I Cogitate

Q: "There is a way in which active duty military are expected to speak their minds. Throughout the National Security Council process, as you lead up to war, they are asked what resources will be needed. Their job is to say what resources are required for a given operation. Do you feel that either A, that process was bypassed? Or B, the folks in that process did not either speak their minds or get it right?"

Zinni There is a process. The process, though, can be controlled by personalities...

Let me tell you a short story in my experience in working for Secretary (William) Cohen, as the secretary of defense. I was asked, by the president and the secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, as the inspectors in Iraq were finding it more difficult to do their business, to prepare two options for striking Iraq. One was called a light option. One was called a heavy option. It had to do with the amount of bombing and targets we would strike. I prepared both options.

I was called by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. (Hugh) Shelton, and he said, ``You will brief the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the options.'' I came up to Washington (and) briefed the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Immediately following this briefing there was to be a meeting of the principals. This is the secretary of state, defense, the director of Central Intelligence, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the president and vice president at Camp David to make a decision on this.

In the course of my briefing to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Shelton said, ``OK, you've heard both options, let's take a vote.'' The Joint Chiefs came down four to two in favor of the light option. I was then asked what option I favored. And I said the heavy option. If you're going to bomb the guy, bomb the guy. And the chairman then called down the secretary of defense and said to him, ``We have the Joint Chiefs voting one way on a split vote and the commander in chief of U.S. Central Command voting another way. How do you want to handle this?'' . . .

The secretary of defense said, ``Pack up Zinni, take him with us to Camp David.'' The secretary of defense agreed with the vote in the Joint Chiefs, for the light option. We went to Camp David, sat there in front of the president (Clinton) and the assembled principals, and the secretary of defense said, ``Mr. President, we have a split amongst your military advisers. The Joint Chiefs have voted one way, on a split vote. But your commander in chief of the U.S. Central Command feels a different way. I vote with the Joint Chiefs. But you need to hear his view. . . . I brought him here to make sure you hear his view.'' 

I'm just giving you (an) example of an environment where the room to talk and express different views was not only allowed, it was encouraged. And it allowed the senior decision-makers to hear everything. It allowed me to go back to my command and say, even if they didn't agree with me . . . I said my piece. And it made me feel much better about the execution of what I had to do."

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