Report finds Cole commander didn't take basic steps to protect ship
From Jamie McIntyre
CNN Military Affairs Correspondent
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The commander of the USS Cole failed to implement some basic security measures the day the warship was attacked by suicide bombers in Yemen, Pentagon sources told CNN on Wednesday.
CNN reported last month that a Navy investigation found that Cmdr. Kirk Lippold did not fully implement his approved security plan on October 12, the day 17 sailors were killed when the ship was bombed while refueling in the port of Aden.
The blast originated from a small boat that was allowed to come right next to the hull of the warship as it took on fuel in mid-harbor. Yemeni and U.S. officials suspect that hundreds of pounds of explosives were used in the attack.
Sources familiar with the report said it finds nearly half the 62 security measures in the approved plan were not carried out, most of them judged to be unnecessary because the ship was refueling in the harbor, away from a pier.
But several other lapses were considered significant. Perhaps the most important was the failure to brief the ship's crew members on the threat condition in effect and to warn them to be alert for a possible terrorist attack, according to sources.
When the Cole entered port it was operating under "Threat Condition Bravo" -- the second-highest of four alert levels. That threat level warns of "an increased and more predictable threat of terrorist activity" but with no particular target.
Alleged missing steps
The ship protection plan filed by Lippold specifically called for the crew to be reminded of the threat and warned to be "suspicious and inquisitive of strangers." The plan also stated that "harbor craft require special concern because they can serve as an ideal platform for terrorists." Sources said those briefings were not given.
Sources say other security measures that were not carried out included:
o Unauthorized craft should be kept away from the ship, and authorized craft should be carefully controlled, kept under surveillance and covered.
o Identify and inspect work boats.
o Prepare fire hoses. Brief designated personnel on procedures for repelling boarders, small boats and ultralight aircraft.
Possibility of career-ending disciplinary action
The terrorist attack killed 17 U.S. sailors and injured 39 others.
The Cole has since been transported back to Pascagoula, Mississippi, on the back of a Norwegian transport ship and will undergo a yearlong repair job.
Lippold as well as some of his subordinate officers face possible discipline for the security lapses, which are detailed in a Navy investigative report scheduled to be released next Tuesday.
Lippold could be subject to career-ending discipline, if senior Navy leaders determine the security lapses left the billion-dollar destroyer more vulnerable to attack.
Another independent Pentagon commission will also release recommendations next week for improved overseas protective measures for U.S. military ships, planes and personnel, Pentagon officials have told CNN.
The proposals would focus on places such as the Persian Gulf, where the threat of terrorism is high.
Retired Navy Adm. Harold Gehman and retired Army Gen. William Crouch headed the commission. Crouch has said the panel's goal was to improve security for U.S. forces in the region, not assign blame.