Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), the ranking democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, talked with Rumsfeld last week on President Bush’s position that the military needs a larger role in disaster relief operations—namely helping to restore civil stability. The upshot: The Pentagon “has no plans to recommend changes to the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the participation of active duty military forces in domestic law enforcement activities.” Skelton said that does not rule out greater military participation. Rumsfeld told Skelton the Pentagon has recommendations in the works that do not include changes to the Posse Comitatus law.
The U.S., South Korea, and Japan flew an unusual trilateral flight with two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers escorted by two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s, and two ROK Air Force KF-16 fighters—both countries’ respective variants of the F-16—July 11. That same weekend, the top military officers of the three nations…