Posted on 08/29/2002 12:25:56 AM PDT by BlackJack
By infinite moonlight, US readies for war
By David Isenberg
Reasonable people might be forgiven for being confused by media coverage of the so-called debate about whether or not the US will invade Iraq. Much of the coverage has been based on two assumptions: first, that the administration has yet to make a decision to go to war with Iraq; second, that if it does decide in favor of war, there will be a measurable deployment of forces to the theater a la Desert Shield in 1990. Both assumptions are wrong. -------- Unlike the slow buildup of 1990, the US Central Command is now able to move at warp speed. It is able to deploy 10 tactical air wing equivalents within five days, and a minimum of two US Army divisions within two weeks. These forces would be followed by a five-division US Army Corps, Marine Expeditionary forces and supporting air wings in the weeks to follow.
A recent analysis by CDI notes that more than 1,000 war planners, logistics experts and support specialists are now at all of the command posts in the region. The command and control capabilities at the component commanders’ headquarters throughout the southern Gulf states are continuing to be fine-tuned by the ongoing Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and in preparation for offensive action against Iraq. The video teleconferencing, satellite imagery and communications capabilities are fused by an extremely robust computer network that has enabled a level of operational situational awareness never before achieved for any commander-in-chief.
Although Jordan has publicly been very vocal that it is opposed to any military action against Iraq, currently the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit is exercising with Jordanian forces in a long-scheduled series of maneuvers. Some sources have reported that this exercise, Infinite Moonlight, is also a cover for prepositioning forces at well-sited forward staging posts. There are two airbases that could well be part of US contingency plans: Ruwayshid, on the road from Rutbah in Iraq to Turayf in Saudi Arabia, and Wadi al-Murbah further north. Both are very close to the Iraqi border, about 100 miles from the H3 complex of airfields that harbor several potential Iraqi missile launch points.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.