Lt. Gen. Thomas G. McInerney

July 27, 2010

TESTIMONY TO THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY
BY
THOMAS G. MCINERNEY LT GEN USAF (RETIRED)
JULY 27, 2010

CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE JUDICIARY

IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO APPEAR BEFORE YOU TODAY AND

TESTIFY ABOUT DOD LESSONS LEARNED AS THE DOD COORDINATOR

DURING THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL FROM 24 MARCH TO 15 SEPTEMBER 1989

IN PRINCE WILIAM SOUND, ALASKA WHILE I WAS THE COMMANDER OF ALASKAN

COMMAND.

THE US GOVERNMENT HAS REORGANIZED SIGNIFICANTLY WITH THE CREATION

OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECUTIY (DHS) AND THE CREATION OF

NOTHERN COMMAND (NORTHCOM) WITHIN DOD, AND THESE CHANGES ARE ALL

POSITIVE WITH RESPECT TO MY COMMENTS TODAY.

A QUICK REFRESH FOR THE COMMITTEE ON THE DOD ASSETS PROVIDED MAY BE

USEFUL. OUR INITIAL SUPPORT WAS AN IMPROVISED COMMAND AND CONTROL

SYSTEM CALLED OASIS (OIL AREA SURVEILANCE INFORMATION SYSTEM) THAT

PROVIDED THE ON SCENE COAST GUARD COORDINATOR, VICE ADMIRAL CLYDE

ROBBINS AND THE EXXON COORDINATOR WITH A VISUAL DIGITAL MAP

DISPLAY OF THE OIL SPILL LOCATION, BEACHES AND OTHER OIL COVERED

AREAS, SENSITIVE ENVIORNMENT AND WILDLIFE AREAS. IN ADDITION, THE

USN PROVIDED TWO AMPHIBOUS SHIPS, JUNEAU AND MCHENRY, FOR USE AS

BOATELS TO HOUSE THE 11,000 WORKERS WHO EVENTUALLY WORKED IN

THE AREA UNTIL EXXON COULD PROVIDE SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED BARGES TO

HOUSE THEM.

WHAT WE DID NOT PROVIDE WAS MANPOWER TO CLEAN UP THE BEACHES

WHICH BECAME A VERY CONTENTIOUS ISSUE WITH SENATORS STEVENS AND

MURKOWSKI WHOM FELT THE 6TH INFANTRY DIVISION SHOULD HELP. I WAS

STRONGLY OPPOSED AND PRESIDENT BUSH MADE THE FINAL DECISION WITH

SUPPORT FROM SECRETARY OF DEFENSE CHENEY TO NOT USE SOLDIERS FOR

THE CLEAN UP OPERATIONS. INSTEAD EXXON HIRED LOCAL WORKERS (THE

UNEMPLOYMENT AT THAT TIME WAS 8% IN ALASKA) WHICH PROVED TO BE

VERY SUCCESSFUL AND I BELIEVE A PRECENDANT FOR FUTURE CLEAN UP

OPERATIONS. THE MILITARY SHOULD NOT DO WHAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR

CAN DO EQUALLY AS WELL OR BETTER. I SENSE THAT THIS HAS NOT BEEN THE

GUIDANCE IN THE GULF TODAY.

I WILL NOW OUTLINE WHAT I THINK WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS

LEARNED FOR MILITARY SUPPORT TO OIL CLEAN UP OPERATIONS BASED ON

THIS EXPERIENCE:

1. DOD, NOW NORTHCOM, SHOULD BE PART OF ANY INITIAL TASK FORCE

ESTABLISHED BY DHS, STATES, LOCAL COUNTIES AND THE OIL COMPANY

RESPONSIBLE. RAPID FORMATION IS CRITICAL TO SUCCESS.

2. A JOINT FORCE COMMANDER SHOULD BE ASSIGNED TO SUPPORT THE

ON SCENE COAST GUARD COORDINATOR IMMEDIATELY. HE AND HIS STAFF

SHOULD HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE TO PROVIDE SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY

APPROPRIATE TO SUPPORT HIM SUCH AS IMAGERY FROM SATELLITES OR

UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES (UAV'S), OR MANNED AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE

AND SURVEILANCE SUCH AS THE U-2 WITH ITS UNIQUE SPECTRIAL IMAGERY.

THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY DEPLOYED TO

GIVE THE NATIONAL COMMAND AUTHORITIES AND ALL APPROPRIATE AGENCIES

INVOLVED THE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS (SA) THAT WILL ENABLE SWIFT

IDENTIFICATION OF COMMON CLEAN UP OBJECTIVES. I CAN NOT EMPHASIZE

THIS ENOUGH.

3. THE DOMINANT RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OIL COMPANY'S VERSUS THE

USG WAS ESTABLISHED FOR CLEAN UP, I BELIEVE, AFTER THE EXXON VALDEZ

DISASTER AND THEREFORE I FEEL IT IS PARAMONT THAT SOLDIERS NOT

BE USED FOR THESE MANUAL OPERATIONS. I DO NOT OBJECT IF SPECIALLY

EQUIPPED NAVY SHIPS ARE USED AS WE DID IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND OR

IF THE NAVY HAS SPECIALLY EQUIPPED SKIMMERS TO ASSIST. I FEEL THAT

THESE DISASTERS IMPACT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY SO SEVERLY THAT THE

LOCAL POPULATION SHOULD BENEFIT FROM THE TEMPORARY JOB CREATION

AND FOR PROTECTION OF THEIR LOCAL ENVIORNMENT. I AM TROUBLED BY THE

MORATORIUM ON CONTINUED DRILLING IN THE GULF AS IT RUNS COUNTER TO

THE GUIDANCE WE USED IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND (PWS) IN KEEPING THE

TANKERS FLOWING OUT OF PWS. CONTINUED SAFE OIL PRODUCTION

OPERATIONS ARE VITAL TO OUR NATIONAL SECURITY.

4. I MENTIONED EARLIER THE OASIS COMMAND SYSTEM THAT WAS

IMMEDIATELY ESTABLISHED AS A COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM FOR

CLEAN UP OPERATIONS. THIS WAS ADAPTED FROM MY JOINT COMMAND AND

CONTROL SYSTEM AND GAVE ALL PLAYERS AN EXCELLENT SA TOOL, TO INCLUDE

SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION SAM SKINNER AND THE COAST GUARD

COMMANDANT ADMIRAL YOST, NEAR REAL TIME KNOWLEDGE ON HOW THE

OPERATIONS WERE GOING FROM THEIR OFFICES IN WASHINGTON. EVERYBODY

KNEW WHERE THE PRIMARY SLICKS WERE, WHAT BEACHES AND SENSITIVE

AREAS WERE FOULED WITH OIL, HOW MANY SHIPS AND CREWS WERE WORKING

THE BEACHES ETC.

THIS WAS OF GREAT VALUE FOR ALL ESPECIALLY THE EXXON ON SCENE

COORDINATOR, ALONG WITH HIS CG COMMANDER. HOWEVER, ONCE THE EXXON

LAWYERS DISCOVERED THAT EXXON WAS FUNDING THIS NEAR REAL TIME

INFORMATION, THEY TERMINATED THIS VALUABLE TOOL FOR FEAR THAT USG

WOULD HAVE TOO MUCH INFO FOR LATER LEGAL BATTLES. WE SHOULD NOT

HAVE NOT LET THIS HAPPEN BUT THIS ADVANCE COMMAND AND CONTROL

CAPABILITY WAS NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD AT THE TIME AND THERE WERE TOO

MANY OTHER WIND MILLS TO FIGHT.

WITH REFERENCE TO THE CURRENT OIL SPILL IN THE GULF AND THE

RELEVENCY OF THE EXXON VALDEZ EXPERIENCE, I WOULD ONLY SAY THAT

THE LAWS AND PROTOCOLS WERE CHANGED AND ARE IN FORCE TODAY WHICH

HAS ENABLED SECRETARY NAPOLITANO AND ADMIRAL THAD ALLEN TO WORK

VERY EFFECTIVELY WITH BP. THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT THIS OIL SPILL IS

FAR MORE CHALENGING WITH RESPECT TO THE SOURCE FROM A SURGING WELL

5,000 FEET BELOW SEA LEVEL. AT THE SAME TIME THE GULF IS NOT NEARLY

AS REMOTE AND SUPPORT ASSETS ARE FAR MORE READILY AVAILABLE TO

SUPPORT THE OIL SPILL TASK FORCE. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PLUS. I WOULD

SUGGEST THAT WE HAVE NOT USED ALL OUR LATEST IMAGERY ASSETS SUCH AS

UAV'S LIKE GLOBAL HAWK OR REAPERS AND U-2 AIRCRAFT. I WOULD DO A TEST

IMMEDIATELY TO DEMONSTRATE THE VALUE OF CONTINUOUS DIGITAL RADAR

(SAR), INFARED AND ELECTRO OPTICAL DISPLAYS THAT WILL SHOW THE

COORDINATORS THE EXACT POSITIONING OF THE OIL SLICKS, LOCATION OF THE

OVER 1,000 SHIPS SUPPORTING HIM, FOULED BEACHES AND SENSITIVE AREAS

ETC. THIS REAL TIME DIGITAL PICTURE WILL BE OF IMMENSE VALUE I BELIEVE

AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR USE BY DHS IN ALL FUTURE DISASTER AREAS.

WE MUST DEVELOP THE PROCEDURES TO KEEP UP THE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP

AND GOVERNORS' SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. TODAY WE GIVE OUR BATTLE

FIELD COMMANDERS THIS CAPABILITY BUT NOT OUR LEADERSHIP IN CONUS.

SATELLITES ARE HELPFUL BUT NOT CONTINUOUSLY REAL TIME.

IN SUMMARY, MADAME CHAIRMAN, I BELIEVE MOST OF THE LESSONS LEARNED

FROM DOD'S EXPERIENCE IN THE EXXON VALDEZ DISASTER HAVE BEEN

INCORPORATED IN THE GULF TODAY WITH THE EXCEPTION OF NEAR REAL

TIME IMAGERY FOR COMMAND AND CONTROL FROM MODERN UAVS, AND THE

MORATORIUM ON OIL PRODUCTION.