A retired US Army general will oversee military tribunals for suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including approving charges, the Pentagon said tonight.
Chosen for the job was General John Altenburg, who retired as a two-star general in 2002.
His last military assignment was assistant judge advocate general for the Department of the Army.
None of the 660 suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay has been charged, and although the Pentagon has not said when it expects to begin military trials, the first is expected soon. It would be the United States' first use of military tribunals since World War II.
Earlier this month the Pentagon assigned military defence lawyers to Guantanamo detainees Salim Ahmed Hamdan of Yemen and David Hicks of Australia. They are among six people held at Guantanamo whom President George Bush has determined are subject to trial by a military tribunal.
The decision to approve specific charges against any of the six, and to refer a case to trial, rests with General Altenburg.
General Altenburg, who served for 28 years as an Army lawyer, will serve as "appointing authority" for the military tribunals in a civilian capacity. He takes over from Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defence, who had overseen the tribunal process since June 21.
AP