Associated Press State & Local Wire January 7, 2003
U.S. boosts aircraft carrier readiness
By Jim Wolf
WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy soon will have two aircraft carrier battle groups ready to surge toward Iraq from the East Coast if ordered to do so, one more than has been publicly discussed, the commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet said on Tuesday.
The unusual move indicates that Navy war ships are moving towards maximum readiness, and keeping two carriers on high alert could have implications both for Iraq and other international trouble spots such as North Korea.
The Navy has sped up preparations for possible early deployment of the Theodore Roosevelt battle group and "we'll have it trained in a matter of weeks," Adm. Robert Natter said in a telephone interview with Reuters.
The Roosevelt had been expected to take over from the George Washington, also based in Norfolk, Virginia, as the East Coast's "surge" carrier, but now both carriers will be put on that high alert. As such, they are on standby to join two others -- the Constellation and the Harry S. Truman -- already within or close to striking range of Iraq.
But Natter said "the nice reality" was that the Navy could be ordered to deploy either or both "and we're perfectly capable of doing that."
Patrick Garrett, who tracks U.S. deployments for GlobalSecurity.org, a military research group in Alexandria, Virginia, said keeping the Norfolk-based carriers at a high state of readiness was indicative of Navy planning for possible heavy demand.
"It shows at the very least that the Navy is making sure that every ship in the fleet is available if the Pentagon decides it needs it," he said.
Six U.S. carrier battle groups were used in the 1991 Gulf war that drove Iraqi invaders from Kuwait. The United States now maintains 12 operational carriers. How many might be used in a second Gulf war likely would hinge both on access to land bases for Air Force air power as well as on North Korea's nuclear brinkmanship.
The Japan-based U.S. carrier Kitty Hawk, which served as a base for special operations helicopters during the Afghanistan campaign, could be deployed either toward Iraq or toward North Korea. In addition, a U.S. carrier battle group could show the flag near Taiwan, Aviation Week magazine reported in its latest edition.
DELAYING MAINTENENCE
Keeping the Washington on standby in Norfolk means delaying its scheduled post-deployment maintenance work. The Washington returned from a scheduled six-month Mediterranean cruise last month. Asked how long it might be held on such a tether, Natter said: "The word 'temporarily' is a good choice."
Navy spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Dawn Cutler said: "The Navy's preparing to answer the call with combat forces ready to respond on short notice to contingency operations around the world."
The Roosevelt began its so-called composite training unit exercises on Monday, a key pre-deployment step that certifies a battle group can operate as a war-fighting unit at sea.
Retired Rear Adm. Stephen Baker, who served during Operation Desert Storm as chief of staff for operations for the Roosevelt battle group, said the drill would leave the battle group ready for deployment by about Jan. 20.
Copyright © 2003 Reuters
