Time December 2, 2002
Ready To Move In
U.S. forces could be primed to start fighting Iraq again in short order
By Mark Thompson/Washington, Text by Laura Brafford
If President Bush opts for a war with Iraq, how quickly can he
have one? Pretty fast, it seems. It took the U.S. five months to
build up forces before starting the war with Iraq in 1991. But
they had to be drawn mostly from bases in Europe. With the cold
war dead, most U.S. forces have left Europe for home. In the
aftermath of the Gulf War, however, much of their gear has been
relocated to a ring of bases set up in the Persian Gulf. Its
proximity to the front line--and the fact that technology has
made the military more efficient--means that by mid-December the
U.S. should be ready to start fighting Iraq again, Pentagon
officials say.
Air assaults would kick off a new war. America's $ 2 billion
radar-eluding B-2 bombers could attack Iraq from bases in the
U.S., England or Diego Garcia, and Navy warships already in the
Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean could pummel key Iraqi targets
with long-range cruise missiles. Once Iraq's air defenses are
crushed, more vulnerable F-14s and F-18s from three or four Navy
carriers by then in the region could begin striking additional
targets. The speed of the air war would depend in part on which
neighboring countries--Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Turkey, Saudi
Arabia--allowed allied jets to launch from their territory.
The start of an air war would probably be the trigger for moving
more ground forces to the region. Already, the U.S. has some
30,000 ground troops and their equipment within striking distance
of Iraq, Kuwait being the main depot. An additional 45,000 troops
could rapidly be flown into the region to be married up with
materiel stockpiled since the 1991 war at Diego Garcia, a
seven-day sail away. Some military experts think 75,000 troops
would be sufficient to overthrow Saddam. They could certainly
start the effort while the U.S. pumped more forces into the
theater.
BOX STORY:
TURKEY
The U.S. Air Force patrols Iraq's northern no-fly zone from the
Incirlik base in Turkey
Personnel approx. 1,700
Aircraft: Fighter planes approx. 36
Assorted support and surveillance planes
SAUDI ARABIA
The kingdom served as the prime staging point for the 1991 Gulf
War, but the Saudis may refuse the U.S. use of their territory
for another invasion
Troops approx. 10,000
Patriot missiles 64
Aircraft:
Fighter planes 42
Surveillance planes 8
Assorted support and reconnaissance planes
DIEGO GARCIA
This British territory is used by both the U.S. Navy and Air Force
Aircraft:
Bombers 8
Stealth bombers, expected 4 or 5
Assorted support aircraft
Troops approx. 1,000
Equipment for 3 brigades
Tanks approx. 350
KUWAIT
Camp Doha, built as a temporary facility in 1991, is command
central for Army forces in Kuwait. A permanent base is being
constructed at Camp Arifjan. Meanwhile, troops are housed in
desert tent cities close to the Iraq border. Flights patrolling
Iraq's southern no-fly zone also leave from air bases here
Troops approx. 10,000
Tanks approx. 522
Patriot missiles approx. 64
Equipment for 3 brigades
Aircraft:
Fighter planes approx. 52
Helicopters, including attack approx. 75
Assorted support, surveillance and transport aircraft
BAHRAIN
The Navy's Fifth Fleet, as well as a special-operations command
site, is based here. The Muharraq Airfield serves as a support
base for southern no-fly zone patrols
Naval headquarters personnel approx. 1,200
Aircraft: Assorted transport, support and surveillance planes
AT SEA
Two U.S. carrier battle groups are in the region (U.S.S. Abraham
Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and U.S.S. George Washington in the
Mediterranean) and are expected to be joined by three others by
mid-December U.S.S. Constellation, U.S.S. Kitty Hawk and U.S.S.
Harry S Truman). Together, these groups comprise:
Ships 49 to 51
Sailors approx. 55,000
Aircraft approx. 350
Tomahawk missiles 800
The one amphibious ready group present, together with another
expected in the region by mid-December, will contain:
Ships 6
Sailors and Marines 7,600
QATAR
In recent years, the Pentagon has upgraded the al-Udeid air base
as a possible alternative to Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan base.
In 2000 the U.S. opened in Qatar the largest prepositioning base
outside America
Troops approx. 3,000
Tanks approx. 175
Aircraft:
Reconnaissance planes 5
Assorted cargo and support aircraft
Antipersonnel land mines 7,776
Equipment for 1 brigade
OMAN
The U.S. flies aircraft from three Omani air bases, and Oman
served as a base for refueling aircraft in the 1991 Gulf War
Troops approx. 3,000
Aircraft: Gunships approx. 6
Assorted bombers, surveillance and support aircraft
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Bases in the U.A.E. support the southern no-fly zone patrols
Personnel approx. 500
Aircraft: Spy planes 2
Assorted reconnaissance drones and support planes
Sources: Center for Defense Information; GlobalSecurity.org; NASA
GRAPHIC: COLOR MAP: TIME MAP BY JOE LERTOLA
Copyright 2002 Fox News Network
