this alone," he said. "The events of the past four years have proven this."

Downing, a chairman of the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, said multi-lateral operations and reaching out to other countries is the best and only way to winning the Global War on Terrorism.

"We need a balanced approach," he said. "Military operations alone are not a solution to the problem. The effort requires friends and allies."

Since Sept. 11, 2001, al Qaeda has been "decimated," with 70 percent of the original leadership gone, said Downing. The organization, however, has transformed by gaining sympathizers worldwide with its "monolithic" hit-and-run strategy. This increased recruitment of violent extremists has taken shape in places like Iraq, which Downing said has become a "magnet for the Jihadists," while Afghanistan has seen a "Taliban resurgence."

In order to win this "long campaign" against terror, said Downing, root causes must be confronted; old alliances bolstered; and new friends required.

"We cannot underestimate these people," he said about violent extremists. "They are very different and very strong."

Violent extremists, said Downing, use terrorism as a tactic in their political struggle for political control of key states and regions.

Though, he said not to expect the type of terror tactics to stay the same.

"Terrorism is going to morph into other things for a long period of time," said Downing.

Diplomacy, he said, is vitally important to combating the improvised and resilient terrorism seen out there on the battlefield and in civilian sectors.

"Cooperation is key to destroying terrorist safe havens and networks, controlling shared borders, exposing extremist distortion of the truth, and denying terrorists virtual or Internet sanctuaries, which through the use of videos and symbols can be very appealing to the eye," said Downing.

But U.S. policies and actions -- not values, religion or the press -- have "alienated and infuriated" the people around the globe, he said.

"The U.S. has been unable to convince many that we care about oppression, poverty, opportunity and education," said Downing. "The U.S. often does not understand the cultural and religious filters.

"The war in Iraq has been perceived negatively around the world," he added.

The United States and Coalition nations fighting the GWOT need to convince the local populaces of countries victimized by terror attacks that violent extremism is not the path toward achieving peace or stability in their homelands.

"The audience is the 'street" not the elites or the intelligentsia," Downing said about persuading locals Iraqis or Afghans, for instance, not be recruited by violent extremists to help carry out terror missions at home or abroad.

Ultimately, he said people not technology make the difference.

"Well-trained, disciplined units prevail," said Downing. "Technology makes you a first-class military force, but the enemy often figures out low-tech ways to counter it â?¦ never forget that the Warrior Spirit is the edge."

The role of police and a justice system, said Downing, are likely to be the most important physical tools in dealing with terror.

"People must feel they have recourse to protect them," he said.

The conduct of troops is equally important, said Downing.

"They cannot drive them into the enemy," he said about having troops behave respectfully toward Muslim beliefs and customs, and not giving reason to create sympathizers for violent extremists.

"We need to have patience, think long term and promote joint, interagency efforts," Downing added.

The Land Forces Symposium, he said, is a good place to start sharing the 2,000 years worth of experience while generating new ideas to combat terrorism.

Respect for national sovereignty, combined training and exercises and exchanges of lessons learned will enable country leaders to better 'tap" into such a vast base of experience, said Downing.

• Date Taken: 03.15.2006
• Date Posted: 03.15.2006 15:12
• Story ID: 5743
• Location: ATLANTA, GA, US