The San Diego Union-Tribune March 19, 2003
Thunderous air assault to open way for ground attack
In the opening hours of war in Iraq, volleys of terrain-hugging cruise missiles and torrents of precision-guided bombs would seek to blind Saddam Hussein's military, cutting military communications and clearing the way for a ground invasion that would sweep north from Kuwait.
Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the idea is to create "such a shock on the system that the Iraqi regime would have to assume early on that the end is inevitable."
The end Myers and others hope for but aren't counting on is an Iraqi collapse so quickly after the first shots are fired that U.S.-led forces could enter Baghdad without a fight.
How Iraq responds to the initial air barrage will be a key factor in determining the timing of the ground war. Gen. Tommy Franks, the head of Central Command, may launch the ground assault just a few days after the air attack.
GRAPHIC: 2 MAPS | 1 CHART; 1,2,3. SOURCES: Center for Defense Information; GlobalSecurity.org; International Petroleum Encyclopedia; ESRI; Center for Strategic and International Studies; British Ministry of Defense; U.S. Defense Department; Union-Tribune wire service; 1. U.S. forces ready in the Middle East 2. The ground assault 3. Military showdown
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