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A follow-up to CDI's April 2002 Forces in the Area - a compendium of U.S. forces deployed in and around the Middle East region and available for operations against Iraq.
 Although no political decision has been made regarding a U.S. military campaign against Iraq, the Pentagon and military leaders continue to methodically prepare for battle. Contingency plans are being put together, and all service component commanders in the region are looking at the full spectrum of options. At this time, the United States already has numerous forces in the Persian Gulf region, as well as in Afghanistan and neighboring countries. Below is a look at what U.S. forces might be put in play in any military operation in Iraq.
Currently, there are about 8,000 American troops in Afghanistan, with several thousand more aboard ships in the Arabian Sea or stationed in neighboring countries like Pakistan and Uzbekistan. More than 20,000 additional soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are in the Persian Gulf area. Notably, the command posts throughout the southern Gulf States and their implication of offensive operations are as politically sensitive as ever. The U.S. “footprint” in each country requires actual personnel numbers, amount of prepositioned equipment and support/cooperation agreements made with each country to be kept out of the public’s knowledge.
Contingency plans for an operation in Iraq call for up to 200,000 tons of heavy weapons, support equipment, and other supplies afloat in the region on prepositioning ships and 350,000 tons prepositioned ashore throughout the region. Recently it was reported that at least two additional shiploads of military equipment (approximately 80,000 tons) is being moved into the region from Europe and the continental United States. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is able to deploy 10 tactical air wing equivalents within five days, and a minimum of two U.S. Army divisions within two weeks. These forces would be followed by a five-division U.S. Army Corps, Marine Expeditionary forces and supporting air wings in the weeks to follow.
More than 1,000 war planners, logistics experts and support specialists are now at all of the sophisticated 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 commander-in-chief of CENTCOM, Gen. Tommy Franks, is comfortable with the real-time connectivity he has from his headquarters in Tampa, Fla., up to the president and secretary of defense and down to all his service commanders in the Persian Gulf region. 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. It is expected that Franks and a sizeable portion of his staff would relocate to the area at the start of hostilities with Iraq.
KUWAIT – 360 miles to Baghdad
Army
Lt. Gen. David D. McKiernan will succeed Lt. Gen. Paul T. Mikolashek as CENTCOM’s Army Component Commander (ARCENT) for all Army forces in the region on Sept. 4, 2002. Mikolashek is now located at his forward headquarters in Kuwait. The headquarters and command and control capabilities are state-of-the-art, and have been updated over recent years to include Patriot anti-missile system interoperability with Saudi missile batteries and U.S. satellite warning systems. The 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) from Fort Stewart, Ga., is now rotating its three brigades through tours of duty in Kuwait, utilizing the prepositioned combat equipment, capable of fully supporting a three-battalion brigade, located at Camp Doha, just west of Kuwait City. The equipment includes M-1A12 main battle tanks, M-2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and M-109A6 Paladin artillery, plus a helicopter assault capability and search and rescue personnel, a Special Forces company, and other Special Operations units. At the moment, the 3rd Brigade from Fort Benning is deployed, using the material. Current plans call for a handover to the 2nd Brigade, from Fort Stewart, likely around September. The force also includes a number of combat support and logistics units. These forces support ongoing exercises that rehearse the unloading of tanks and equipment from prepositioning ships and manning Patriot missile batteries. It has been reported that these exercises have recently involved several thousand more personnel and that the total number of U.S. military in Kuwait has increased to over 10,000. Another 3,000 Air Force personnel support Operation Southern Watch over Iraq. The U.S. Army’s V Corps, headquartered in Germany with two divisions, is also assigned Persian Gulf contingency missions.
The U.S. Air Force 332nd Aerospace Expeditionary Group (AEG) at Ahmed Al-Jaber air base and 386th Aerospace Expeditionary Group at Ali Al Salem air base in the South operate in support of the no-fly zone in southern Iraq.
JORDAN – 340 miles to Baghdad
Air Force and Army
The United States has repeatedly used several Jordanian bases over the last 10 years for exercises and deployments, with major Jordanian air bases sometimes being used for Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) deployments. The 4417th AEF was based at Azraq for three months in the early summer of 1996, with 34 aircraft. During the current campaign, Jordan has provided basing and overflight permission for all U.S. and coalition forces. 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 which could well be part of U.S. 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, which harbor several potential Iraqi missile launch points.
SAUDI ARABIA – 620 miles to Baghdad
Air Force
Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley, an F-15 pilot who once was the Air Force's chief liaison to Congress, is CENTCOM’s Air Force Component commander (CENTAF) for all Air Force assets in the region. He is located at his headquarters at Prince Sultan Air Base (PSAB) outside of Riyadh, and heads the Joint Task Force South West Asia (JTF-SWA). JTF-SWA is a multinational, multiservice air group that maintains the patrols of the southern no-fly zone up to the 33rd Parallel in Iraq. Because of Saudi restrictions concerning offensive weapon-carrying missions against Iraq (and Afghanistan) from Saudi soil, the three Air Expeditionary Force units in Kuwait and Qatar carry out retaliatory air strikes against Iraqi air defenses if patrols are fired on. The state-of-the-art Combined Aerospace Operations Center (CAOC) at PSAB is the center that generates the massive daily Air Tasking Order directing all air operations in the region for Operation Enduring Freedom and Southern Watch over Iraq. However, given Saudi refusal to support any actual invasion of Iraq, air efforts for that operation are likely to be run from Al Udeid in Qatar (see below). The headquarters additionally serves as a fusion center for all intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance efforts. Saudi Arabia's military itself comprises about 70,000 troops and is equipped with a formidable modern arsenal and air force.
BAHRAIN – 620 miles to Baghdad
Navy
Vice Adm. Timothy J. Keating, who served as deputy commander of Carrier Air Wing 17 in support of Operation Desert Storm, is CENTCOM’s Naval Component Commander (NAVCENT) for all naval forces in the region. His 5th Fleet headquarters is in Manama, Bahrain. Retained in the Gulf are some surface escorts, operating as Task Force 50, conducting Maritime Interception Operations and enforcing UN sanctions against Iraq. The force includes destroyers, frigates and at least one submarine.
The Allied Marine fleet in the area includes: the USS George Washington carrier battle group and its associated air wing, escorts, and support ships, along with many allied naval ships from numerous countries. The Belleau Wood amphibious ready group (2,200 Marines) is also in the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier battle group left the San Diego area in late July heading for the Arabian Sea area and would be available for operations. The Lincoln’s battle group, led by Rear Adm. John M. Kelly as commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group 3, includes the carrier itself, Carrier Air Wing 14, USS Shiloh (CG 67), USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), USS Fletcher (DD 992), USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) and USS Reuben James (FFG 57) the attack submarine USS Honolulu (SSN 718), and the USS Camden, a combat support ship. The Lincoln’s air wing includes VFA-115, the first F-18E/F Super Hornet squadron to deploy in the Navy.
In addition, at Shaikh Isa Air Base, 20 miles south of the city, the U.S. Air Force has bombers, tactical fighters and air refueling tankers in place. An Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) also is likely to be sent there. The AEF might consist of six B-1 bombers, 12 F-15s and 24 F-16s, of which 12 are F-16CJs, specially equipped with radar seeking HARM missiles designed to neutralize Iraqi air defenses. The United Kingdom’s RAF Tri-Star refueling tankers are based at the Bahrain airport to support Southern Watch aircraft.
Internal unrest and violent protests in April 2002 against the U.S. Embassy have underscored the sensitivities of American presence in the country.
Marine Corps
The top Marine general for Central Asia and the Persian Gulf is Lt. Gen. Earl B. Hailston, CENTCOM’s Marine Component commander (MARCENT) for all Marine forces in the Pacific. He oversees about two-thirds of all Marine Corps forces around the world, most of them in California, Hawaii or Okinawa. The decision in late January 2002 to move Hailston and nearly half his staff of 500 Marines to Bahrain marks the first time that the Marine Corps commander for the region has had his headquarters there, other than for training exercises.
Special Forces
Brig. Gen. Gary L. Harrell, a former Delta commander, has just succeeded Rear Adm. Albert Calland as commander Special Operations Forces Central Command. He was formerly posted in Afghanistan, currently works from an undisclosed location in the area, and would deploy into the Gulf region as the operational situation dictated. While not in the direct chain of command, he would have strong support from the commander-in-chief of U.S. Special Operations Command, Gen. Charles Holland, at Tampa, Fla. Naval Special Warfare Unit 3, a SEAL force, is also headquartered in Bahrain.
QATAR - 700 miles to Baghdad
Al Udeid Air Base, 19 miles outside of Doha, Qatar’s capital, has the longest runway in the Gulf, (15,000 feet). The modern, $1.7 billion installation has large hangers that can accommodate close to 100 aircraft, and is now home to the 319th Air Expeditionary Group. Fighter/bomber aircraft and air-to-air refueling KC-10 and KC-135 tankers and JSTARS reconnaissance aircraft currently operate there in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Southern Watch. Recently, the United States has significantly upgraded concrete aircraft ramps, as well as the communications and computer infrastructure. This includes the latest Theater Battle Management Core System that will replicate the Command/Control and Intelligence capabilities at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. It appears increasingly likely that Al Udeid will become the air command center for the operation, given the Saudi refusal to allow attacks on Iraq from their soil. The U.S. Army has stockpiled enough equipment in Qatar for at least 5,000 troops – a brigade set with two armored and one mechanized battalion, as well as equipment for combat service support units.
OMAN – 1,150 miles to Baghdad
An airbase at a Musnana’h, approximately 120 km. west of the capital Muscat, is under construction through U.S. funding. It will have a 14,000-foot runway and will be a major enhancement to air operations for U.S. forces. Airlift hubs at Seeb, Thumrait and Masirah Island, the former RAF base in the Arabian Sea, are currently providing substantial support. (Masirah is also a major supply depot.) The B-1 force in the area, with the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing, is probably now located in Oman, possibly at Masirah. One report also refers to the presence of the 406th Air Expeditionary Wing near Thumrait, equipped with air refueling aircraft. The British Royal Air Force also has additional air refueling assets at Seeb to support the no-fly zone in Iraq. Elements of the 10th Mountain Division were based in Oman as recently as April, providing airbase security. Also, British Special Forces are currently exercising in Oman.
TURKEY – 570 miles to Baghdad
Incirlik Air Base in the southern part of Turkey near Adana has several thousand U.S. military personnel assigned to support 50 U.S. Air Force F-15, A-10 and F-16 fighters operating under the 39th Wing enforcing the no-fly zone above the 36th Parallel in Iraq. Brig. Gen. Edward Ellis is commander of the Northern Watch Combined Task Force. There have been recent reports of a substantial increase in U.S. ground and air forces to include extra Patriot missile battery units. Britain’s Royal Air Force has additional air assets at the base to support Northern Watch operations. This is a critical base for any offensive operations into Iraq.
DIEGO GARCIA - 3,340 miles to Baghdad
The Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, a part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, is located in the heart of the Indian Ocean, south of India and between Africa and Indonesia. A narrow atoll 39 miles long, it encloses a lagoon 13 miles long and up to 6 miles wide. Up until early 2002, the 28th Air Expeditionary Wing has had up to 18 B-1 and B-52 bombers based here and conducting operations against Afghan targets. The B-1s now appear to have been relocated in Oman, with the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing, leaving the B-52s at Diego Garcia. The 28th Air Expeditionary Wing appears now to have returned home, handing over control of the B-52s to the 40th Air Expeditionary Wing. Detachment 1, 13th Air Force, maintains the facilities, munitions, ground equipment and aviation fuel to sustain the B-1s, B-52s and air refueling tanker aircraft currently stationed there in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Prepositioned strategic sealift ships for Army and Air Force are hosted there as well. The United States can deploy as many as 12 prepositioning ships – enough to equip a Marine Expeditionary Brigade and an Army Brigade into the Persian Gulf.
EGYPT – 1,300 miles to Baghdad
Egyptian ports and airfields could prove vital as staging posts for a U.S. buildup in preparation for operations against Iraq. Cairo West airbase has long served as a base for U.S. air refueling tankers charged with supporting the airlift of supplies. Hurghuda, on the Red Sea coast, is also a staging point for aircraft-delivered supplies to U.S. warships.
Sources
Cordesman, Anthony H., U.S.Forces In The Middle East, Resources and Capabilities, Boulder, CO; Westview Press, 1997.
David A. Fulgrum & Robert Wall, Heavy Bomber Attacks Dominate Afghan War, Aviation Weekly and Space Technology, Dec. 3, 2001.
John J. Lumpkin, “U.S. Military Moving Equipment To Qatar,” SanAntonio Express-News, March 28, 2002.
Sharon Weinberger, “Air Operations Center Could Be Quickly Moved,” Aerospace Daily, Aril 16, 2002.
Hunter Keeter, “CENTCOM Boosting Command and Control Capability,” Defense Daily International, April 5, 2002.
Milton R, Copulos, “Should The United States Shut Down Its Military Bases in Saudi Arabia? Yes,” Insight Magazine, April 29, 2002.
Rowen Scarborough, “Military ‘Leaning Forward’ To Gird For War With Iraq,” The Washington Times, March 18, 2002.
Wayne Specht, “Air Base In Qatar Feature’s Region’s Longest Runway,” Pacific Stars And Stripes, March 31, 2002.
Michael Sirak and Neil Barnett, “USA Looks To Expand Bases In Oman And Qatar,” Defense Weekly, April 17, 2002.
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