CNN - Senate panel to grill Perry on Saudi bombing

Senate panel to grill Perry on Saudi bombing

He defends actions in letter to Thurmond

July 5, 1996
Web posted at: 10:10 p.m. EDT (0210 GMT)

From Correspondent Jamie McIntyre

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Defense Secretary William Perry has defended U.S. measures taken to protect troops in Saudi Arabia before last month's deadly truck-bomb attack in a letter to the chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

In the letter to Sen. Strom Thurmond, made public Friday, Perry defended the Saudi government, which has been accused of being uncooperative. He also listed 13 security improvements the U.S. made before the bombing and six more measures taken afterward.

The letter comes just days before a potentially contentious hearing on the June 25 bombing near Dhahran that killed 19 American airmen.

Perry said he has met with Saudi Arabia's King Fahd and Defense Minister Prince Sultan. "The Saudis, to date, have supported our requests for cooperation," Perry said.

The secretary is expected to face tough questions from Thurmond's committee about how terrorists could have pulled their explosives-laden truck so close to the living quarters at the military complex.

Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Binford Peay, commander of U.S. Forces in the Gulf, also will appear before the panel.

Troops may be moved

While the Pentagon insists it has no plans to reduce the number of troops in Saudi Arabia, a plan to move most of them out of the line of fire is being pushed. Under it, most of the 1,500 U.S. troops in the Saudi capital of Riyadh and some of the 2,500 troops in Dhahran would relocate to the Al Kharj air base, about 50 miles southeast of Riyadh.

The remote desert area is more isolated, and easier to defend. However, the base is now little more than an airstrip. It would take time and money to construct housing and other buildings.

Perry met Friday with retired Special Forces Commander Gen. Wayne Downing, who is to investigate the bombing. The Pentagon says Downing, former commander-in-chief of the U.S. Special Forces Command in Tampa, Florida, will report his findings to Perry by mid-August. Perry and Downing discussed the scope of the probe.

According to a copy of a memo sent to the Senate committee, the investigation will include:

security arrangements at the Dhahran housing complex and other U.S. facilities in the region
the division of responsibility between the U.S. military and Saudi government
the effectiveness of U.S intelligence and coordination with other governments
the adequacy of U.S. "vulnerability assessments"
the funding of security measures
recommendations to prevent future terrorists attacks

While Downing will not carry out a criminal investigation, he has been told to be on the lookout for "personal culpability."

Perry also provided Thurmond with updated casualty numbers showing that 744 people were either injured or killed in the Dhahran blast, including the 19 Americans.

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Senate panel to grill Perry on Saudi bombing

He defends actions in letter to Thurmond

Troops may be moved

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