The U.S. needs somewhere to detain and interrogate terrorists for long periods of time, but the leader of U.S. Special Operations Command said he doesn’t know where that would be today.
“I would agree that here is a requirement for long-term detention,” Gen. Joseph Votel told the Senate Armed Services Committee said Tuesday.
But when pushed on where a high-value detainee would go if he were captured tomorrow, Votel responded: “I don’t know, that is a policy decision that I think is being debated.”
Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., said the lack of clarity from the White House in this issue puts the country’s national security at risk.
“It’s a policy decision that has basically never been made under this administration,” she said. “I think you all need to know.”
Last month, the administration released its plan to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, but faced immediate pushback from Republicans who said it does not deal with many legal issues, including what happens to future detainees.
The president has said he will not add to the population of Guantanamo Bay during his administration.
Recently, an Islamic State terrorist was captured and held short-term for questioning by the U.S., before being turned over to Kurdish forces.
Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, and Gen. Robert Neller, the Marine Corps commandant, both appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week and said they also didn’t know where long-term detainees would go.
