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Pentagon expands military role in domestic security

WASHINGTON: A new Pentagon strategy for domestic security calls for expanded tasks for the military that could carve out a greater role for combat troops at home, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

The new strategy recommends greater military activity not only in the air and sea, where the armed forces have historically guarded the country, but also on the ground and in other potentially more problematic areas such as intelligence sharing with civilian authorities, the Post said.

The document, approved last month, marks the Pentagon’s first attempt since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to present a comprehensive plan for domestic defence.

The plan raises the likelihood that combat troops will take action in the event that civilian and National Guard forces are overwhelmed, though primary authority will continue to rest with civilian agencies, the Post said.

Some of the provisions could draw concern from civil liberties groups that have warned against an erosion of long-established barriers to military surveillance and combat operations in the United States, the Post said. reuters

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