War on Drugs—Bahamas Pull-Out for War on Terrorism

Somewhat lost amidst the publicity surrounding the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi^[1] and the alleged Canadian terrorist cell, was the announcement that the United States is planning “to pull its Army resources out of the 20-year counter-drug programme” in the Bahamas.^[2] The seven Black Hawk helicopters stationed in the Bahamas “form the backbone of Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos [hereinafter OPBAT], which the U.S. [DEA] credits with helping drive cocaine and marijuana smugglers away from the Bahamas and its easy access to Florida.”^[3] The pullout from OPBAT would be completed by Oct. 1, 2007.^[4]

The plan has come under criticism by a number of lawmakers in both the United States and the Bahamas. The Bahamas’ ambassador, Joshua Sears, said that it “would clearly have negative consequences for the region as a whole, [because] the traffickers obviously would see that as a signal to increase their activity.”^[5] Five US House members, “including two Republican committee chairmen, said it would be a mistake to withdraw the helicopters.”^[6] And despite Sec. Rumsfeld’s request for Attorney General Gonzales to find another suitable agency to replace the helicopters, the Congressmen told him that “no other agency is capable of filling the void and another smuggling route will be significantly undermanned.”^[7]

According to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the withdrawal is necessary because OPBAT “now competes with resources necessary for the war on terrorism and other activities in support of our nation’s defense, with potential adverse effects on the military preparedness of the United States.”^[8]

It is perhaps a testament to how many resources are required and used up as a result of the war on terrorism, when the US Army apparently cannot even afford to have a seven-helicopter contingent stationed in the Bahamas. Military doctrine in the post-World War II era required the United States to have the capability to fight two major wars at the same time, much as it was able to wage war on Germany and Japan simultaneously during World War II.^[9] Terrorism, however, has resulted in Sec. Rumsfeld developing a formula known as 1-4-2-1, which means that the military must be able to defend the homeland, keep a presence capable of deterring conflict in four critical regions, fight and quickly win two major wars and “win so decisively in one of them as to remove the enemy regime.”^[10] Whether that strategy can persist with a protracted insurgency remains to be seen.

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[1] Patrick Quinn, Most-Wanted Iraq Terrorist al-Zarqawi Dead, AP (via Yahoo!), Jun. 8, 2006.
[2] Ianthia Smith, US Shock On Drugs War, Nassau Guardian, Jun. 8, 2006.
[3] Rumsfeld: Army Should Pull Out of Drug War in Bahamas, AP (via CNN.com), Jun.7, 2006.
[4] Curt Anderson, End of Army Support in Drug War Questioned, AP (via Yahoo!), Jun. 8, 2006.
[5] Id.
[6] Id.
[7] Id.
[8] Smith, supra note 2.
[9] Julian Borger, Iraq Insurgency Forces Pentagon Rethink on Ability to Fight Two Wars at Once, The Guardian, Jul. 6, 2005.
[10] Id.