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14 `enduring bases' set in Iraq
Chicago Tribune via Yahoo! News ^ | Tue Mar 23, 9:40 AM ET | Christine Spolar

Posted on 03/23/2004 11:53:25 AM PST by Murtyo

Edited on 03/23/2004 11:57:49 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]

From the ashes of abandoned Iraqi army bases, U.S. military engineers are overseeing the building of an enhanced system of American bases designed to last for years.

Last year, as troops poured over the Kuwait border to invade Iraq (news - web sites), the U.S. military set up at least 120 forward operating bases. Then came hundreds of expeditionary and temporary bases that were to last between six months and a year for tactical operations while providing soldiers with such comforts as e-mail and Internet access.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: allyourbase; arabworld; bases; bushdoctrine; iraq; middleeast; militarybases; usmilitary
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1 posted on 03/23/2004 11:53:27 AM PST by Murtyo
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To: Murtyo
Having bases in Iraq is far more vital and useful than Saudi Arabia. Iraq borders almost every country we may want to invade in the near future. My only concern is that an iraqi govt. is installed that will allow the US to use iraq as a launching site for future military operations.
2 posted on 03/23/2004 11:56:31 AM PST by Betaille ("Show them no mercy, for none shall be shown to you")
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To: Murtyo
Wonder what the bidding opportunities will be here?
3 posted on 03/23/2004 11:57:56 AM PST by tcuoohjohn (Follow The Money)
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To: Betaille
Permanent bases in Iraq, gotta keep that free flow of oil going for the U.S. economy...
4 posted on 03/23/2004 12:01:44 PM PST by dakine
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To: Murtyo
Great news.
5 posted on 03/23/2004 12:03:36 PM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: dakine
gotta keep that free flow of oil going for the U.S. economy...

Better to us than the Chi-Coms or the Frogs.

6 posted on 03/23/2004 12:05:31 PM PST by Digger
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To: Digger
I didn't say it was a bad thing, but it IS the REAL reason we went into Iraq...Same with Afghanistan...
7 posted on 03/23/2004 12:08:03 PM PST by dakine
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To: dakine
"Same with Afghanistan..."
Oil is not the reason we went into afghanistan... I don't even know where you got that idea from.
8 posted on 03/23/2004 12:09:21 PM PST by Betaille ("Show them no mercy, for none shall be shown to you")
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To: Betaille
Pipeline from Caspian oil fields area...that is where I "got" that idea...
9 posted on 03/23/2004 12:13:34 PM PST by dakine
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To: dakine
Take off the tin-foil hat buddy... you don't think Al Qaeda, Osama, and 9/11 had anything to do with going into afghanistan? This is about security. Maybe you're right and oil played a role, but you can't just attribute everything that happens in the middle east to oil.
10 posted on 03/23/2004 12:16:35 PM PST by Betaille ("Show them no mercy, for none shall be shown to you")
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To: Betaille
Having bases in Iraq is far more vital and useful than Saudi Arabia. Iraq borders almost every country we may want to invade in the near future. My only concern is that an iraqi govt. is installed that will allow the US to use iraq as a launching site for future military operations.

There will be a government that will have strong diplomatic relations with the U.S. There pretty much has to be. There's going to be some instability at first, but I believe we'll have a diplomatic partner as good as any Middle Eastern country can be.

I see things and hear from people and what I observe is nothing you'll ever see on CNN and the major media. It's unbelievable to me how they twist the true representation of how the majority of the Iraqi people feel.

11 posted on 03/23/2004 12:17:00 PM PST by Allegra
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To: dakine
it IS the REAL ONE reason we went into Iraq
12 posted on 03/23/2004 12:17:04 PM PST by mrsmith ("Oyez, oyez! All rise for the Honorable Chief Justice... Hillary Rodham Clinton ")
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To: dakine
Its just a coincidence that the Taliban and Osama were based there huh?
13 posted on 03/23/2004 12:17:12 PM PST by Sabretooth (I'm not SabERtooth, Im SabREtooth.)
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To: Betaille
I never said everything was about oil, just if the oil wasn't there, we would not be securing the area...

The U.S. economy must have crude oil...
14 posted on 03/23/2004 12:21:43 PM PST by dakine
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To: Sabretooth
The U.S. economy must have oil, just a fact...
15 posted on 03/23/2004 12:23:41 PM PST by dakine
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To: Betaille
If we are going to keep invading, temporary bases should be all that would be required in the rear areas. Hitler solved this problem by setting up forward supply bases and fuel depots near the front lines. It makes no sense to set up permanent bases that need protected when the material needs to be near the invading troops. Mobility is the main factor in considering an invasion. The Japanese were very successful in their aggression as long as they remained mobile.

When permanent bases were set up as in the Phillipines and on Guadalcanal, this created a target for American forces to attack. As we become more militaristic, lessons should be learned from the past failures of despots to extend their supply lines past the limits of practibility. The Nazi and Napoleanic invasions of Russia come to mind. As our invasions increase, more attention has to be given to resupply for the troops in the field. Permanent bases just become targets for guerilla attacks and idle garrisons protecting them.

16 posted on 03/23/2004 12:29:24 PM PST by meenie
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To: meenie
Your point stands... but I don't think the Syrians or Iranians have sufficient military strength to attack our permanent bases in Iraq. If we have a freindly and effective Iraqi govt. in place, guerillas should be manageable.
17 posted on 03/23/2004 12:34:32 PM PST by Betaille ("Show them no mercy, for none shall be shown to you")
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To: Betaille
I think we went to Afghanistan to clean up the Islamic militants that we armed and trained a few years ago and were so ungrateful as to turn on us.
18 posted on 03/23/2004 12:39:32 PM PST by dljordan
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To: dljordan
"Islamic militants that we armed and trained a few years ago"
So because we teamed up with bad-guys to beat the soviets... we don't have a right to defend ourselves now? I don't understand what you're getting at.
19 posted on 03/23/2004 12:42:31 PM PST by Betaille ("Show them no mercy, for none shall be shown to you")
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To: dakine
Pipeline from Caspian oil fields area...that is where I "got" that idea...

A proposed pipeline to ship natural gas to India - yep, we'd invade Afghanistan for that...

We've already got several Caspian projects in the works - heading westward. Any Afghani pipeline would have to run through some very politically unstable areas, and most oil companies prefer risks they can manage - and a bunch of hostile Pathan tribes wanting to blow up your pipeline isn't in that risk category.

20 posted on 03/23/2004 12:45:47 PM PST by dirtboy (Howard, we hardly knew ye. Not that we're complaining, mind you...)
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