DoD News Briefing
Tuesday, October 14, 1997 - 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Kenneth H. Bacon, ASD (PA)
................
Q: Can you update us about whether or not the periodic violations of Iraq of the no-fly zones have continued, and what difference the arrival of the aircraft carrier NIMITZ has made?
A: There have not been any no-fly zone violations for the last several days. Actually, since about the time we tightened our procedures in the area by flying further north and taking some of the other steps that I talked about last Thursday.
The period of no-fly zone violations actually began before the NIMITZ got there and has continued since the NIMITZ has been there. I think Admiral Nathman was quoted on CNN as saying that there had not been any no-fly zone violations recently, and he attributed that both to the presence of the NIMITZ, and before that, to the job the Air Force had been doing over the southern no-fly zone.
Q: When you talk about no-fly zone violations, are you referring just to the southern no-fly zone, or does that apply to the northern no-fly zone?
A: No, I'm referring to the southern no-fly zone.
Q: Have there been any...
A: There have been some intermittent violations in the north, but let me just say about both the north and the south, we don't see any signs now that Iraq is trying to take particularly provocative action, or is trying to confront us in any way. To the extent that there have been some limited violations in the north, they've occurred at times when our planes have not been there, and they seem to be designed not to put them into direct conflict with our planes. That is also true in the south. Because of the size of our force and the geography and some other issues, we fly with much greater frequency in the south than we do in the north. So the opportunities for violations are much more limited in the south than they are in the north.
Q: Just for the record, when was the last violation in the south and in the north?
A: I don't think we'll get into specifics, but it's been a number of days in the south.
Q: Last week?
A: It's been a number of days since there's been a violation.
Q: What are the factors that restrict U.S. ability to enforce the no-fly zone in the north?
A: As I mentioned last week, there's a much smaller number of combat aircraft in the north than in the south; they fly a longer distance to get into the area; and the operations they perform in the north have to be deconflicted with Turkish operations in the area as well. So for those three reasons we don't spend nearly as much time in the area in the north as we do in the south.
Q: Are the north fixed wing or helicopter violations?
A: They've been fixed wing recently.
Q: Let me just ask you about a comment that was carried in a wire dispatch today from an Iranian admiral, identified as the Commander of Revolutionary Guards for the Navy who said, "The Iranian Navy has full control over the U.S. aircraft carrier NIMITZ in the Persian Gulf through unique methods."
Any clue what they're talking about there? (Laughter)
A: I'm clueless on that. I think you'll have to go back and interview the Iranian admiral for more information on that.
Let me just say a word about Iran. Iran at this time of year carries out annual naval exercises in the Gulf. Those exercises are currently ongoing. They're called "Victory 8" this year.
We have seen nothing unusual in these exercises compared to past years. We've seen no new military capabilities that we hadn't observed in the past as a result of these exercises. The exercises were planned long before the NIMITZ went into the Gulf and they have, the best we can tell, proceeded according to plan.
The Iranians observe our ships in the Gulf with some regularity, just as we observe ships around the world with some regularity. That surveillance has not increased in any way outside of their normal patterns. They have a P-3 which they fly around, and they also have some patrol boats.
We have seen no suggestion that they want to confront us in any way; no suggestion that they want to cause any problems with our regular deployments throughout the Gulf. Remember, we have a carrier in the Gulf approximately 270 days out of the year, so the normal state of affairs is for us to have a carrier in the Gulf. They're very used to the carrier coming in and out. They're very used to the carrier patrols; and they're responding accordingly.
Q: Since the NIMITZ arrived and the exercise began, have there been any incidents or encounters, any communication between...
A: There has been nothing unusual in our relationships with Iran since... There's been some rhetoric out of Tehran, but as far as the... Rhetoric is cheap, as you all know from coming to these briefings. There's been a lot of rhetoric out of Tehran, but there's been no unusual action in the Gulf; no unusual deployments; no unusual deviations from their exercise.
Q: They have also said earlier that this may be, there may be too many ships. It may be getting too crowded for safety, and that the Gulf isn't big enough for both... I gather they're really not in the same space as the U.S. ships?
A: I don't know whether that's a comment on their seamanship or not, but we're perfectly able to navigate through the Gulf with our ships, and we don't have an unusually... As I say, we have a carrier battle group in the Gulf 270 days out of the year. We're well used to operating in the Gulf. It is a busy area. It requires vigilance and training and good seamanship and we're up to that.
Q: Could you characterize the violations of the no-fly zone in the north? What appears to be the intent of those violations? Do we have any idea?
A: There has been a resurgence of fighting among Kurdish groups in the north, and some of it may just be an effort to survey what's going on by Iraq. But I think that there does not seem to be any effort on their part to confront us directly. Beyond that, I can't speculate on why they might be doing what they're doing.
Q: Are they, or have they engaged anyone else?
A: Not that I'm aware of.
Q: Are we to take from everything you've said then, that the original concern that led to the detour of the NIMITZ to the Gulf, that that concern is much lower now? And that there may, the NIMITZ may not be needed much longer...
A: Remember I said we have a carrier in the Gulf 270 days out of the year. That's three-quarters of the year. The NIMITZ arrived in the Gulf five days earlier than it was planned to arrive initially. So this is not a major acceleration by the NIMITZ in the Gulf. The NIMITZ was to be there on a normal deployment. It will now carry out that deployment and return when that deployment is over, so it will be there for some time.
The answer is we maintain a significant military force in the Gulf. Two-hundred and seventy days out of the year a carrier, or sometimes slightly more, a carrier is part of that force. Also we have Marine Ready Groups there a significant portion of the year as well. These assets come in and out. Most of the time we have a carrier there. Sometimes when we don't we have an Air Expeditionary Force to cover the carrier -- to make up for the air power that went away with the carrier.
We have Marines going in and out to exercise in the Gulf. We also have Army units going over all the time to exercise with equipment that's prepositioned in Kuwait and elsewhere. So we have a regular series of deployments in and out of the Gulf all the time, and the NIMITZ is just part of that series.
Q: Just quickly tell us, I know the NIMITZ is enforcing the no-fly zone today. Are there other nations also enforcing OPERATION SOUTHERN WATCH today?
A: I don't know about today. Typically the British and the French fly with us, but I don't know what happened today. But they're regular participants in the coalition.
Q: Are the British and the French flying further north, these missions further north?
A: I'll have to check on that.
Q: Any attempt to respond to the Iraqi violations in the north by the U.S.? Will there be any retaliation or warning?
A: We've made it clear that we're prepared to enforce the no-fly zone and we are. We've already taken action in the south. Time will tell what happens in the north.
Q: Is the AEF going to be held over for a brief period in Bahrain? You said you were going to hold the B-2s over...
A: The B-2s actually have left.
Q: B-1s?
A: B-1s, sorry. The B-1s left.
Q: When did they leave?
A: They left, I believe, on the 12th. But they're out of the theater now.
Q: How about the AEF?
A: I don't know exactly when the AEF will leave.
Q: They were supposed to be there I think about a month, weren't they?
A: I just don't know. We'll find out.
Q: Can you say where the B-1s went?
A: They're returning home, but the last I heard they were in the Azores.
Q: Hadn't the B-1s been extended for 30 days? Why bring them home just after you extended them 30 days?
A: They're on their way home. That's all I can tell you. The military authorities feel we have adequate deployment -- deployed power in the Gulf.
Q: Was it part of this assessment that the Iraqi planes do not seem to be looking for a confrontation? They're just... There's no need to keep them there if there's...
A: I think the assessment was that we have plenty of military assets in the Gulf right now and it was appropriate to bring them home. I think we've shown over the years, and you've chronicled, all of you have chronicled this, that we have a variety of assets that we move in and out of the Gulf. And we're very comfortable with relying on B-1s for awhile or an AEF for awhile or a carrier for awhile or a Marine Readiness Group for awhile, or our normal naval deployments in the area. We are always exercising with various parts of our force in the area.
Q: You said time will tell in the northern no-fly zone. Is the U.S. doing anything in order to increase the number of flights, the frequency of patrols, or anything up north?
A: All I want to do is reiterate what I've said before. We are serious about enforcing the no-fly zones, and I'll just leave it at that.
Q: Wait a minute. We got chapter and verse on what was being done in the south, flying further north, increasing the number of sorties, putting the NIMITZ in. What's happening in the north?
A: I've said as much as I'm going to say right now.
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