WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, expressed his objections today to provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011, which the Senate adopted Thursday. Excerpts from a statement entered into the Record are below.

“The new detention authorities thrust upon our military in this bill are an assault on our civil liberties and do not belong on our books. They were not requested by the Pentagon, in fact they have been resisted by the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, and the directors of National Intelligence and the FBI.  They do not make us safer and, to the contrary, they will create dangerous confusion within our national security community.”

“As technology has advanced, so has the ability of the government to reach into our lives, whether through unseen drones and hidden electronic surveillance, omnipresent cameras and advanced facial recognition programs, or unfettered access to our telephone and Internet records.  The advance of technology, however, is not justification for the retreat of liberty — especially not when we have at our disposal a criminal justice system that is up to the task of keeping us safe.”

“President Obama has said that these provisions will hinder his ability to prosecute the campaign against terrorists.  The Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence have said that these provisions threaten to undermine the collection of intelligence from suspected terrorists. The military doesn’t want them either. The Secretary of Defense has said that the provisions will unnecessarily complicate its core mission of protecting our nation and projecting military force abroad.”

“Though we weren’t able to remove the dangerous and counterproductive provisions contained in Sections 1021, 1022 and 1023 from the NDAA today, we are not done trying,” Senator Coons wrote. “I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that we maintain the balance between security and liberty.”

The full statement can be read here: http://bit.ly/uvsyBV.

###