五角大楼发言人周二例行新闻发布会

   

    昨天，国防部长科恩会见了克劳奇将军和格曼上将，他们是研究轰炸科尔号的委员会的联合主席，以吸取教训。科恩部长告诉他们，从调查中吸取的教训的目的是改善部队保护，他们将得到联合参谋部和国防部长办公室的充分合作。谢尔顿将军也参加了会议。科恩部长没有为这项工作设定最后期限，但表示希望他们能尽快完成审查工作。克劳奇将军和格曼上将目前正在雇用一名工作人员，起草工作计划，并安排前往亚丁的行程。我希望他们能在接下来的几天里向你简要介绍一下他们的计划. ....奎格利:“蓝色马丁”昨天从迪拜出发，预计这周末，我想是周六。她由美国海军驱逐舰“汉密尔顿”号保罗·汉密尔顿号护航。她预计将于本周六到达那里，最终需要搬家——她将立即开始准备装载科尔。因为水的深度-我想你们都看过蓝马林鱼是如何操作的草图或录像。 You literally sink the vessel, flood her down to a seawater or a sea level depth, and then the Cole is then placed on top, pump out the tanks, and the vessel rises with the Cole in support skids to support the transit. To do that, you need something in the neighborhood of about 25 meters of water, so you're going to have to come out of the harbor of Aden to get that water depth so that you can have the Blue Marlin be lowered into the water to do that. And then as soon as she is secure on board and everything has checked, she'll start the transit back to the United States. I'm told by the Navy that still no final decisions have been made as to her destination, whether it would be Norfolk or one of the yards that actually build that class of ship. Q: Is there any patching up of the hull that has to go on before she gets on -- Quigley: I don't believe so. Chris? Q: Will the Cole be able to get out of the harbor under her own power, or will the tug have to -- Quigley: No, she'll be towed. We have a fleet tug, the Catawba, there that has been on station now for several days, will assist in the movement to do that. .... Q: - Pentagon got its act together enough on this - on the whole Cole situation for Pentagon officials to show up at hearings tomorrow on the Cole, like they -- Quigley: Oh, yes, indeed. Q: Well, they didn't last week. Quigley: For -- Q: There was no explanation immediately offered. Quigley: Yeah. For those of you who may not know, there's a hearing scheduled tomorrow on the Hill. At 9:00 in the morning, the Senate Armed Services Committee has its hearing; at 2:00 in the afternoon, the House Armed Services Committee. And both bodies are looking into -- looking for testimony and asking questions on the Cole attack. I am told -- Q: Are those open? Quigley: I am told that both hearings will start open and then move to a closed posture. Q: Who will appear? Quigley: Testifiers will include General Franks, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Walt Slocombe, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Vern Clark, and - and one more. Staff: Wilson. Quigley: Ah, and Vice Admiral Tom Wilson, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Q: Where in the Senate? Is that Hart 215? Quigley: I don't have the room, I'm sorry.