OPINION:
Your recent editorial “Guantanamo terrorists leave, threat to America grows” (Web, Jan. 4) exaggerates the risk of releasing prisoners from Guantanamo and ignores the threat of keeping them there. The recidivism rate for Guantanamo detainees released under President Obama is not 30 percent, but 6.4 percent. Further, detainees are not released at random. They must be cleared unanimously for release by the agencies and departments in charge of our national security: the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice and State, as well as the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Yes, there is some risk when the government releases detainees, but it’s relatively small and manageable. By contrast, the continued existence of Guantanamo creates large and unnecessary risks nearly impossible to manage. Guantanamo is a potent recruiting tool for America’s enemies and it saps the credibility our country needs in the struggle against terrorism.
I have visited Guantanamo and I care deeply about protecting Americans. We protect Americans by closing Guantanamo.
LIEUT. GEN. ED SOYSTER
U.S. Army (retired)
Former director, Defense Intelligence Agency
Alexandria
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