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CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL

America's New War: New Rules of Engagement for Shootdown of Flights

Aired September 28, 2001 - 05:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: In the name of airport security and airline security, the federal government is considering more federal marshals -- armed, trained officers on passenger flights.

Jonathan Aiken is at the Pentagon to talk more about this -- Jonathan.

JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, good morning, Carol.

You know, John King in his package just a few minutes ago alluded to some proposals that would make flying safer -- also calming the nerves of the traveling public.

But one of the items: President Bush asking the governors of all 50 states to activate their National Guard units. And what the president envisions here is a proposal that would see up to 5,000 troops stationed at the nation's 420 commercial airports for a period of up to six months, while the federal government ramps up its effort to take over -- or not to take over -- but rather to manage portions of the airport security system.

And the big item here at the Pentagon on Thursday was the development of rules of procedure -- exactly when a military pilot can engage and shoot upon a civilian aircraft. Fighter aircraft have been patrolling the U.S. skies since September 11. Some of them are up there now. And the decision to target a civilian aircraft has always been the president's to make. In fact, he did make it on September 11. It was never acted on.

What happened Thursday at the Pentagon was a procedure was put into place to formalize that. It remains the president's decision to make, but for reasons under anyone's circumstance that the president if not available to make that call, or if time is of the essence, the decision will fall to two men: a four-star general, who is in charge of U.S. air defenses, or a two-star general, who is in charge of the nation's Homeland Security.

In either event, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says that this is an extraordinary, last-ditch resort only in extraordinary life or death circumstances. And Rumsfeld also went on to say that he understands people's concerns, and he says they are being acted on in decision making.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The rules of engagement are addressed on a continuing basis with a great deal of care and sensitivity to all of the points that you have raised and others have raised. And I can assure you that they are under continuous review and given the carefullest consideration, and it seems to me that is the same kind of assurance that the American people get with respect to a lot of things that the Defense Department is involved in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: All right. Obviously, we're having some audio problems out at the Pentagon. That was Jonathan Aiken talking about the shoot-down policy of domestic flights, as well as the use of the National Guard.

We'll get more on those federal marshals later in the broadcast as well.

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