Red tape ( Camp Casey MISS. )military on sidelines

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Saturday, September 3, 2005 - Page updated at 12:29 AM
Hurricane Katrina A seattletimes.com special section


Red tape keeping much of military on sidelines


CAMP SHELBY, Miss. — A tiny fraction of the active-duty U.S. military is engaged in rescue and relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a situation that frustrated senior military officers are attributing in part to complex relationships with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"There is a tremendous amount of frustration here, that we have assets stacked up ready to go," said one officer who asked not to be identified. "All we can do is nudge the folks at FEMA and say, 'How about if we do this or that?' "

But a difficult command structure inside the military seemed equally cumbersome as officers wrestled yesterday with having to coordinate any movement of forces with dozens of supervising commands and agencies.

At the Pentagon's sweltering forward-command post in Mississippi, a television running on intermittent power showed scenes of utter devastation in New Orleans, with corpses, burning buildings and throngs of desperate refugees. more @

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002468593_katmilitary03.html