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DATE=7/7/99 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT NUMBER=5-43818 TITLE=U-S MILITARY ABROAD BYLINE=ED WARNER DATELINE=WASHINGTON CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: ALTHOUGH THE COLD WAR IS LONG OVER AND THE UNITED STATES FACES NO SERIOUS THREAT, ITS MILITARY IS MORE GLOBALLY INVOLVED THAN EVER BEFORE. IN PARTICULAR, SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES ARE ENGAGED IN TRAINING EXERCISES IN WELL OVER A HUNDRED COUNTRIES, INCLUDING ONES THAT EMERGED FROM THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION. THIS MILITARY PROJECTION IS DEFENDED ON THE GROUNDS IT SPREADS DEMOCRATIC HABITS AND SUPPLIES THE UNITED STATES WITH CRUCIAL INFORMATION ON AREAS OF POSSIBLE CONFLICT. BUT CRITICS SAY IT OFTEN ENTANGLES THE U-S MILITARY WITH DUBIOUS FORCES OVERSEAS THAT CAN UNDERMINE U-S POLICY. VOA'S ED WARNER REPORTS. TEXT: "SHAPE THE INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT, RESPOND TO THE FULL SPECTRUM OF CRISES AND PREPARE NOW FOR AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE." THAT IS THE AMBITIOUS MISSION FOR TRAINING U-S SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES OVERSEAS. ON THAT BASIS, THE PENTAGON'S JOINT COMBINED EXCHANGE TRAINING PROGRAM, OR J-CET (PRON: JAY-CET), SENDS A FEW THOUSAND PERSONNEL TO OVER 100 COUNTRIES EACH YEAR TO CONDUCT TRAINING EXERCISES. LIEUTENANT COLONEL BILL DARLEY, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE U-S DEFENSE DEPARTMENT, STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PROGRAM FOR THE UNITED STATES: // DARLEY ACT // THE PRIMARY REASON FOR J-CET IS TO ENSURE OUR GUYS ARE LEARNING THE LANGUAGE, OUR GUYS ARE PROFICIENT IN THEIR SKILLS IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY, OUR GUYS ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE GEOGRAPHY, THE WEATHER, THE ENVIRONMENT, THE CULTURAL NUANCES OF THE SOCIETY AND TO A CERTAIN EXTENT LEARN THE PERSONALITIES: A FIRST-HAND VIEW OF WHAT THEIR MILITARY STRUCTURE IS LIKE, WHO RUNS IT. // END ACT // INEVITABLY, SAYS COLONEL DARLEY, J-CET BECOMES INVOLVED WITH THE MILITARY IN THE HOST COUNTRY. THAT IS WHERE TROUBLE ARISES, SAYS IVAN ELAND, DIRECTOR OF DEFENSE POLICY STUDIES AT THE CATO INSTITUTE AND AUTHOR OF A NEW CRITIQUE OF J-CET. HE NOTES J-CET MAY HAVE TRAINED FORCES IN RWANDA AND INDONESIA THAT LATER WERE GUILTY OF ATROCITIES AGAINST CIVILIANS. IF SO, THAT SURELY RUNS COUNTER TO U-S POLICY: // ELAND ACT // THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE PENTAGON RUNS ITS OWN INDEPENDENT FOREIGN POLICY WHEN THEY DO THIS. IN CERTAIN CASES, THEY MAY BE CONDUCTING POLICY THAT IS OPPOSITE WHAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS IN CHARGE OF U-S FOREIGN POLICY, WOULD LIKE TO DO. SO YOU MAY INADVERTENTLY HAVE TWO FOREIGN POLICIES GOING ON, AND THAT IS NOT GOOD. // END ACT // COLONEL DARLEY SAYS THERE IS NO EVIDENCE PERSONNEL TRAINED BY J-CET HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES. IN FACT, HE CONTENDS J-CET PROMOTES HUMAN RIGHTS WHEN IT GOES INTO A COUNTRY. ARMED FORCES ABROAD ARE GOING TO SEEK TRAINING SOMEWHERE, HE SAYS. IF THE UNITED STATES IS NOT AVAILABLE, THEY MAY TURN TO NATIONS WITH LESS REGARD FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. IVAN ELAND IS SKEPTICAL: // ELAND ACT // IN THESE COUNTRIES WHERE THEY HAVE NO TRADITION OF HUMAN RIGHTS OR DEMOCRACY, WHAT THEY WILL DO IS TAKE THE TECHNIQUES THAT THEY GET AND THEY WILL LEAVE THE PHILOSOPHY ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR, SO TO SPEAK. THEY WILL USE THE TECHNIQUES THAT WE GIVE THEM IN COUNTER-INSURGENCY, COUNTER-GUERRILLA WARFARE TO REPRESS THEIR OWN POPULATION. // END ACT // IN THE NAME OF SPREADING DEMOCRACY, SAYS MR. ELAND, J-CET MAY BE TEACHING THE TECHNIQUES OF OPPRESSION TO SUCH NATIONS AS COMBODIA, ETHIOPIA, ERITREA, COLOMBIA OR INDONESIA. AN INDONESIAN GENERAL TOLD "THE WASHINGTON POST" THAT THE UNITED STATES TEACHES INDONESIA HOW TO STOP CIVILIAN DISTURBANCES. MR. ELAND IS ESPECIALLY CONCERNED ABOUT U-S TRAINING IN COUNTRIES OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION, SUCH AS UKRAINE, KAZAKHSTAN AND UZBEKISTAN. HE BELIEVES IT IS AN UNNECESSARY AFFRONT TO RUSSIA, ALREADY ALARMED BY NATO EXPANSION AND THE WAR IN KOSOVO. BUT OFF-SETTING THIS, SAYS COLONEL DARLEY, IS THE VITAL INFORMATION J-CET ACQUIRES IN ALL THESE REGIONS. AS A GLOBAL SUPERPOWER, THE UNITED STATES CAN GET INVOLVED IN CONFLICTS IN REMOTE PLACES, AS IN KOSOVO. IT ALSO RESPONDS TO NATURAL DISASTERS AROUND THE WORLD. IN HIS OPINION, J-CET HELPS THE UNITED STATES PERFORM ITS GLOBAL ROLE: // DARLEY ACT // THE NATIONAL STRATEGY OF ENGAGEMENT SHOULD INCLUDE A VERY ROBUST MEASURE OF MILITARY-TO-MILITARY ENGAGEMENT THE ALTERNATIVE IS NOT BEING INVOLVED AT ALL -- A LAISSEZ-FAIRE, HANDS-OFF APPROACH. IF THE UNITED STATES DOES NOT BECOME ENGAGED OR IF OTHER COUNTRIES SIMILAR TO THE UNITED STATES IN TERMS OF INTEREST DO NOT BECOME ENGAGED, THEN THE PROBLEMS BECOME MUCH MORE GRAVE AND HAVE A MUCH GREATER TENDENCY FOR MASSIVE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES. // END ACT // CRITICS AND SUPPORTERS OF J-CET AGREE THERE IS NO SIGN OF EITHER J-CET OR THE UNITED STATES WITHDRAWING FROM ITS EXTENSIVE MILITARY COMMITMENTS OVERSEAS. (SIGNED) NEB/EW/KL 07-Jul-99 3:42 PM EDT (1942 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .