Once again today we have proof positive that the media is intriguingly selective about which stories it features. Today’s lead story was President Obama’s health care “town hall” conducted in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The meeting was a staged and planned event, packed with Obama supporters who already are in favor of the health care bill being considered by Congress. It played more like a campaign event than a discussion, and at one point Mr. Obama even had to seek out more questioners. This sort of stagecraft has become Obama’s trademark. Rarely does he face tough questions from either citizens or the media, and even more rarely without a teleprompter. What the media missed today is truly frightening and is the nightmare scenario for our strategic goals in Pakistan and thus Afghanistan.
A feature published in the Times of India reports that Pakistani nuclear installations have already been attacked three times by Islamic militants. You can see the article HERE. The gist of the report is this:
“The incidents, tracked by Shaun Gregory, a professor at Bradford University in UK, include an attack on the nuclear missile storage facility at Sargodha on November 1, 2007, an attack on Pakistan's nuclear airbase at Kamra by a suicide bomber on December 10, 2007, and perhaps most significantly the August 20, 2008 attack when Pakistani Taliban suicide bombers blew up several entry points to one of the armament complexes at the Wah cantonment, considered one of Pakistan's main nuclear weapons assembly.”
That is indeed an alarming report. It has to be considered the worst possible scenario for the situation on the ground in Pakistan. The President must consider it a grave threat both to our forces on the ground in the region and to the homeland. Of all situations that currently exist, it is the one most likely to result in a nuclear weapon falling into the hands of Al Qaeda. Pakistan has made recent gains against militants on its territory, but this is another animal entirely.
The administration has been extremely negligent in handling the situation in Pakistan. Less than a month ago, July 20th, we were assured by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Pakistan’s nuclear command and control were “well managed”. Now that turns out to be somewhat of an overstatement to put it mildly. Either the administration was unaware of the attacks, a grossly negligent position, or kept them secret, in which case absolutely no action has been taken. Congress left for summer recess without approving further aid for the Pakis despite Obama’s insistence that he would be reaching out to the Muslim world with more economic assistance. It seems his health care plan is more important than loose nuclear weapons. Of course, we won’t need as big a health care program if millions of Americans are dead as the result of a nuclear weapon being detonated here at home. I personally warned of the circumstances involving Paki nukes on December 27, 2007, when I wrote:
“The idea of a modern nuclear arsenal complete with delivery vehicles in the hands of Al Qaeda is too apocalyptic to ignore….. Musharraf is all we have in Pakistan. He may be a military dictator, but the alternative is even less acceptable. And since our primary concern is the nuclear arsenal, we really have no choice but to back him for now.”
Politicians on both sides of the aisle ignored those concerns, helped to depose Musharraf, and that ignorance is now coming home to roost. Unfortunately for us, the roost may be a nuclear missile silo.
The problems with Paki nukes are abundant. Pakistan originally deployed their nuclear weapons facilities in places far from the border with India to avoid them being taken in a sudden armored thrust. The result now is that these facilities are mostly in the heart of areas thick with Taliban. Paki nuclear security is based on a U.S. model:
“a) physical security;
b) personnel reliability programs;
c) technical and procedural safeguards; and
d) deception and secrecy.”
That’s all well and good, but I’m not convinced, and neither should the President be comfortable. All it takes is one security breach to put the world’s most dangerous weapons in the hands of Al Qaeda. While Obama peddles his health care initiative, a measure completely outside the scope of the federal government, his primary role as Commander In Chief goes unattended.
The President should take immediate action to further secure Pakistani nuclear weapons and facilities. Relying on the Pakis to do it is unacceptable. The security of those weapons immediately and directly impacts American national defense. Mr. Obama should take immediate and concrete measures to further bolster the security measures already in place. Deploying additional American military personnel should be considered in consultation with the leadership of Pakistan. If the Pakis resist, Mr. Obama must fulfill his role as CINC and seize them lock, stock, and barrel if necessary. The future security of our troops and civil population demand no less. His administration is quickly becoming the whistle past the graveyard gang. I would hope the Pentagon will make the case for action to him if he does not see it clearly. Once a nuclear weapon is taken by Islamic militants, the horrific multitude of possibilities will make his negligence and inattention a truly fatal mistake.
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