West Coast naval In an apparent reversal of its earlier plan, the Pentagon said yesterday that the U.S. Pacific Command at Camp Smith will continue to have control of the U.S. 3rd Fleet in San Diego and associated Marine units on the West Coast, as well as military units in Alaska.
forces to stay under
isle admiral
The apparent reversal comes after
Doran to be Pacific Fleet commander
pressure from Inouye and BlairBy Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.comAir Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Navy Times yesterday that Navy and Marine forces on the West Coast "will continue to face Hawaii," while Army and Air Force units, now under the Pacific Command, would likely be shifted to the Joint Forces Command, based in Norfolk, Va.
Earlier this year, the Joint Staff proposed shifting the 3rd Fleet and other West Coast military units from Pacific Command to Joint Forces Command, which is in charge of training U.S.-based forces for deployment overseas.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld unveiled a plan yesterday that creates a new Northern Command to coordinate U.S. military actions in North America. Pentagon officials would like the new command to be based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., with the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD.
The Northern Command will have overall responsibility within the military for homeland defense and will coordinate with the White House's Office of Homeland Defense. The new command will start Oct. 1 and also will cover defense of U.S. interests in Mexico, the Caribbean and Cuba.
Rumsfeld said no officer has been nominated as commander of the Northern Command. Other officials said privately that President Bush is expected to nominate Air Force Gen. Ralph Eberhart.
Eberhart is commander of both NORAD -- in charge of defending U.S. and Canadian airspace -- and Space Command, which is responsible for defending U.S. interests in space.
Hawaii-based Pacific Command will add Antarctica to its area of responsibility, although Army Lt. Gen. George Casey, director of strategy and plans on the Joint Staff, told reporters that the Pentagon had "no intention to militarize Antarctica."
The earlier proposal to shift West Coast forces from Pacific Command came under fire from retiring Adm. Dennis Blair, commander in chief of Pacific forces, and U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, who both said such a change could send a message to Asian allies that the U.S. focus has shifted from that area.
Inouye, D-Hawaii, said the change would be viewed as a reduction of U.S. interest in the Pacific region. Blair, who leaves the Pacific Command May 2, said it could reduce relationships that the units had established with Asian allies.
Navy officials also were uneasy about the proposal of having their Pacific-based fleets under the command of an Atlantic-based headquarters on the opposite side of the continent.
U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, called for a congressional hearing before the Pentagon creates the new combatant command for North America, saying, "Congressional notification from the Department of Defense has not fully explained the rationale underlying this fundamental shift in U.S. defense organization."
Mike Slackman, Abercrombie's spokesman, said the status of West Coast military units was still under discussion at the Pentagon.
Maj. Sean Gibson, Pacific Command spokesman, also said that the Defense Department is reviewing the process and is expected to make a final decision before October on the reassignment of West Coast forces.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.