But if specific threats had been received before the Cole bombing, the awareness level in Aden would have been raised earlier, Franks said. Complicating the threat condition question, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., pointed out that guidelines for Threat Condition Alpha recommend that small boats be kept away from military ships. The Cole's status of Bravo when it was attacked by a small boat should have been stricter than Alpha. Unauthorized crafts should be kept away from the ship. Threat conditions are measured by military commanders in the field based on intelligence reports and local conditions.
Local commanders decide what to do under each condition.
During the Cole's Threat Con Bravo, for instance, rifle-wielding sailors mounted watch from the deck of the ship, but no moves were taken to prevent small boats from approaching the Cole. Now, under Threat Con Delta, crew members are manning machine guns on board and an armed inflatable boat is patrolling around the Cole. There is an increased and more predictable threat of terrorist activity even though no particular target has been identified. For the rest of the day's top world stories, click here , to our International News page. ABC News Internet Ventures.