unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (08/14/89)
inter-country affairs on this question -- i'm talking hardware,
Q: Are you using any Soviet hardware on this?
A: You give me the opportunity to refer you to the Soviet spokesman.
(laughter).
Well, those are my only announcements. So I'm happy to respond to questi
about other areas.
Q: Hardware question. Can you tell us anything about the AMRAAM make or
break test last week. I understand it was fired. Do you have the results yet
A: I don't know anything about that. I haven't seen anything on that.
(We're all looking at each other blankly.) If we have any further information
we will get it to you.
Q: Status in Panama today?
A: Well, we had an exercise in Panama today. (Let us get a map up here.
As I read, Jim, why don't you point to the area.) At 10 a.m. (EDT), U.S.
forces began a joint service exercise along the Amador Causeway, south of Fort
Amador. This causeway parallels the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.
It's obviously an important vantage point to the entrance of the canal. The
exercise involved boats, helicopters, amphibious light armored vehicles, track
armored personnel carriers and Air Force aircraft. The exercise has been
completed, and it was finished without incident. The activity today exercises
United States forces treaty rights. Among those rights is the freedom of
movement, as directed by the President in his announcement of May 11th of this
year. It exercises certain scenarios as part of our forces' mission in Panama
-- the mission of defense and protection of the Panama Canal -- and it tests
troop readiness and movement capabilities.
Q: Would that also raise the level of tension in the area?
A: I'm told the exercise went along without incident.
Q: This is starting to look like a tit-for-tat, you know. They do some-
thing one day, we do something the next? Is that our policy?
A: Absolutely not. We're exercising our treaty rights.
Q: ...when was this exercise planned?
A: When it was planned?
Q: Yes.
A: I haven't seen anything on that. SOUTHCOM would know.
Q: Is it in response to the incident of yesterday?
A: Oh no.
Q: Was there any PDF people around when this happened, did they boo, cat
calls, anything?
A: I haven't heard anything on these demonstrations that sometimes accom
any exericses. There were some PDF encountered along the way. I believe ther
was one PDF guard -- there's a gate at the entrance to the causeway. There wa
one PDF guard who surrendered his weapon. And there was some further informa-
tion, I'm not positive, but Ron Sconyers, the public affairs officer there,
would have the information. There was a truck somewhere, but I'm not certain
whether the truck, which was at the end of the causeway, had PDF personnel on
it or not. But in any case, there were very few encounters between U.S. and
PDF forces.
Q: Was he requested to surrender his weapon?
A: My understanding was yes and he did so voluntarily.
Q: How many troops were involved?
A: I don't have the specific operational numbers for you. SOUTHCOM is
still going through the after-action reports and pulling all of that together.
If they get a statement out, we'll make that available to you. But right now,
for operational questions because the exercise is relatively completed within
the hour... I don't have those numbers. They are going to have to come from
down there.
Q: Yesterday, when two MPs were taken, did you ever find out why the
first one was detained?
A: I never heard anything on that, but Sconyers at SOUTHCOM may know.
Q: Did the U.S. file a protest--we understood a protest would be filed?
A: Don't know -- SOUTHCOM would have to go through that detail for you.
Q: Pete, if this was a planned exercise...
A: It was.
Q: ...how come we don't know the numbers that are involved?
A: What the plan would have is how many numbers were planned to take par
in it, but it won't tell you exactly how many took part in it. As you well
know, those things change based on weather conditions and all that sort of
stuff. So you'll have to get the specific numbers from them.
Q: Who ordered this?
A: Who personally ordered the exercise?
Q: Yes.
A: No, I don't know. SOUTHCOM would get that one for you. We've done a
* Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501)
--
unitex - via FidoNet node 1:107/520
UUCP: ...!rutgers!rubbs!unitex
ARPA: unitex@rubbs.FIDONET.ORG
---
Patt Haring | UNITEX : United Nations
patth@sci.ccny.cuny.edu | Information
patth@ccnysci.BITNET | Transfer Exchange