Pentagon Day-Care Center to Close, Move "Elsewhere, Downstream"

TOWARDS THE END OF THE TRANSCRIPT FROM TODAY'S Defense Department Operational Update Briefing there's a curious item about recent changes to day-care at the Pentagon.

Q     Can I ask a domestic-related terrorism question?

MR. DIRITA:  Yeah, and then we will have to, unfortunately, move along.

Q     All right.  This may sound a little off, but parents last week at the Pentagon day care center were told that the thing is going to close.

MR. DIRITA:  Yeah.

Q     It's because unspecific threats to the building -- this is one of those indications how terrorism affects the military, in a way, the Washington area.  Can you walk through a little bit why it's being closed and what's being done for the --

MR. DIRITA:  Well, it's a tough problem.  Right after the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, as I understand it, a lot of parents withdrew -- the families withdrew their children from that facility.  And in fact, I -- if I'm -- I don't want to be held on this one, but I think it was actually closed for a while.

STAFF :  It was.

MR. DIRITA:  The Pentagon is a clearly a target in a general sense.  This decision to find a better location for day care for Pentagon employees, which is really what this is about, is not based on specific intelligence.  It's based on the general understanding .... we've been attacked once, at .... this very location.

So it seems prudent to say:  What other things might we consider? And the Congress has provided for some military construction, as I understand it, some military construction assistance for another facility elsewhere, downstream....

Q     What are you going to do between now and 2007, though, when this new facility is open?

MR. DIRITA:  I'm not sure.  I know that there's been a lot of discussion with families about alternative sites.  I don't know that there have been any decisions.