Geoffrey Miller (general)

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For other people of this name, see Geoffrey Miller

Geoffrey D. Miller (born c. 1949) is a United States Army Major General who commanded the US detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and is currently in command of the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Miller was born in Gallipolis, Ohio. He attended Ohio State University where he got an undergraduate degree in History, following up with a Master of Science in Education Administration at the University of Southern California.

Miller joined the US Army in 1972 and was trained in field artillery and army command. He spent time in Germany before being moved to Korea in 1980. There, he rose to become assistant chief of staff for operations in Korea. Miller later returned to the United States to become the deputy chief of staff for personnel and installation management for the US Army.

On November 2002, Miller was given command of Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay (GTMO), which runs the US detention facilities known as Camp X-Ray, Camp Delta and Camp Echo in Cuba. During his tenure, Miller was credited with bringing order and discipline to the facility and improving interrogation procedures. Miller later said that two-thirds of the 600 prisoners had confessed to being involved in terrorism and were giving "actionable intelligence." However, it is believed that Miller's increased leadership led to allegations of beatings, sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, using attack dogs to intimidate prisoners, and other abuses at Guantanamo Bay.

On September 22 2003, Miller ordered the arrest of James Yee, an Army captain who served as a chaplain for the Muslim prisoners at Guantanamo. Miller accused Yee of stealing classified documents and smuggling them out of the prison, but those charges were later dropped. It is believed that no evidence of espionage was found, but records on the case have been sealed.

Contents 1 Abu Ghraib prison scandal 1.1 Exercised his right to protect himself from self-incrimination 2 Congressional testimony 3 Retirement 4 References 5 Sources

[edit] Abu Ghraib prison scandal

In August 2003, Miller was sent to Iraq by the Department of Defense to help get more information out of Iraqi prisoners. In September, Miller submitted a report that recommended "GTMO-ising" their approach - combining the detention and interrogation units at Abu Ghraib into the Theater Joint Interrogation and Detention Center. Specifically, Miller suggested that prison guards be used to "soften up" prisoners for interrogations.

In his final report on the prison abuse, General Antonio Taguba blamed Miller's recommendations for the abuse at Abu Ghraib, and noted that using military police for interrogation was a breach of official policy. Miller denies that he was specifically ordering guards to humiliate and torture prisoners to get confessions out of them.

After the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse story broke in March 2004, Brigadier General Janis Karpinski was suspended and Miller was appointed the deputy commanding general for detainee operations for Multinational Forces in Iraq. In this role, Miller reports directly to Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez. Since his appointment, Miller has vowed to reduce the number of prisoners in Abu Ghraib, adhere to military laws as well as the Geneva Convention, investigate allegations of abuse, and reform the Iraqi prison system. He has already banned the use of hoods on prisoners during transport and set up a new system to allow prisoners to have visitors.

Since the investigation of abuses at Abu Ghraib, some have suggested that Miller encouraged abusive tactics. In an interview with BBC Radio, former prison commander Janis Karpinski claimed that Miller told her to treat prisoners "like dogs" in the sense that "if you allow them to believe at any point that they are more than a dog then you've lost control of them".^[1] Major General Miller denies that he ever made the comparison.

Colonel Thomas Pappas, head of the military intelligence brigade at Abu Ghraib, has claimed that it was Miller's idea to use attack dogs to intimidate prisoners.^[2] He said the same tactics were being used at Camp X-Ray. Several of the photos taken at Abu Ghraib show dogs surrounding (and in at least one case biting) screaming, naked detainees.

[edit] Exercised his right to protect himself from self-incrimination

For a period of time Miller exercised his right to protect himself from self-incrimination.^[3] According to the New York Times: "He changed his position when the US Senate Armed Services Committee delayed his retirement until he was more forthcoming."

In May 2006 Miller testified at the courts martial of the Abu Ghraib dog handlers that his instructions on the use of dogs had been misunderstood.^[4] Miller testified that he instructed that dogs should be used "only for custody and control of detainees". Miller's testimony was directly contradicted, the next day, by Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Phillabaum, the commander of Abu Ghraib's Military Police detachment.

[edit] Congressional testimony

In July 2005 discrepancies emerged between Miller's May 2004 testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, and sworn statements he made three months later. ^{[5] [6]}

Gen. Geoffrey Miller told the Senate Armed Services Committee in May 2004 that he had only filed a report on a recent visit to Abu Ghraib, and did not talk to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld or his top aides about the fact-finding trip.

But in a recorded statement to attorneys three months later, Miller said he gave two of Rumsfeld's most senior aides - then-Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Undersecretary for Intelligence Steve Cambone - a briefing on his visit and his subsequent recommendations.

[edit] Retirement

Miller retired from the Army on July 31, 2006.^[7] The Washington Post reports that Miller wanted to retire, in February, forgoing trying for promotion to Lieutenant General, because his reputation had been damaged by alleged links between his policies at the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, and at Abu Ghraib, and the abuse of prisoners. The Washington Post reports that Congress delayed his retirement because Senators weren't confident he told the truth when he testified before them. The Washington Post reports that he was only allowed to retire when he promised, in writing, to appear before congress, and testify truthfully.

At his retirement service Miller was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, and praised as an "innovator". ^[8]

[edit] References

1. ^ Iraq abuse 'ordered from the top', BBC, June 15, 2004
2. ^ General Is Said To Have Urged Use of Dogs, Washington Post, May 24, 2004
3. ^ Court in Abuse Case Hears Testimony of General, New York Times, May 24, 2006
4. ^ Testimony at SoCal man's court-martial centers on use of dogs, San Jose Mercury, May 25, 2006
5. ^ Not so fast, General, Salon (magazine), March 7, 2006
6. ^ 'Gaps and Discrepancies', Newsweek, May 24, 2004
7. ^ General Who Ran Guantanamo Bay Retires, Washington Post, August 1, 2006
8. ^ Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller retires after 34 years, Army News Service, August 1, 2006

[edit] Sources

• General 'Guarantees' Protection Under Geneva Conventions, Department of Defense
• Bio of New Iraq Prison Commander, Findlaw
• DOD News Briefing: Army's Residential Communities Initiative In Fort Hood, Texas, Department of Defense
• chief of prisons in Iraq wants most aggressive interrogation methods to be banned, Stars and Stripes
• GIs remember key 1950 Korean War battle, Stars and Stripes
• U.S. military to help S. Korea with World Cup security, Stars and Stripes
• Elmendorf F-15 squadron finishes deployment in South Korea, Stars and Stripes
• Army Signs Housing Plan, Department of Defense
• New Abu Ghraib Commander Explains Detention and Interrogation Procedures, Coalition Provisional Authority
• U.S. general recommended military police 'soften up' prisoners in Iraq
• Commander at Iraqi prison brought discipline to Guantanamo Bay, The State
• Briefing on Detainee Operations at Guantanamo Bay, Department of Defense
• Iraq abuse: US policy or anomaly?, BBC - Analysis of Miller's policy
• Top brass 'picked man who ordered torture'
• General Is Said To Have Urged Use of Dogs Washington Post. May 26, 2004
• Congressman: Prison advisory plan was rejected, CNN
• Who is Geoffrey Miller Center For American Progress
• Rumsfeld’s soulmate at the heart of culture of brutality Sunday Herald. 16 May 2004
• Reprimand of Guantanamo Chief Urged, Nixed Guardian Unlimited Wednesday July 13, 2005
• General contradicted his sworn testimony on Pentagon, Abu Ghraib, Biloxi Sun Herald, July 14, 2005