[Harris:] Another developing story we're watching, this one off the Horn of Africa. U.S. and allied forces are in an urgent search. Ten crew members are still missing a day after two U.S. Marine helicopters crashed off the coast of Djibouti. Two Marines have been rescued. The helicopters are part of a squadron based out of Jacksonville, North Carolina. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr was in Djibouti a few weeks ago, actually, and flew with this unit. She is now on the phone with us. Barbara, first of all, I think a lot of folks would be surprised to know that there is a base there. But you certainly confirmed that up for us when you were there awhile ago. But give us a sense of this area, this terrain that we're talking about. Are we talking about a mountain search, a water search right now?
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Tony, good morning. It is over water off the coast of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. The search does go on for 10 missing crew members from those two Marine Corps CH-53 helicopters that crashed yesterday over the ocean. No indication of hostile fire, so the logical conclusion at the moment is that the two helicopters suffered a midair collision. You're right. We were in Djibouti interviewing General Tim Gormley last month about the mission out there. There's about 1,400 troops in the Horn of Africa. And what they do is everything but combat. They are on a humanitarian relief mission in the Horn. They ferry supplies, troops, they perform humanitarian relief projects all over eastern Africa in the Horn region. These two helicopters were on a training mission at the time of the accident. They are out of Jacksonville, North Carolina. Likely to be very, very tough for the troops out in Djibouti. As I say, there's only about 1,400 of them. It's a pretty close-knit base out there. So pretty sad times for them. But this morning, still hopeful they are it is now an international search and rescue effort in the water there. There are U.S. Navy ships there, an Italian ship, a French ship, French helicopters. And the military of this very small nation of Djibouti is also lending a hand, Tony.
[Harris:] Ah, Barbara, we note that there is no indication that the helicopters were brought down by hostile fire. That sort of begs the question, are there any hostilities to speak of on the ground in that region?
[Starr:] Not in Djibouti, I mean, not in Djibouti per se. It is not a hostile environment to the U.S. They have welcomed them, as well as a significant French military force that remains there. That is very unlikely to be the issue.
[Harris:] Yes.
[Starr:] By all accounts, as you can see from the pictures we're showing, when we flew with this unit, the helicopters always do fly in pairs, two at a time. So if one helicopter somehow got in trouble and had to put down, the other helicopter could come along, pick everybody up, and everything would be fine. It is not unknown, unfortunately, when helicopters fly in pairs, that sometimes, unfortunately, they get too close somehow, and they do collide. It's very tragic, but it does happen. And the early indications, at least at this point, is that is the most likely scenario here, Tony.
[Harris:] Yes. Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr for us. Barbara, we appreciate it, thank you.
[Nguyen:] Tony, relaxing the rules. The Army opens its doors to recruits with a problematic past. From criminal behavior to drug and alcohol abuse, the Army has sharply increased the number of recruits who normally would have been barred from the service. Last year, almost one out of every six Army recruits had a problem in their background, compared to one in eight the year before. So, has the search for soldiers gone too far? Or is it OK for the Army to lower its standards to meet wartime goals? Joining me now from Columbus, Ohio, is Allan Millett, director of the Eisenhower Center at the University of New Orleans. Good morning to you.
[Allan Millett, Professor Of Military History:] Good morning. How are you today?
[Nguyen:] I'm doing great. Let's talk about this, because this is really interesting. And for some folks, it may be a little surprising and a cause for concern. When we talk about the Army standards, and its increase in waivers to people with criminal history, what kind of criminal history are we talking about? How serious are the crimes?
[Millett:] Well, it's hard to say without looking at the individual cases. In some ways, the privacy laws make that difficult. In any event, I think the big distinction would be between felonies related to violence or, you know, just misdemeanors or traffic problems or the like. Really would depend upon just how this sorted out in terms of the severity of the crimes. And the fact the Army's granted waivers is no secret. As you pointed out, that's been a standard practice. What that means is that if they find somebody who's, they believe, highly qualified on other criteria, they don't want some kind of youthful indiscretion blocking them from military service.
[Nguyen:] But they're granting more waivers this times around. Now, that, I know that fluctuates with the years. But is it more difficult to get recruits this time around, simply because the country is at war?
[Millett:] Oh, I'm sure it is, that the Army particularly has had some recruiting shortfalls, both in its active and reserve components. Anyone who's who joins the Army particularly, or the Marine Corps, for that matter, can count on going to Iraq, at least in the near future. And I think people understand that this is a dangerous and very taxing environment. So I'm sure they're having problems recruiting.
[Nguyen:] All right. Taking into account the criminal background and the fact that some of these recruits with waivers do have drug problems, given the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and allegations of human rights violations at Gitmo, is the Army granting these sorts of waivers, is it in any position to grant these sort of waivers?
[Millett:] Well, I think it depends on what the soldiers do once they become soldiers. The standards for being a military policeman are generally much higher than those of an ordinary recruit. I'd be very surprised to find military policeman who've got criminal backgrounds or, you know, have an incident. I think there's a difference between being a hardened criminal and being the kid who got into a bar fight someplace. If the person has some talent and potential, it may very well be a good investment. It's been standard practice in the military, at least until recent times, to give people a second chance by allowing them to serve and therefore proving that they're good citizens.
[Nguyen:] Well, what kind of effect does it have on the Army as a whole and the U.S. military's ability to protect us?
[Millett:] Well, I doubt that it has a whole lot of effect, at least thus far. The environment, obviously, is far more controlled. Soldiers are trained. If they're impossible to train, if they're maladjusted, then the Army has the authority to release them very early in their career. So in a sense, these are social experiments. I think the question is, is it worth the time and effort to try to rehabilitate these folks, and then get some service out of them? It's a little I'm sure the Army's got some statistics on whether people who receive waivers for a criminal episode in their lives finish their enlistment. They've statistics on everything else. So I'm sure...
[Nguyen:] Yes, well, you say social...
[Millett:] ... that they have those too.
[Nguyen:] ... experiments. With these experiments, is there a way to just to really bypass all of that, simply by boosting the bonuses? Is there a way to get around these waivers and getting people that are qualified without a waiver?
[Millett:] Well, I suspect there might be some. But I think, for the urgency at the moment to make end strength in the like, to hit quotas, is probably forcing the temporary policy change that's increased the frequency...
[Nguyen:] Yes, well, the country...
[Millett:] ... of these waivers.
[Nguyen:] ... is at war, yes. Allan Millett, we appreciate your time and your insight today. Thank you.
[Millett:] Thank you very much.
[Nguyen:] Tony?
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