By
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The Navy has decided that neither the captain nor crew of the USS Cole should be punished for failing to follow all prescribed security precautions before the fatal Oct. 12 terrorist attack, a senior defense official said.
Adm. Vern Clark, chief of naval operations and final arbiter in the matter, has decided to endorse the determination made last week by Adm. Robert Natter, commander of the Atlantic Fleet, that no punishment is deserved, said the defense official, who is close to the deliberations and who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity.
It remains possible that others, higher in rank than the Cole's captain, could be held accountable. Defense Secretary William Cohen plans to order an accountability review, separate from the Navy's internal investigation, that would seek to determine whether military officers responsible for U.S. operations in the Persian Gulf area can be faulted for shortcomings such as inadequate intelligence warnings of threats from terrorists, officials said.
Clark had not submitted his written endorsement Monday afternoon but was expected to soon, the official said Monday.
Navy Secretary Richard Danzig told reporters he could not discuss the matter because Clark had not yet made public his decision. Danzig said, however, that he was pleased the matter would be concluded before he leaves office Jan. 20, since "this happened on our watch." He said he had not seen Clark's written decision.
The Navy planned to announce the result of its investigation of the Cole bombing this week. The probe sought to determine circumstances of the attack and what "force protection," or preventive measures, the captain ordered the crew to take.
Because the Cole's captain, Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, did not carry out all of approximately 60 planned actions to ensure the ship's protection while on a refueling stop in Yemen's Aden harbor, some believed he would be punished and his career ruined. Instead, Clark supported Natter's determination that Lippold had done what could have been reasonably expected under the circumstances and that he was not given necessary information about the terrorist threat in Aden, a major port at the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula.
Clark and Natter also believe that even with security measures in place as prescribed, the attack would not have been prevented, officials said.
