USA TODAY March 4, 2003
225,000-plus allied troops await word to begin war
By Tom Squitieri
WASHINGTON -- U.S. and British forces in the Persian Gulf have topped 225,000 and could begin a war with Iraq at any time, military officials said Monday. Among those deployed in the Gulf region are a third of the Marine Corps' active force and a quarter of the British army.
With the exception of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, all the major elements of the force envisioned for a strike against Iraq are in place or headed to the region.
The 4th Infantry was to have been deployed in eastern Turkey to attack Iraq from the north, but that was thrown into doubt when Turkey's parliament voted Saturday against granting U.S. forces permission to use its bases. The division remains at its base in Fort Hood, Texas, while the Pentagon decides whether to redirect it to Kuwait or wait to see whether the Turkish parliament takes another vote.
The buildup is the largest massing of U.S. forces since the 1991 Gulf War. If ordered to invade Iraq, the forces would be the first use of the Bush administration's doctrine of pre-emptive military action against a nation believed to be supporting terrorism.
U.S. military leaders say they will remain flexible to deal with diplomatic and logistical complications.
"We still have a great many pieces of the mosaic that can be moved around in a lot of different ways," said Gen. Tommy Franks, who would command an Iraq invasion. "It's in my interest to move those pieces around in ways that are good for us."
Despite nearing its peak, the U.S.-led force will still be less than half of the 750,000 U.S. and allied troops who participated in the 1991 Gulf War and drove out Iraqi troops occupying Kuwait.
Iraq is estimated to have 375,000 to 425,000 troops, including reserves. Their morale is said to be low. Only Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's fiercest defenders, the 25,000-member Special Republican Guard, are expected to offer much resistance.
Contributing to the U.S.-led force are Britain with 45,000 military personnel in the region; Australia, 2,000; Bulgaria, 150; Czech Republic, 360; and Slovakia, 75. The Eastern European contributions are units to deal with chemical or biological attacks.
Except for the 4th Infantry, all the units that Pentagon planners consider essential to an attack on Iraq will be in place by the end of the week. Pentagon officials said the timetable is no longer based on a military decision but a political one made by President Bush. Status of troops:
* On Monday, the first soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division began setting up in Kuwait. The rest of the division's 20,000 troops are to arrive later this week. Based at Fort Campbell, Ky., the division fired the first shots in the ground assault of the 1991 Gulf War from Apache helicopters. Some of its equipment is still in transit by ship.
* The Army's 1st Armored Division headquartered in Germany and the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood received deployment orders to the Gulf this past weekend, a senior Defense official said.
* Five U.S. aircraft carrier groups are in place in the Persian Gulf and eastern Mediterranean Sea. A sixth is on the way. The British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and its battle group are also in the region.
* U.S. Air Force planes are in place at bases in six Gulf countries and the British island of Diego Garcia. U.S. B-52 bombers landed in Britain on Monday, en route to the Persian Gulf region. B-2 bombers are also moving to the region.
* U.S. and British commandos are in place in northern Iraq. CIA operations are centered in Djibouti in the horn of African.
* There are 62,000 Marines in Kuwait, part of 99,000 Marines deployed worldwide. They will be joined by elements of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which departed for the region Monday.
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Contributing: Dave Moniz
TEXT WITHIN GRAPHIC BEGINS HERE
Where U.S. forces have been deployed around Iraq
Here is a look at where some key U.S. forces have been deployed as part of the buildup for potential war with Iraq. More units are in transit, and still more units stateside have gotten orders but have not departed.
Turkey
* F-15 and F-16 fighter aircraft with pilots and support personnel
* 6,000 soldiers total
Mediterranean
* Two aircraft carrier battle groups
Sinai, Egypt
* Multinational Force and Observers
Israel
* Patriot air defense missile batteries with 600 U.S. personnel
Saudi Arabia
* F-15, F-16 fighter aircraft with pilots and support personnel
* Medical unit
United Arab Emirates
* Reconnaissance aircraft
Manama, Bahrain
* Navy 5th Fleet heaquarters
* More than 1,200 sailors
Persian Gulf
* Three aircraft carrier battle groups
* Two amphibious task forces
* Two Marine amphibious ready groups
Qatar
* F-15 and F-16 fighters with pilots and support personnel
* Central Command headquarters at Camp Sayliyah; medical unit
Kuwait
* More than 77,000 soldiers
* A-10 and F-16 aircraft with pilots and support personnel
GRAPHIC: GRAPHIC, B/W, Dave Merrill and Karl Gelles, USA TODAY, Sources: Army Times Publishing Co., U.S. Defense Department, Globalsecurity.org (MAP); PHOTO, B/W, John Partipilo, The (Nashville) Tennessean; First day in Kuwait: Near the Iraqi border, troops from the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Ky., unfurl flags Monday.
Copyright © 2003, Gannett Company, Inc.
