Good afternoon, I am General John Craddock, the Commander of U.S. Southern Command. I would like to inform you of what happened earlier today at Joint Task Force – Guantanamo. We have on the speaker phone Admiral Harry Harris, the Commander of JTF-Guantanamo. Following my opening statement, Admiral Harris will have a chance to make a statement, and then we will both be available to answer your questions.

Today, U.S. Southern Command announced that three detainees died of apparent suicides early this morning. Two Saudis and one Yemeni, each located in Camp 1, were found by guards unresponsive and not breathing. Medical teams responded quickly and all three detainees were provided immediate emergency medical treatment in attempts to revive them.

The three detainees were pronounced dead by a physician after all lifesaving measures had been exhausted. At this time, the names of the deceased are not being released. The State Department notified and is in ongoing discussions with the governments of Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

The remains of the deceased detainees are being treated with the utmost respect. A cultural advisor is assisting the Joint Task Force to ensure that the remains are handled in a culturally and religiously appropriate manner.

The U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) has initiated an investigation, per standard operating procedures, to determine the circumstances surrounding these deaths.

Detainees are held at JTF-Guantanamo because they are dangerous and continue to pose a threat to the U.S. and our allies. They have expressed a commitment to kill Americans and our friends if released. These are not common criminals, they are enemy combatants being detained because they have waged war against our nation and they continue to pose a threat.

So if I may, let me briefly summarize:

These were the first three detainee deaths at Guantanamo, despite numerous previous attempts by detainees to commit suicide.

In accordance with Department of Defense policy, an investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths is underway.

Autopsies will be performed to determine the exact cause and manner of death.

The Joint Task Force is already reviewing and adjusting procedures as appropriate to prevent the recurrence of an incident of this nature.

Finally, the mission of detention and interrogation at Guantanamo continues. This mission is vital to the security of our nation and our allies and is being carried out professionally and humanely by the men and women of Joint Task Force Guantanamo.

I will now give Admiral Harris an opportunity to speak and then we will take your questions.