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Yeah.

Deployment of the V Corps and 1st Marine Expeditionary Force staffs gives average Joes like me the first signal how Bush is going to fight the war.

V Corps is based in Heidelberg, Germany. That's a better than even bet we're going to pull 1st Armored Division and the 1st Mechanized division out of Germany to fight the Iraq campaign, joined by the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored, and 1st Brigade, of the Big Red One, which are based at Ft. Riley. I'd bet at least one of the those divisions does not return to Germany after the campaign and probably both. FU Gerhard Schroeder.

The Marine 1st Expeditionary Force consists of the 1st, 5th and 7th Marines based at Camp Pendleton and the 3rd Marine Air Wing based at El Toro. From one to three Marine regiments and elements of the 3rd Marine Air Wing will form the Marine contingent.

That tells us the Administration doesn't think the Chinese or North Koreans will try anything in the next year.

I think the DOD has leaked the supposed war plan to fool the Iraqis. Putting 2 and 2 together, the supposed plan is for V Corps, including the two Germany-based divisions, an armored cavalry regiment, and at least one and possibly two British armored brigades (including the 7th Desert Rats, forming the 1st British Armored Division), and possibly a French light armored brigade to advance on Baghdad out of Kuwait and for the Marines to cut off and secure the southern oil fields, Basra and the Shatt al Arab. The 101st Air Assault Division will land directly on air fields being prepared in northern Iraq, secure the northern oil fields and Kurdistan and advance on Baghdad from the North, possibly assisted by the Turks, who will occupy Kurdistan. The 75th Rangers Regiment, the 5th Special Forces Group, and probably a second Special Forces group and a couple of British SAS troops will secure Scud launching centers in western Iraq, possibly assisted by the Jordanians, and then advance on Baghdad, securing the western flank. If urban combat is required, the Marines and Special Ops Forces will support the Iraqi Army and the air forces.

They're going to bomb the hell out of Saddam's command and control and "palaces." From 5 to 10 Air Force wings, 5 Navy air wings/carrier battle groups, 1 British carrier battle group, the 3rd Marine air wing, possibly a French squadron, and elements of an Italian squadron.

Yes, at the last minute there's a good chance the French will join the fighting.

If Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfield have the cujones and feel the U.S. Armed Forces are up to it, they could try a "coup de main" -- a blitzkreig involving landing the 101st Air Assault Division and possibly a brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division directly on the outskirts of Baghdad, while V Corps blows out of Kuwait, flanks be damned. Spec ops and the paras would prepare and secure the landing fields after the Air Force and Navy blast Saddam. This could be the last brigade-size airborne combat assault in history.