While serving as the commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division in Afghanistan (2004-2005), I was the coalition commander of international forces during Operation Enduring Freedom.
At the time, the Division also had a brigade conducting operations in Iraq.
In both theaters, we had direct responsibility for the custody of enemy prisoners taken during battle and the interrogation of those prisoners in military facilities.
I can state categorically that all leaders in our command made every effort to treat our prisoners humanely and provide life support commensurate with their needs and military regulation.
I can say also that we never tortured any prisoners who were in military custody, to gain intelligence or for any other reason.
Since those times, sadly, we have been reminded over and over again that not all agencies and organizations involved in the war effort held to what was standard operating procedure for the military when holding prisoners or conducting interrogations.
Perhaps the most exhaustive and detailed report on the matter was the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on the CIA Detention and Interrogation Program released this past December.
The report’s seminal finding was summarized in Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein’s introductory remarks, where she noted that "regardless of the pressures and the need to act, the Intelligence Community’s actions must always reflect who we are as a nation, and adhere to our laws and standards."
A significant step in the direction of ensuring that end was taken some two weeks ago. In a historic vote, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan amendment with an overwhelming vote of 78-21 that prevents a return to the brutality, incompetence and ineffectiveness of the CIA’s post-9/11 detention and interrogation program.
The amendment states that all U.S. agencies will be bound by the Army Field Manual, which aids interrogators by providing guidelines on effective interrogation techniques that comply with international and U.S. law. It was supported by dozens of intelligence and interrogations professionals and senior retired military officers.
This legislation deserves support and is praiseworthy, as were the favorable votes by Hawaii’s U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz.
This vote was a rare example of bipartisan accomplishment in an era of bitter divisiveness in Congress, and was supported by the Republican chairman and Democratic ranking member of the Intelligence, Armed Service, Foreign Relations, Homeland Security and Judiciary committees.
The anti-torture amendment must now survive the joint House-Senate conference that will consider the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act to which it is attached, and then the NDAA must be signed by the president.
In recent years this process has traditionally involved quite a bit of negotiation, deal-making and tradeoffs amid heated (often highly partisan) debate. But the recent vote was a strong, positive sign that when the stakes are as high as protecting our national security and upholding American ideals, our elected leaders are willing to stand united and do the right thing.
