Dow Jones Newswires August 17, 2006
US General: US May Lend Air, Sea Transport To Lebanon Action
By Rebecca Christie
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- The U.S. may lend air and sea transport services to the upcoming U.N. force in Lebanon, even though the Pentagon won't be sending any ground troops, a top general said Thursday.
Gen. James Jones, head of U.S. European Command, said the U.S. military's contribution in Lebanon hasn't yet been determined. But he acknowledged that the U.S. is in position to help its allies reach the area.
"If we're talking about a significant military force, airlift will play a fairly important role, not only in getting the force there but also sustaining it," Jones said, when asked about the role of U.S. airlift in Lebanon as U.N. peacekeepers step up their presence.
"I would also think that in the case of Lebanon, sea lift would be very important," Jones added, speaking to reporters at a Pentagon press briefing.
France is willing to send 400 troops to Lebanon and lead a broader U.N. peacekeeping force until February, French officials said this week. But neither France nor any other European country currently has much in the way of long- range military cargo transport.
Commercial flights may be able to bring in some of the incoming troops. But as the U.N. force expands from 2,000 troops to as many as 15,000 forces, U.S. aid may be needed.
"Where else are you going to go for airlift? If you can wait a few years, the Europeans may be able to help you. Russia, and that's about it if you're going any appreciable distance," said GlobalSecurity.org director John Pike, who maintains an exhaustive database of weapons information.
U.S. equipment also may be needed for some types of sea delivery, Pike said. " There's any amount of merchant shipping available that could be used. But if you start to look at stuff that can be unloaded without having extensive harbor equipment, then it starts to narrow down," he said.
Analysts said the U.S. will probably be happy to lend its transport resources to Lebanon while leaving ground operations to other nations. The U.N. is stepping in after weeks of bloody fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah guerilla group.
Nicholas Burns, the State Department's under secretary for political affairs, said Thursday that the U.S. doesn't believe sending its own ground troops would be the best way to help Lebanon recover.
The conflict "has raised so many different passions among the Lebanese public, " Burns said at a Defense Writers Group breakfast. "Given the history of our involvement in that country, I think it's our sense that we're best contributing framework and military support as opposed to putting American troops on the ground."
Burns also acknowledged that the U.S. military is already quite busy in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At Thursday's Pentagon briefing, Jones said the U.S. military had shifted internal responsbility for Lebanon to European Command and out of Central Command, which manages most of the Middle East operations. Analysts said that move paved the way for close cooperation as efforts to stabilize Lebanon continue.
"It's an invitation for NATO to get involved, for the European countries to feel more of a stake," said Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group, a Washington- area aerospace and defense consulting firm.
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