Senate panel studies U.S. efforts against terrorism

By Ian Christopher McCaleb
CNN Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In a hearing before a Senate panel, key members of President Bush's Cabinet outlined a detailed view Tuesday of the U.S. government's massive efforts to combat international and domestic terrorism.

Speaking before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, a steady stream of the president's most trusted department heads painted a complex picture of the efforts their organizations have mounted to stop terrorists in their tracks -- before they strike.

	MESSAGE BOARD
The Bush presidency

That picture, requested by the subcommittee -- which must later this season determine funding levels for many of the anti- and counter-terrorist efforts engaged in by various sectors of the federal government -- took on a complex shape through the morning.

Bush administration officials are expected to announce a more detailed counter-terrorism structure later in the day.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz described the anti-terrorism work that each of their departments has to engage in to stall or cease the activities of terrorist networks.

Each, in some form, is involved in gathering intelligence, identifying and cutting funding sources for terror networks, and thwarting destructive acts before they are carried out.

The U.S. government employs multiple thousands of people in these efforts -- 33,000 at the Treasury Department alone, according to O'Neill -- in both civilian and military capacities.

"America's international counter-terrorism capability is strong," Powell told the panel. "At all levels of government, we meet regularly, train together, share information, and use our resources as force multipliers."

"At the same time, we are working to build a stronger bridge between international and domestic efforts," he continued. "Does that mean we are going to thwart or successfully defend against every terrorist act? Of course not, that is not possible."

Subcommittee Chairman Judd Gregg, R-New Hampshire, called three days of hearings so his panel and the rest of the Senate could divine a clear image of just how the new Bush administration plans to shore up anti-terror programs that may be lacking, or in some cases, may be redundant.

O'Neill's Treasury Department alone administers seven agencies that have to deal with the activities of potential terrorists, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Customs Service and the Secret Service.

Treasury's burden is great, O'Neill said, and has been made all the more challenging by the rapid development of communications and computing technology that could potentially give small groups of terrorists an edge over the larger organizations that are trying to keep tabs on their plans.

"We have become more 'cyber' in our lives," O'Neill said. "We are trying to deal with that."

Wolfowitz described the Pentagon's role in wider anti-terror efforts as supportive in nature, saying military resources are made available to civilian officials in times of crisis. Rarely, he intimated, would the military take a lead role in responding to an act or terror, or to thwart one, save for intelligence gathering efforts.

The Defense Department "stands ready to provide support when requested by the appropriate civilian authorities," he said.

See related sites about Politics

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.