NBC News reported Tuesday that the Pentagon has compiled a secret database of suspicious incidents that includes four dozen anti-war meetings or protests in the United States.

Pentagon spokesmen would not say whether the military is surveilling anti-war activists but insisted it could legally use information gathered by US law enforcement agencies on US civilians to protect US forces and installations.

"The Defense Department has a legitimate interest in protecting its installations, protecting its people," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman.

"And to the extent that they use information collected by law enforcement agencies to do that, that's an appropriate activity of the United States military," he said.

The 400-page database obtained by NBC News listed 1,500 suspicious incidents over a 10-month period.

One example cited in the report was a small gathering of activists at a Quaker meeting house in Florida to plan protests of military recruiting in high schools.

A briefing document stamped "Secret" noted "increased communication between protest groups using the Internet" but not a "significant connection between incidents," such as "reoccurring instigators" or "vehicle descriptions," NBC said.

The report indicates that information is being gathered about people who attended the meetings and the vehicles they used, a military analyst told NBC.

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