Many Of Nation’s Most Respected Military Leaders Join Forces To Oppose Bans On Use Of Self-Destructing Landmines

(Washington, D.C.): Twenty-four of the
United States’ most distinguished retired
four-star generals today released an open
letter to President Clinton ( href=”index.jsp?section=papers&code=97-P_101at”>see the attachment)
urging him “to resist all
efforts to impose a moratorium on
the future use of self-destructing
anti-personnel landmines (APLs) by combat
forces of the United States.”
All of these officers are recognized as
decorated veterans of ground combat
operations, as exceptional leaders of
troops in the field and as authorities
with respect to the national security
needs of the United States. When they
speak, official Washington must listen.

The signatories on this letter
include: a former Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff (Gen. John W.
Vessey), a former Supreme Allied
Commander, Europe — and Secretary of
State (Gen. Alexander M. Haig,
Jr.); six former Commandants of
the Marine Corps (Gens. Leonard
F. Chapman, Jr., Louis H. Wilson, Robert
H. Barrow, P.X. Kelley, Alfred M. Gray
and Carl E. Mundy), two
former Chiefs of Staff of the Army (Gen.
William C. Westmoreland and Gordon
R. Sullivan); two recipients of
the Congressional Medal of Honor, (Gen.
Wilson and Gen. Raymond
G. Davis, former Assistant
Marine Corps Commandant); four service
vice chiefs of staff (the Army’s Gen.
Robert W. RisCassi and the
Marines’ Generals Davis, Walter
E. Boomer and Joseph J.
Went); and ten generals who
retired from posts as the
Commanders-in-Chief of major regional or
Army commands (Generals George B.
Crist, Michael S. Davison, John W. Foss,
Frederick J. Kroesen, Gary E. Luck, David
M. Maddox, Glenn K. Otis, Crosbie E.
Saint, Donn A. Starry and Louis
C. Wagner, Jr.).

The generals’ correspondence
complements a powerful letter sent on 10
July to Senate Armed Services Committee
Chairman Strom Thurmond. It was signed by
every member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
and every Commander-in-Chief of the
Nation’s major regional commands. ⁽¹⁾
An opinion shared by the two groups of
officers was summarized by the retired
generals: “The responsible
use of APLs is not only consistent with
the Nation’s humanitarian
responsibilities; it is indispensable to
the safety of our troops in many combat
and peacekeeping situations.”

This input into the developing debate
about the feasibility and wisdom of
banning the United States’ use of any
anti-personnel landmines is particularly
welcome at this moment. It is to be hoped
that it will help steel the Clinton
Administration and Members of Congress
against efforts to suggest that military
judgments can safely be ignored in the
name of exercising “civilian
control” over the armed forces.
Civilians who may not have to fight the
Nations’ wars — but who have the awesome
duty of ensuring that those sent to do so
are equipped to survive and prevail
in such conflicts — cannot responsibly
disregard the best professional military
advice available from today’s and
yesterday’s uniformed leaders.

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1. See the Center’s
Decision Brief entitled Celestial
Navigation: Pentagon’s Extraordinary
’64-Star’ Letter Shows Why The U.S.
Cannot Agree To Ban All Landmines
(No. 97-D 97,
14 July 1997).