GITMO

In 2009, President Obama issued Executive Order 13492, calling for the closure of detention facilities at Guantanamo (GITMO) within one year. Fortunately, that deadline has come and gone and the belligerent enemy combatants housed at GITMO remain there. I have consistently and openly objected to the idea of moving these terrorists to the mainland and, more especially, to Kansas. I worked with my colleagues to ensure current law stipulates that no funding shall be used to move detainees from GITMO to the mainland.

Fort Leavenworth is neither the ideal nor the right location for moving Guantanamo detainees. The installation lies right on the Missouri River, providing terrorists with unmonitored access to the detention facility, while the boundary line runs parallel to a public railroad. Additionally, Fort Leavenworth trains the best and brightest through the Army University, at the Command and General Staff College. 

Closing GITMO isn’t taking the fight to the enemy; it’s bringing it home. We should be doing everything possible to destroy homegrown terrorism, not encouraging it. As the threat of Islamic State grows, now is not the time to consider transferring detainees to U.S. soil and putting America’s security at even greater risk. As a Marine, not on my watch will a single terrorist be held in Kansas.