Deseret News retracts Bennett's "confirmation" that the military is planning certain y2k related dmoestic activities.

URL: http://www.desnews.com/cgi-bin/libstory_reg?dn99&9905100342

Link:

-- Puddintame (achillesg@hotmail.com), May 11, 1999

Answers

Well, that post is pretty royally bungled. This is a test to see if the link is deactivated.

-- Puddintame (achillesg@hotmail.com), May 11, 1999.

Try this

-- Doug (douglasjohnson@prodigy.net), May 11, 1999.

Senator Bennetts also from Utah.

See ...

Utah Guard - Disconnect Effect

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000oVE

Anyone have Jack Andersons e address?

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), May 11, 1999.

That Desert News staff writer, Joe Bauman, has been pretty busy ...

Good.

Diane

See also ...

http://deseretnews.com/cgi-bin/libstory_reg?dn99&9905100347

Deseret News Archives
Sunday, May 9, 1999

Military plans for Y2K disruptions

By Joe Bauman Deseret News staff writer

While a top Senate staff member denies that the military has secret plans to control social unrest in the case of Y2K disruptions, the Deseret News has located public documents that indicate the military is making contingency plans for reactions to such problems.

An Internet site maintained by the Pentagon posted a Feb. 22 memorandum by John J. Hamre, deputy secretary of Defense. The report was sent to the secretaries of the military departments, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief of the National Guard Bureau and others.

The memo on the Department of Defense Year 2000 "support to civil authorities" begins by outlining the Defense Department's intention to remain fully capable of pursuing its programs as the millennium changes. Also, similar efforts in public and private sectors have resulted in great strides in overcoming potential Y2K problems, Hamre adds.

"Despite these efforts, it is possible that localized system failures will occur, and that the possibility for more widespread, systemic problems, both domestically and internationally, cannot be ruled out." Therefore, the department is taking prudent action to ensure its ability to meet national security responsibilities and respond to requests for help from civilian authorities, both domestically and overseas as the millennium changes, he wrote.

"Within the United States, local commanders may undertake immediate, unilateral, emergency response actions that involve measures to save lives, prevent human suffering, or mitigate great property damage, only when time does not permit approval by higher headquarters," he wrote.

"Overseas, immediate response may be undertaken when time is of the essence and humanitarian considerations require action."

Any military action to quell unrest when the millennium turns presumably would involve the National Guard, which is based in the states. However, Brig. Gen. Phillip O. Peay, deputy adjutant general of the Utah National Guard, denied that the Guard has undergone any special training for Y2K.

Any action would be "just like we do for those other things" like emergency response during an earthquake or a flood, he said, when contacted in Washington, D.C.

"If the water systems break down, we can haul water . . . . We're just ready. If we had an earthquake tomorrow, we're expected to be ready, and I'm sure the Y2K will be nothing like an earthquake."

The Guard has no special orders to train for crowd control, Peay added. It is simply expected to be ready for any contingency in which it would be needed.

Military action must be carried out in accordance with law, department directives and rules of the branches of the military.

The military's main priority will be to carry out its essential national security efforts. "Military units and organizations, to include the Reserve components . . . will not divert resources during the Y2K date transition that could compromise operational readiness without the authorization of the secretary of Defense or his designated representative."

Second priority is that, except during immediate response situations, military and combat unit organizations must be monitored closely.

Third priority is to maintain domestic public health and safety, Hamre wrote. Such activities may include:

Maintaining emergency services like fire, ambulance, police, hospitals and related communications.

Maintaining air traffic control, rail, port and ship navigation systems.

Supporting the dissemination of public information, "press, radio and television."

Fourth priority is to support the economy and the nation's quality of life, such as helping out local mass transit systems.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), May 11, 1999.

I printed this Hamre memo last night. The link is http://www2.army.mil/depsecdef_dod_civil_support.htm

Just now (15:55 EDT 05/11/1999) that link returns "404 Not Found."

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), May 11, 1999.

Tom,

Try this:

http://www2.army.mil/army-y2k/depsecdef_dod_civil_support.htm

-- pshannon (pshannon@sangersreview.com), May 11, 1999.