U.S. SEEKING MORE EFFICIENT MIDDLE EAST PEACEKEEPING MISSION

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith says the United States is not seeking to end its participation in the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) Mission in the Sinai, but is looking to improve its efficiency.

"We're talking about looking at the whole MFO, how it can reconfigure itself, how it can continue to fulfill its mission more efficiently," he told reporters at an August 2 Pentagon briefing.

His comments followed a trilateral meeting of U.S., Egyptian and Israeli officials held in Washington at the invitation of the U.S. government.

All sides agreed, Feith said, that even after 20 years the MFO must continue its mission "in the most efficient manner possible."

Both Egypt and Israel, he said, understand that the United States is facing competing military requirements around the world, especially since the September 11 attacks and the initiation of the war on terrorism. This is why the United States is sounding out other countries about the possibility of contributing to the MFO by assuming some of the functions it has handled, he said.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made clear early in his tenure that he wished to cut back some U.S. commitments overseas and would be looking closely at the Sinai. "We're looking at whatever makes sense," Feith said.

The under secretary indicated that no decision has been made yet "on the exact nature of the cut." He stressed that the United States is not considering ending its participation, but is keen to make a substantial cut "if we can." He also reaffirmed the strong U.S. commitment to the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

Feith made his remarks following meetings August 1 with Egyptian Major General Abou Bakr and retired Israeli Major General Amos Yaron. He said there will be a follow-up meeting of experts, probably in a matter of weeks, to "rationalize" U.S. participation. "We're trying to do this rationally, in consultations with the Egyptians and the Israelis," the defense official said, and to figure what is still required for the mission.

Right now the U.S. military is supporting a headquarters element, a support battalion, and an infantry battalion with 830 personnel assigned.

Feith noted that much of the mission is political, rather than military in nature. He described it as more confidence-building than peacekeeping between Egypt and Israel. These two countries are at peace, he said, and the MFO functions in a monitoring role. He said the observation force contributes to confidence in a peace treaty that has lasted for 20 years, adding that "a substantial amount of confidence has been built up in that period."

IRAQ IS SEEKING AIR DEFENSE IMPROVEMENTS

Air Force Brigadier General John Rosa says the Iraqi military is working constantly to improve its air defense system and that it is his "gut feeling" that the system has been improved.

The Deputy Director of Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff was responding to questions from reporters August 2 when he said Iraq's system is viewed by the U.S. military as "very capable" and "one of the toughest, most complex systems that we see in the world."

Iraqi artillery periodically fires against U.S. and British aircraft patrolling the No Fly Zones designated under U.N. Security Council resolutions in the north and south of Iraq. Comparing the level of shooting in the past few years to this year's level, Rosa said the sheer numbers are about the same, but media and public awareness about the exchanges have become greater. The U.S. responded 16 times this year to Iraqi provocations in the southern No Fly Zone and eight times in the northern No Fly Zone, according to the Pentagon official.

Rosa and Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke, who briefed reporters with him, were also asked about Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's confidence in General Tommy Franks, who is in charge of prosecuting military operations in Afghanistan and who would be in charge if operations were initiated against Iraq at any time in the future. Clark said the secretary has "full and total confidence" in Franks, who leads the U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for operations in the Middle East and South Asia. "He has done an extraordinary job of prosecuting what has been a very unconventional war," she said, and Rumsfeld is "very confident that the performance will be terrific going forward."

Without commenting on an August 2 Washington Times report suggesting that Rumsfeld thought Franks may be overly cautious, Clark said, "the secretary wants everyone to understand the sense of urgency about what we're doing ... that the threats ... are ... very real." Rumsfeld, she continued, "is always communicating to ... the senior military and civilian leadership the sense of urgency...."